Technology Aug 19, 2026 · 1 min read

Trump expected to pick conservative policy wonk Heidi Overton to lead FDA

She opposes abortion, is wary of peptides, supports limiting vaccines, vexes MAHA.

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Ars Technica
by Beth Mole
Trump expected to pick conservative policy wonk Heidi Overton to lead FDA

President Trump is expected to nominate Heidi Overton, a top conservative policy aide, as the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, according to multiple media reports.

Overton is currently the deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and has played a key role in shaping a variety of health policies during Trump's second term. At times, she has notably angered members of the Make America Healthy Again movement, which was created by anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Overton has a medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and earned a doctoral degree in clinical investigation from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. While at Johns Hopkins, she worked with Marty Makary, the previous FDA commissioner who was ousted by Trump amid a cacophony of controversies.

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This article was originally published by Ars Technica and written by Beth Mole .

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