Long Island Oncology CEO Jeff Vacirca Emerges as FDA Commissioner Candidate Amid Agency Leadership Vacuum
Key Insights
Jeff Vacirca (search), CEO of New York Cancer & Blood Specialists (search), has been placed on the White House shortlist to lead the FDA, according to people familiar with the matter.
The FDA has been without a permanent commissioner since Marty Makary resigned in May, with Kyle Diamantas serving as acting commissioner.
Vacirca's corporate ties, including a board seat at Caris Life Sciences and recent stock purchases, are expected to draw scrutiny during any Senate confirmation process.
Jeff Vacirca (search), the chief executive officer and chairman of New York Cancer & Blood Specialists (search) (NYCBS), has emerged as one of the final candidates under consideration to lead the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg. The development places a prominent community oncology leader in contention to run the nation's chief medical regulator during a period of significant leadership turnover at the agency.
The White House has not yet made a decision, and several candidates remain under consideration. "Unless officially announced by the White House, any reporting about personnel nominations should be considered baseless hearsay," White House spokesman Kush Desai said. Vacirca declined to comment.
From Community Oncology to Federal Regulation
Vacirca has led NYCBS as CEO and chairman since 2008 and co-founded OneOncology Inc. (search), a network of independent cancer care and urology practices, where he also serves on the board of directors. According to NYCBS's website, the practice treats roughly a million patients annually across more than 40 locations and dozens of hospital affiliations — operational experience that could appeal to an administration seeking hands-on managers.
Vacirca holds a medical degree from St. George's University. He supported Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary after President Donald Trump was elected to a second term in 2024, according to a news release at the time, and has treated Trump ally and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin, according to CBS News.
Corporate Ties and Ethics Considerations
Vacirca's industry connections are likely to draw scrutiny if he is formally nominated. Caris Life Sciences Inc. (search) disclosed in a Form 8-K that Vacirca was elected to its board at the company's June 4 shareholder meeting. A separate SEC Form 4 filed May 12 shows he purchased 31,050 shares of Caris on May 11 at a weighted average price near $16.15.
Under federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 208 bars participation in particular matters that would directly and predictably affect a public official's financial interests. The scope of any required divestitures or recusals would be determined during pre-nomination vetting and in Office of Government Ethics and HHS reviews.
FDA Leadership Vacuum
The FDA has been operating without a permanent leader since Commissioner Marty Makary resigned in May, following clashes with staff and pushback from biotech companies. Kyle Diamantas has been serving as acting commissioner, according to The Washington Post. Soon after Makary's departure, a wave of other senior leaders also left the agency, leaving major policy questions — from drug-approval pathways to device reviews — unsettled.
Other Candidates in the Mix
Pentagon health official Stephen Ferrara is also among the final candidates, according to Bloomberg. Ferrara serves as the Pentagon's principal deputy assistant secretary for health affairs and is a radiologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He had a 25-year career in the U.S. Navy and previously served as chief medical officer at the Central Intelligence Agency. Axios first reported Ferrara was under consideration.
White House policy aide Heidi Overton is another potential candidate, Bloomberg News reported earlier. Overton is a deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy working on health issues and previously worked at the think tank America First Policy Institute. She holds a medical degree and a doctorate in clinical investigation from Johns Hopkins University and was a White House fellow in the first Trump administration.
What Comes Next
The White House review is ongoing, and no formal nomination has been announced. If a nomination is sent to the Senate, it would trigger public disclosures, committee hearings, and additional scrutiny. The Senate health committee chair is Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy. For New York patients and clinicians, the potential selection of a homegrown oncology leader would mark a significant shift from private practice to federal rule-making, raising both hopes for practical, clinic-level insight at the FDA and questions about potential industry influence.