STAT+: How Trump loyalist Heidi Overton became the president’s pick to run the FDA

Heidi Overton, deputy director of domestic policy for the White House, has been the top health policymaker behind the Make America Healthy Again movement, according to two people familiar with her influence. She reportedly had significant input before the administration overhauled the childhood vaccine schedule or changed federal nutrition guidance, while Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. served as the public face.

On Wednesday, Trump announced Overton as his pick to lead the FDA, calling her a "ROCKSTAR" who worked directly with Kennedy and Dr. Oz on what he described as the "MOST TRANSFORMATIVE Health Agenda in History." The nomination signals that the administration's health priorities will continue to be shaped by Overton's policy role, though her confirmation and specific FDA agenda remain to be seen.