Trump Nominates Dr. Heidi Overton for FDA Commissioner

President Donald Trump announced that Dr. Heidi Overton, a medical doctor who served as deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council during Trump’s second term, has been nominated as the new FDA director, to replace Dr. Marty Makary, who resigned in May.

Overton holds a medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a PhD in clinical investigation from Johns Hopkins University.

In recent months, in her previous role, Overton has signaled close alignment with the administration’s health priorities. She appeared with the president at several events in the Oval Office related to projects such as those aimed at lowering drug prices, changing the number of universally recommended vaccines in guidance, and a vaccine order that sought to split the combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine into three separate vaccinations, AP reports, in conflict with recommendations from mainstream public health organizations. Prior to Trump winning the 2024 election, Overton held a leadership role at the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit conservative think tank founded by former Trump Administration officials.

Overton was credited by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for helping develop the administration’s 2025 MAHA report on childhood chronic disease.

Overton’s appointment comes at a time when several major regulatory initiatives are in progress at FDA, including modernizing the enforcement of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), eliminating the self-affirmed Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) pathway to market for dietary supplements, and more. The agency is also grappling with how it will regulate peptides as a class of compounds, with major implications for both established and novel dietary peptides that have grown significantly in the dietary supplement marketplace over the past several years.

Overton will need to receive confirmation from the Senate HELP Committee before her appointment is subject to a full Senate approval.  

Overton hasn’t publicly spoken on the topic of dietary supplement regulation at great length, but industry observers are expressing a cautious optimism.

“The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) welcomes the nomination of Dr. Heidi Overton to serve as Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,” said Scott Melville, president and CEO of CHPA. “Dr. Overton has extensive experience in medicine, public health, and health policy ,and we are encouraged by expressed interest in expanding Rx-to-OTC switch opportunities, increasing consumer access to self-care options, and exploring ways to bring innovative healthcare products to market more efficiently. Her public support for policies that promote competition, affordability, transparency, and informed consumer decision-making reflects the important role self-care can play in helping Americans take greater control of their health. We look forward to learning more about Dr. Overton’s priorities as she moves through the confirmation process, and we are pleased the Administration is moving quickly to appoint a permanent leader of the FDA. Stable, science-based leadership is essential to a smooth-functioning FDA.”

Overton’s nomination may be a boon for the CBD industry. “AHPA supports Dr. Heidi Overton’s nomination for FDA Commissioner,” said Graham Rigby, president and CEO of the American Herbal Products Association. “As a physician with a PhD in clinical investigation, Dr. Overton has helped lead CBD policy at the White House Domestic Policy Council. In our engagement with her, AHPA has found her committed to strong scientific principles alongside a pro-innovation posture. When contributing to the development of policy for full-spectrum CBD products, she consulted not only scientific literature but also key industry resources, including the AHPA Hemp Lexicon. Her work on crucial hemp policy demonstrates a clear commitment to health, science, and patient access to health-promoting products.”

Rigby noted that AHPA is optimistic about Overton’s role in expanding the scope of dietary supplement ingredients, following a meeting highlighting the agency’s interest in re-examining what falls under the regulatory definition. “We believe Dr. Overton’s leadership will help protect consumer safety and foster innovation as the FDA considers industry input on critical isseus,” Rigby said.