Donald Trump announced on August 19, 2026, the nomination of Dr. Heidi Overton as commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fill the vacancy left by Marty Makary's resignation in May 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4].
Overton holds an MD from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a PhD in clinical investigation from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health [2, 3]. She served as deputy director for domestic policy during Trump's second White House administration and previously worked at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank aligned with Trump [1, 2, 3, 4].
Trump praised Overton on Truth Social as a "ROCKSTAR" who helped implement his administration's health agenda, including faster cures, drug price reductions, and clinical trial reforms. He said, "Dr. Overton will continue putting AMERICA FIRST, and creating a HEALTHY AMERICA" [1, 3, 4].
Known for her conservative and pro-life stance, Overton opposes abortion pills and describes mifepristone, used for medical abortion, as "teleabortion". She has called abortion and abortion pills dangerous, a position impacting an estimated 23 million US women living in states with abortion bans affected by mifepristone regulations [1, 2, 3].
Overton also appeared alongside Trump promoting an executive order that split the MMR vaccine into three separate shots, a move criticized by the American Academy of Pediatrics as dangerous. Overton said, "We do still recommend the measles vaccine for all children, but we want parents to be informed about the timing and to have the option to separate them out. So, Mr President, this is a historic action" [1].
The nomination follows the May resignation of previous FDA commissioner Marty Makary. Overton's confirmation process will determine her next steps as she seeks to lead the agency [2, 3].
