What to know about Dr. Heidi Overton, Trump's pick to lead the FDA
President Trump has nominated Dr. Heidi Overton to lead the FDA, a role that involves regulating food, drugs, and medical devices. Overton's background includes conservative policy work and public skepticism regarding certain medical practices, raising questions about her future approach to agency leadership.
Why it matters
The FDA commissioner position is highly influential in public health, and Overton's nomination signals a potential shift in the agency's regulatory and political priorities.
President Trump posted on Truth Social that he is nominating Dr. Heidi Overton to be the next FDA commissioner.
Overton would fill a vacancy left by Dr. Marty Makary, who resigned in May after leading the agency for 13 months.
Overton trained as a surgeon. Her current role is deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy at the White House.
Dr. Joshua Sharfstein , who was the principal deputy commissioner at the FDA during the Obama administration, says that moving from the White House to the FDA could be eye-opening.
"In any administration, there are White House advisers who are walking around saying, 'Why can't FDA just do this? What FDA should really do is that,'" he says. "And then you get to the FDA and you realize there's actually another side of the story."
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