President Trump Announces Nomination of Heidi Overton, MD as FDA's New Commissioner

President Trump announced in a Truth Social post on Wednesday, August 19 that he will be nominating Heidi Overton, MD, PhD as the next FDA commissioner. Overton is currently deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. Previously, Overton was vice chair, Center for a Healthy America and chief policy officer for the America First Policy Institute, and was a general surgery resident at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The prior Commissioner, Martin “Marty” Makary, MD resigned from FDA in May of 2026 following reports that Trump was going to dismiss him. Since then, Kyle Diamantis has been leading the agency as acting Commissioner. Makary was the second commissioner to resign within a 15-month window, following the February 2025 resignation of Deputy Commissioner Jim Jones, who stepped down after the dismissal of 89 staff members, including specialists in infant formula safety and food ingredient review, citing a “disdain” for the professional staff necessary to implement the agency’s agenda.

In his Truth Social post, Trump called Overton a “rockstar,” and said that she has work directly with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, to “deliver on the MOST TRANSFORMATIVE Health Agenda in History.”

The post also quoted praise from Secretary Kennedy. “Heidi is ‘ALWAYS RIGHT,’ Secretary Kennedy recently said in the Oval Office! We need her leadership at the FDA now to ensure that the US remains the WORLD LEADER for Scientific Discovery and CURES,” wrote Trump.

Overton does not have a clear track record that would indicate how she may approach the dietary supplement and food industries, with Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA) characterizing her as somewhat of a blank slate and voicing an open-mindedness in working with her. Fabricant also expressed gratitude that Overton’s nomination means that Diamantis is returning to his role in the Human Foods Program. “Diamantis was very motivated and very helpful in the foods program, and to the extent that Overton is going to reach down the foods program, Dr. Makary kind of left Diamantis alone, so that’s not a bad thing if that continues to be the status quo.”

Scott Melville, president and CEO of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) welcomed the nomination.

“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,” explains Melville. “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.”

Graham Rigby, president and CEO of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) also expressed support for Overton’s nomination in a statement to Nutritional Outlook. “As a physician with a PhD in Clinical Investigation, Dr. Overton has helped lead CBD policy at the White House Domestic Policy Council,” says Rigby. “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 and CBD policy demonstrates a clear commitment to health, science, and patient access to health-promoting products.”

“We believe Dr. Overton’s leadership will help protect consumer safety and foster innovation as the FDA considers industry input on critical issues — especially expanding the scope of dietary supplement ingredients, a topic on which AHPA and other industry representatives provided extensive comments at the agency's public meeting earlier this year,” Rigby concludes.

Overton still needs to be confirmed by the Senate. Fabricant notes that her nomination may be more challenges given the proximity to an election, and the fact that her experience and politics are perceived as more partisan compared to previous nominees.