In a new MedPage Today op-ed, Steven Grossman explains why he supports Heidi Overton, MD, PhD, the administration’s nominee for FDA commissioner. At her Senate HELP Committee confirmation hearing, Overton kept to a clear principle: anything the FDA has deemed safe and effective stays that way until the agency reviews contrary evidence, and its decisions must follow the law. That led her to affirm the safety of FDA-approved vaccines, including MMR. Grossman acknowledges real gaps, including no experience running a large organization and the unusual pressure she would face from President Trump and Secretary Kennedy. Still, he argues that her respectful tone and commitment to law, science, and process put her in line with past commissioners and set her apart from her predecessor.
Leading FDA Is an Impossible Job Right Now. Heidi Overton Could Still Do It Well.
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