Senate confirms Califf as FDA commissioner

The FDA announced that the U.S. Senate voted 88-4 to confirm Robert Califf, MD, MACC, as commissioner of the agency.

Califf, who was named deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco in January 2015, was nominated by President Obama in September 2015 to replace Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, as commissioner. She resigned in February 2015.

“Dr. Califf has demonstrated a long and deep commitment to advancing the public health throughout his distinguished career as a physician, researcher, and leader in the fields of science and medicine,” Stephen Ostroff, MD, who served as acting FDA commissioner after Hamburg stepped down, stated in an FDA press release. “He understands well the critical role that the FDA plays in responding to the changes in our society while protecting and promoting the health of the public, across the many areas we regulate — and I am confident that our public health and scientific contributions will further grow under his exceptional leadership."

Before joining the FDA, Califf served as vice chancellor of clinical and translational research at Duke University, director of the Duke Translational Medicine Institute, professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the Duke University Medical Center and founding director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute. When he joined the FDA, Califf was one of the top 10 most cited medical authors according to the Institute for Scientific Information, with more than 1,200 peer-reviewed publications.

The American College of Cardiology issued a statement calling Califf the right choice to run the FDA.

“Dr. Califf is an acclaimed leader in the [CV] community who brings impressive medical knowledge, clinical research experience and leadership capabilities to the FDA,” Kim Allan Williams Sr., MD, FACC, president of the ACC, James B. Herrick Professor and chief of the division of cardiology at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and a member of the Cardiology Today Editorial Board, said in the statement. “He has made important contributions to the field of medicine and has the vision required to lead the FDA in its efforts to promote and protect public health. Dr. Califf is the right person to lead the FDA, and the [ACC] congratulates him on his confirmation as the new FDA commissioner.”

In a statement released by the American Heart Association, Nancy Brown, CEO of the AHA, said that “we could not imagine a better person than Dr. Califf to lead the FDA. His dynamic résumé makes him a triple threat when it comes to combating public health problems in this country. Dr. Califf has a patient-centric approach, his regulatory experience gives him a valuable perspective on medical product development, and he has a proven track record of leading groundbreaking clinical and translational research initiatives. … It’s these experiences, combined with his commitment to improving the health of our nation that make him a perfect fit for this role.”

 

Disclosure: Califf and Ostroff are employees of the FDA. Williams and Brown report no relevant financial disclosures.