Admiral Brian Christine, Assistant Secretary of Health and Director of the Public Health Services Commissioning Force, is a board-certified physician in the state of Alabama who specializes in penile implants and men’s health.
CDC says 41 people are currently being monitored for hantavirus in the US
The CDC announced that 41 people are being monitored for hantavirus in the United States. There have been no positive cases of hantavirus associated with this outbreak in the United States.
The federal official who is attracting attention for helping lead the United States’ ongoing fight against hantavirus is also attracting attention for his background as a urologist.
Admiral Brian Christine, Assistant Secretary of Health and Director of the Public Health Services Commissioning Force, is a board-certified physician in the state of Alabama who specializes in penile implants and men’s health.
Christine became a leading figure in the Trump administration’s response to the hantavirus, which is known to have sickened at least 10 people and killed three people during an outbreak on the cruise ship MV Hondius. More than 40 people are being monitored in the United States for Andes virus, a type of hantavirus that originates from rodents. Experts say the risk to the public from hantavirus is low.
Multiple news outlets reported on Christine’s skepticism of past federal health responses, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. CNN reported that Christine’s views were a far-right conspiracy theory.
In response to emailed questions, the Department of Health and Human Services referred to Christine’s May 15, 2018 post. Christine said CNN “baselessly slanders people as ‘far-right’ conspiracy theorists in order to delegitimize the opposition.”
“Thankfully, Donald Trump is our president and telling the truth is no longer a crime in America,” Christine said.
The White House did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
What we know about his role in countering hantavirus
On May 11, Christine told reporters at the University of Nebraska Medical Center that some patients were isolated with hantavirus infection and were being tested for Andes virus. The U.S. government has repatriated the American passengers on board the Hondius and is monitoring other passengers who may have been infected.
Christine told a news conference that the U.S. response is “what a strong public health system looks like” and that “transparency is the way of the day.”
Christine is a four-star uniformed officer who leads more than 5,000 public health professionals responding to emerging health threats.
What critics and supporters said during his confirmation
President Donald Trump nominated Christine to the post in March 2025.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said at a Senate committee hearing in July that Christine is a “medical expert.”
Citing her expertise in urology and men’s health, Christine told senators she would bring a day-to-day patient care perspective to HHS.
“Treatment decisions and difficult conversations with patients and their loved ones happen in the doctor’s office, emergency room or at the bedside,” he said in his opening remarks. “These things happen in local hospitals and clinics. That’s where I practice and that’s what I know. For any organization to be successful, it needs people in leadership positions who live and work on Main Street.”
Christine said the nation’s health care institutions and policies are broken and the average American does not trust the health care system. He said the Trump administration is focused on addressing chronic diseases. His mission was to restore faith and confidence in medicine.
While recent coverage has focused on his experience as a urologist, critics at the time focused on his views on vaccines.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) slammed Christine after he asked her if she would recommend the coronavirus vaccine. Christine said that like any treatment or vaccine, it comes with “inherent risks and benefits.” He later said he would ensure patients had access to the right information.
“That’s pretty troubling,” Kane said.
In October, the Senate confirmed Christine and a number of other administration nominees by a vote of 51-47. All Democrats opposed the nomination.
At HHS, Christine succeeds Dr. Rachel Levine, a pediatrician who was the former Pennsylvania Surgeon General and later served as the state’s health secretary. Levine, who ran for Biden until President Trump takes office in 2025, is transgender.
The Washington Post reported that Christine frequently speaks out against the rights of transgender people.
What you need to know about Christine’s resume
Christine earned her medical degree from Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta and completed her urology residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Christine is a board-certified urological surgeon with more than 30 years of clinical experience serving patients in Birmingham, Alabama, Tuberville said.
Christine worked at the Urology Center, a private practice in Alabama. In 2022, Christine ran unsuccessfully for the Alabama Senate. A year later, he ran for a seat on the county commission, but later withdrew, the Hoover Sun reported.
He is a member of the American Urological Association, the North American Society of Sexual Medicine, the International Society of Sexual Medicine and the International Continence Society, according to the federal public health agency’s website.
A few years ago, Christine hosted a YouTube show called “Erection Connection” where she lectured with other urologists about men’s health, including erectile dysfunction.
He also promoted views that called into question the federal health care system, vaccines, and public health measures during the coronavirus pandemic. On his YouTube show “Common Sense,” he said the federal government’s health response and organized medicine have injected “liberal and left-wing values” to tighten government control.
Christine criticized the use of mail-in voting in the 2020 election, saying, “The pandemic was used to influence the outcome of the 2020 election.”
President Trump’s second term has created a number of vacancies in key positions at HHS, including at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Contact us via email (emcuevas1@usatoday.com) or Signal (emcuevas.01).
