Donald Trump May Pick Heidi Overton For FDA’s Top Job

US President Donald Trump is expected to nominate Heidi Overton as the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), elevating a White House health policy adviser to lead the embattled agency, according to a report published by CNN.

The move comes about three months after Trump’s first FDA commissioner, Marty Makary, resigned amid pressure from the White House, setting the stage for another closely watched Senate confirmation process.

Who Is Heidi Overton?

Overton is from Gallup, New Mexico, and is currently Deputy Director, White House Domestic Policy Council. While at AFPI she served as Chief Policy Officer and Vice Chair, Center for a Healthy America.

Overton recently served as a White House Fellow in 2019-2020 in both the Office of American Innovation and the Domestic Policy Council and is board-certified in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine.

Previously, Overton was a general surgery resident at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a physician advocate for price and quality transparency in healthcare through Restoring Medicine.

During medical school, Overton was appointed by Governor Susana Martinez to serve on the University of New Mexico (UNM) Board of Regents, which included fiduciary and full-voting responsibilities for all business and clinical operations of the university and health system.

Why Is Trump’s FDA Pick Facing A Senate Test?

If the Senate confirms her nomination, Overton would inherit an FDA that has seen its workforce shrink by more than 3,000 employees, including division chiefs, over the past year.

The agency is also facing pressure to restore confidence among industry and public-health organisations amid concerns that its decision-making has become increasingly politicised.

Last week, Overton attended a White House event at which Trump unveiled an executive order seeking to reduce the childhood vaccine schedule and separate the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three individual shots. Drug manufacturers could require several years to develop such vaccines, as per Reuters.

Overton was one of three people the administration had been considering for the FDA commissioner position. The other candidates were oncologist Jeffrey Vacirca and Pentagon health official Stephen Ferrara.

Kyle Diamantas has served as the FDA’s acting commissioner since May, following Makary’s departure 13 months after he took the position. Makary stepped down after disagreements with senior White House and health officials, while several contentious decisions made during his tenure also attracted scrutiny.

Among the issues that drew criticism was the FDA’s decision to bring flavoured vapes back to the US market. Makary also faced scrutiny over a review of an abortion pill that remained stalled, as well as public disputes with pharmaceutical companies including Replimune, Sarepta and Moderna over the agency’s assessments of potentially lifesaving drugs and vaccines, Reuters reported.