Posted February 6, 2015
Dr. Margaret
Hamburg is stepping down as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) after almost six years, according to a Reuters article
available here.
The New York Times also published an article available here
and NPR here.
Dr. Hamburg, one of the longest-serving FDA commissioners,
has overseen public health initiatives ranging from tobacco control and food
safety to personalized medicine and drug approvals. Her decision to step down was
influenced by the heavy demands associated with the job and the long period of
time she has held the position.
In 2009, she was nominated by President Obama and
confirmed by the Senate, according to The
New York Times.
“Six years in this job is really a lot,” she said. “When I
took over, it was often described as an agency in crisis. I’ve been able to
turn that around, to really improve morale and change the culture of the agency
in some important ways. I hope that I’ve really made it a stronger and better
place.”
Dr. Hamburg
will step down at the end of March, and she has hired Dr.
Robert Califf from Duke University as deputy commissioner for medical
products and tobacco. FDA observers say Dr. Cliff a potential successor,
according to NPR.
For more information on food safety, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
