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Rachel V Thomas

Meet Heidi Overton: Trump Set to Nominate White House Adviser to Lead FDA

US President Donald Trump has nominated White House policy aide Heidi Overton to serve as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to media reports.

Overton, who currently serves as deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, is awaiting Senate approval, Bloomberg News reported.

If confirmed, she will succeed Marty Makary, who resigned in May after 13 months in the role following clashes with senior White House and health advisers and scrutiny over a series of controversial agency decisions. Kyle Diamantas has been serving as acting FDA commissioner since May.

Overton previously worked at the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute, where she ultimately oversaw its Health Policy Center.

A physician by training, Overton received her medical degree from the University of New Mexico. She completed general surgery training at Johns Hopkins and pursued clinical investigation research training at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

She also served during the first Trump administration before joining the America First Policy Institute.

Her work also involved overseeing signature health policy efforts, including the HHS administration’s push to redesign the food pyramid, overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule and work out pricing deals with pharmaceutical companies.

Overton appeared alongside President Trump last week when he signed an executive order calling for an overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule. The order called for reducing the number of federally recommended shots and separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots.

“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,” Overton said at the event.

She also said the order could help states identify “gold standard” recommendations and take steps to limit vaccines required for school entry.

“We are going to be working directly with states so that we’re not reliant on the court case to resolve,” Overton said, referring to ongoing litigation over pared-down vaccine recommendations. “We are doing it right away so that parents get the benefit from state laws changing.”

Criticism Over Overton’s FDA Appointment

Overton’s reported nomination has already drawn criticism from some health policy experts.

Raymond James analyst and former Trump health official Chris Meekins told Axios that Overton has degrees but “seemingly no real experience running anything.”

He also described her as a former Makary protégé who had moved further toward what he characterised as “anti-science and anti-vaccine messaging” within elements of the MAHA movement.

“Industry will view this pick as extremely troublesome and FDA career staff will continue to flee the agency,” Meekins said. “Any progress made since Makary’s departure is likely to be immediately reversed if she is confirmed.”

Earlier this month, the US Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making her the public health agency’s first permanent leader in nearly a year after months of uncertainty.

The Senate approved her nomination in a 51-44 vote on August 5.

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US President Donald Trump has nominated White House policy aide Heidi Overton to serve as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to media reports.Overton, who currently serves as deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, is awaiting Senate approval, Bloomberg News reported.If confirmed, she will succeed Marty Makary, who resigned in May after 13 months in the role following clashes with senior White House and health advisers and scrutiny over a series of controversial agency decisions. Kyle Diamantas has been serving as acting FDA commissioner since May.Who Is Heidi Overton?Overton previously worked at the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute, where she ultimately oversaw its Health Policy Center.A physician by training, Overton received her medical degree from the University of New Mexico. She completed general surgery training at Johns Hopkins and pursued clinical investigation research training at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.She also served during the first Trump administration before joining the America First Policy Institute.Her work also involved overseeing signature health policy efforts, including the HHS administration’s push to redesign the food pyramid, overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule and work out pricing deals with pharmaceutical companies.Overton’s Role in Vaccine PolicyOverton appeared alongside President Trump last week when he signed an executive order calling for an overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule. The order called for reducing the number of federally recommended shots and separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots.“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,” Overton said at the event.She also said the order could help states identify “gold standard” recommendations and take steps to limit vaccines required for school entry.“We are going to be working directly with states so that we’re not reliant on the court case to resolve,” Overton said, referring to ongoing litigation over pared-down vaccine recommendations. “We are doing it right away so that parents get the benefit from state laws changing.”Criticism Over Overton’s FDA AppointmentOverton’s reported nomination has already drawn criticism from some health policy experts.Raymond James analyst and former Trump health official Chris Meekins told Axios that Overton has degrees but “seemingly no real experience running anything.”He also described her as a former Makary protégé who had moved further toward what he characterised as “anti-science and anti-vaccine messaging” within elements of the MAHA movement.“Industry will view this pick as extremely troublesome and FDA career staff will continue to flee the agency,” Meekins said. “Any progress made since Makary’s departure is likely to be immediately reversed if she is confirmed.”CDC Leadership UpdateEarlier this month, the US Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making her the public health agency’s first permanent leader in nearly a year after months of uncertainty.The Senate approved her nomination in a 51-44 vote on August 5.

meet heidi overton: trump set to nominate white house adviser to lead fda

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Meet Heidi Overton: Trump Set to Nominate White House Adviser to Lead FDA

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Health Conditions A-Z

Meet Heidi Overton: Trump Set to Nominate White House Adviser to Lead FDA

Why Flight Attendants, Pilots Face Higher Risk Of Radiation-Linked Cancer Deaths Than Other Occupations?

US HHS Accuses 200+ Hospitals Of Improperly Billing Over 120 Million For Gender-Related Care In Minors