President Donald Trump has tapped Casey Means as his nominee for U.S. Surgeon General, and the choice is already stirring up the medical establishment.
Means isn’t just another white-coat bureaucrat — she’s a wellness entrepreneur, a tech innovator, and a vocal critic of Big Pharma.
Here’s what you need to know about the woman who might become America’s next top doc.
Stanford Roots and a Nontraditional Path
Means earned both her undergraduate and medical degrees from Stanford, a pedigree that checks the elite box. But after nearly five years in a head and neck surgery residency at Oregon Health & Science University, she walked away — citing frustration with what she calls a “broken” medical system. She shifted to functional medicine, emphasizing prevention over pills. Her Oregon medical license has been inactive since 2024.
Founder of Levels — Metabolic Health for the Masses
In 2019, Means cofounded Levels, a health tech start-up focused on continuous glucose monitoring. The company’s mission? To optimize metabolic health and shift the conversation from disease management to prevention. It’s a direct shot at the pharmaceutical status quo — and a nod to the growing “biohacking” movement.
Author and Influencer
Means isn’t just a clinician. She’s a writer, podcaster, and public speaker. In 2024, she co-authored “Good Energy” with her brother, Calley Means, a book that critiques modern diets and the food industry’s role in chronic disease. The Means siblings have been vocal advocates for a health revolution that prioritizes lifestyle over medication.
The MAHA Connection
Means is a key figure in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, a movement championed by Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. MAHA’s pitch? Stop treating symptoms, start preventing disease. It’s a radical departure from the status quo, and Means is one of its loudest voices.
Vaccine Skepticism and Controversy
Means has expressed concerns about the safety of certain vaccines and the influence of Big Pharma on public health policy. That stance has made her a polarizing figure, drawing praise from alternative medicine advocates and criticism from mainstream medical experts.
The Holistic Health Gambit
Means’ approach isn’t just about managing disease — it’s about total health optimization. She’s big on personalized nutrition, digital health monitoring, and biofeedback, positioning herself as a futurist in a field that often clings to the past.
Pushback from the Medical Establishment
Her nomination has sparked backlash from parts of the medical community, with critics pointing to her inactive medical license and unconventional views on health care. To them, she’s too much of a disrupter, too willing to challenge the norms of traditional medicine.
Support from the Biohacking World
Despite the controversy, Means has a loyal following among biohackers, wellness advocates, and functional medicine practitioners. They see her as a visionary pushing medicine into the 21st century, even if it means breaking a few rules.
Political Wild Card
Means’ nomination isn’t just a health play — it’s a political signal. Trump is leaning into the wellness zeitgeist, appealing to a base that’s skeptical of the medical establishment and hungry for alternatives.
What’s Next?
Means still has to clear the Senate, and that won’t be a cakewalk. Expect a bruising confirmation process, complete with fiery debates over science, freedom, and the future of American health care. If she gets through, the Surgeon General’s office is about to sound a lot less like a government agency and a lot more like a biohacker’s podcast.
