President Donald Trump is planning to select Heidi Overton, MD, PhD, a White House domestic policy aide, to lead the FDA, Bloomberg reported Aug. 18, citing people familiar with the matter.
Dr. Overton currently serves as a deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy at the White House, where she works on health issues. She previously worked at the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit conservative think tank, and was a White House Fellow during President Trump’s first administration. Dr. Overton holds a medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a doctorate in clinical investigation from Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University.
The pick would fill a vacancy left by former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, who resigned in May after 13 months marked by clashes with agency staff over policy decisions. Kyle Diamantas has served as acting FDA commissioner since Dr. Makary’s departure.
If confirmed by the Senate, Dr. Overton would take over an agency that has seen a wave of senior leadership departures over the past year and regulates products accounting for roughly a fifth of U.S. consumer spending.
Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., a licensed pharmacist, had also emerged as a candidate for the FDA post, according to an Aug. 18 NOTUS report. A White House spokesperson told the publication that any nomination speculation “should be regarded as speculation unless announced by President Trump himself.”
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