Trump administration names permanent FDA division leaders

The Trump administration permanently filled four key leadership roles in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday, the agency announced, following the nomination of Heidi Overton to lead the FDA.

The acting leaders in charge of regulating drugs, vaccines and tobacco will transition into the jobs permanently.

Michael Davis, a psychiatrist, will be director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research; former Merck official Karim Mikhail will be the permanent director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research; and Bret Koplow, an attorney who has been at the FDA since 2011, will become director of the Center for Tobacco Products.

Jared Seehafer will be the FDA’s first deputy commissioner for technology and artificial intelligence. Seehafer, an entrepreneur and executive who founded a life science software company, first joined the FDA in 2025 as an adviser.

The newly created position underscores the administration’s commitment to accelerating AI innovation and ensuring an effective regulatory framework for emerging technologies, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.

The moves will bring continuity to FDA leadership that has been roiled by frequent turnover and leadership departures, including President Trump’s first FDA commissioner of his second term, Marty Makary, who resigned in May.

If confirmed, Overton would take charge of an agency that’s viewed as less trustworthy and more politicized than it has been in any previous administration. Commissioners and center directors are typically not involved in day-to-day drug approvals.

Makary’s tenure atop the agency was marred by clashes with staff, politicized review decisions, and disagreements with the biotechnology industry. Since his departure, the FDA has been led in an acting capacity by Kyle Diamantas.

Mikhail has drawn praise from industry groups, which call him a stabilizing force.

During the tenure of his predecessor, Vinay Prasad, hundreds of workers left the agency’s biologics division and morale slumped. Prasad also rejected at least five drugs that advocates and the FDA itself previously considered promising.

“These selections are not just about filling leadership roles — they signal the direction we are heading,” Diamantas said in a statement.

He said the new leaders will help the FDA “attract and retain best-in-class talent” while helping it build a workforce that will accelerate innovation across the FDA centers.