President Trump is expected to nominate Dr. Heidi Overton as the new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner.

Overton, a physician and current White House domestic policy aide who regularly briefs Trump on health matters, has recently supported his executive order aimed at reducing recommended childhood vaccinations. At the event announcing the order, Dr. Overton stated that the initiative would help states recognize “gold standard” vaccination recommendations and take steps to limit vaccines required for school entry. She added: “We are going to be working directly with states so that we’re not reliant on the court case to resolve. We are doing it right away so that parents get the benefit from state laws changing.”

Currently serving as deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy, Overton was previously chief policy officer at the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank. She has authored articles denouncing abortion as “corrosive” to women and advocating for stricter controls over abortion pill prescriptions, calling such pills “far more dangerous to women.” Her stance aligns with conservatives who have urged the FDA to restrict access to abortion medication.

In September, Overton and Calley Means, another top health adviser, were credited by Mr. Kennedy with developing a MAHA strategy report that called for additional reviews of chemicals in food and increased oversight of pharmaceutical advertising. During a statement, Overton said: “You are saying, especially to states that are willing, take a look at this scientific assessment. These are the Gold Standard childhood vaccine recommendations, and you should put this into your state law so that when parents go to enroll their kids in school, they do not have to meet some of the requirements for the vaccines that are no longer recommended for all children.” She added: “That brings us in line with European nations.”

Overton is board-certified in public health and general preventive medicine. She completed her residency in general surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where she also earned a doctorate in clinical investigation.

The decision to appoint Overton continues a decades-long tradition of selecting medical doctors for the FDA commissioner role.

She previously crossed paths with former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary during her time as a resident at Johns Hopkins; they co-authored a 2017 op-ed attributing part of the opioid crisis to surgeons’ prescribing practices. Makary led the agency from March 2025 until his removal in May, an administration marked by mass layoffs, frequent senior leadership turnover, and conflicts with lawmakers, pharmaceutical companies, and Trump.

Currently serving as acting FDA commissioner is Kyle Diamantas, a friend of President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and former partner at the law firm Jones Day. He has also overseen the agency’s food division.

Overton will need Senate confirmation before she can assume the role.