SC public health leader Ed Simmer out. Here’s who will replace him
South Carolina’s top public health leader Ed Simmer is out after state Republican lawmakers opted against confirming him over his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesperson for Gov. Henry McMaster confirmed.
Brannon Traxler, the deputy director of Health Promotion and Services and Chief Medical Officer, will be the new acting director, effective Friday, according to a news release.
McMaster appointed Simmer to lead the health agency in 2024 after the restructuring of the Department of Health and Environmental Control. But Simmer had trouble gaining approval from conservative members of the state Senate.
A panel of senators, who are responsible for approving governor appointees, criticized Simmer’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically his encouragement of vaccination against the virus. The Senate Medical Affairs committee voted 12-5 against his appointment in April 2025.
Absent approval from the state Senate within the two-year legislative cycle, Simmer’s tenure as interim agency director ended at 5 p.m. Thursday, the official end of the lawmaking session.
McMaster continued to support Simmer after the tense April 2025 hearing.
Following the hearing, McMaster said he hoped the Senate would “see through the falsehoods and mistruths being spread about his service to our state and nation” in a social media post.
The state Senate also tried to oust Simmer from his post through legislation changing how gubernatorial appointments could be made. The proposal would have declared the Department of Public Health’s director’s office vacant on the last day of legislative session. The bill did not pass both chambers before the legislative deadline Thursday.
Simmer oversaw the state’s response to a measles outbreak in the Upstate this year. He also previously led the Department of Health and Environmental Control and served in the U.S. Navy for over 30 years.
Who will replace Simmer?
Traxler worked in several South Carolina public health leadership roles before her appointment Friday, including in the Department of Health and Environmental Services, according to a news release.
“Dr. Traxler has spent her career improving the well-being of the people of South Carolina and has earned the trust and respect of those she has worked alongside,” McMaster said in a news release.
She was also the Chief Medical Officer during the state’s COVID-19 emergency response.
Traxler received her medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, according to a news release. She also earned her Master of Public Health from George Washington University.