Sunday, January 16, 2022

Admiring the Longevity of the Career of Dr Janet Woodcock- Acting FDA Commissioner

Dr Woodcock was the Director of the Center of New Drug Evaluation and Research when I was still working at FDA ( 1990 -2002). Today she is the Acting FDA Commissioner and almost every week, I see her face in National TV along with Dr Fauci and CDC Director Walensky. Seeing her face in National TV, reminds me of her picture and myself as follows:


       

From Wikipedia:

Janet Woodcock (born August 29, 1948) is an American physician who is currently serving as the acting Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  She joined the FDA in 1986, and has held a number of senior leadership positions there, including terms as the Director of Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) from 1994 to 2004 and 2007 to 2021.

Woodcock has overseen the modernization and streamlining of CDER and FDA, introducing new initiatives to improve the timeliness and transparency of FDA procedures, and the safety, quality and effectiveness of drugs. She informs the United States Congress and other government bodies about the FDA and its concerns, helping to develop policy recommendations and legislation. In 2015, Woodcock received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices in recognition of “a significant career history of making ongoing contributions to patient safety.” She has also received the 2019 Biotechnology Heritage Award.

When I saw her face in TV last month, I can not help but admire the long and successful career Dr Woodcock has accomplished. I thought she had retired, but to my surprise she is still a public servant and doing her best to accomplish FDA mission.  

FDA mission statement is “protecting consumers and enhancing public health by maximizing compliance of FDA regulated products and minimizing risk associated with those products.” 

For complete details of Dr Woodcock's biography and accomplishments visit:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Woodcock 

Meanwhile on November 2021, President Biden issued a statement announcing his intention to nominate Dr. Robert Califf as the new FDA Commissioner as follows:  

Statement from President Joe Biden Announcing His Intention to Nominate Dr. Robert Califf for Commissioner of Food and Drugs

I first want to thank Dr. Janet Woodcock for her leadership over the last year. She has done an incredible job leading the agency during what has been a busy and challenging time, and both she and the FDA career staff have worked hard and followed the science to ensure the American public can trust the decisions being made by the FDA.

Dr. Robert Califf is one of the most experienced clinical trialists in the country, and has the experience and expertise to lead the Food and Drug Administration during a critical time in our nation’s fight to put an end to the coronavirus pandemic. As the FDA considers many consequential decisions around vaccine approvals and more, it is mission critical that we have a steady, independent hand to guide the FDA. I am confident Dr. Califf will ensure that the FDA continues its science and data driven decision-making. Dr. Califf had strong bipartisan support in the Senate in 2016, and I urge the Senate to swiftly confirm Dr. Califf so he can continue the important work being done at this critical moment.

Dr. Robert Califf, Nominee for Commissioner of Food and Drugs

Dr. Califf is an internationally recognized expert in clinical trial research, health disparities, healthcare quality, and cardiovascular medicine. He brings nearly four decades of experience as a doctor, researcher, leader, and public servant, including previous service as FDA Commissioner from 2016-2017, for which he was confirmed by the Senate 89-4 with broad bi-partisan support. Currently, Califf is a professor of medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine, where he previously served as Vice Chancellor and founded the Duke Clinical Research Institute, and also works as Head of Clinical Policy at Verily Life Sciences, a life sciences research organization. Dr. Califf has led many landmark clinical trials and is one of the most frequently cited authors in biomedical science, with more than 1,200 publications in the peer-reviewed literature.

Current Update:

Senate Panel OKs Califf Nomination for FDA Chief - The New ...

3 days agoA divided Senate committee on Thursday advanced the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf to become commissioner of the Food and Drug ...
 
It looks like in the next few days, FDA will have a New FDA Commissioner. Thank You, Dr Woodcock for your long service and leadership. 
 

 Dr. Robert Califf- FDA Nominee for Commissioner, 2021-2022

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