In the News

Ongoing Search for HHS Secretary May Delay Naming of New FDA Commissioner

Feb 17, 2009

It looks like the withdrawal of former Senator Tom Daschle as the nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services may well delay President Obama's nomination of a new FDA Commissioner. While some speculate that the nominee for FDA Commissioner has already been chosen, others claim that any nominee for the post will at least need the support of the next HHS Secretary, and thus a delay is in order.

Until then, Dr. Frank M. Torti, who has been serving as Acting Commissioner of FDA since Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach stepped down on January 20, 2008, will continue in that role. Torti most recently served as FDA's Principal Deputy Director and the Agency's first Chief Scientist, a position he held from April 2008 to January 2009. The newly created Chief Scientist position, the No. 2 position at FDA, stemmed from the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007.

Torti took leave in April from his position as Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology, and Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to become FDA's Chief Scientist. Dr. Torti received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Johns Hopkins University, his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and a Master of Public Health from Harvard School of Public Health.

Frontrunners for the next FDA Commissioner are Duke cardiologist Robert Califf and Baltimore Health Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein. Both were formally interviewed for the post by Tom Daschle when he was the HHS Secretary-designate. A January 30 statement by the White House indicated that the naming of the next FDA Commission was imminent (expected to come "within days"), and it appeared then that either Califf and Sharfstein would be chosen. Apparently, Robert Califf has the backing of Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman, Ted Kennedy, and Joshua Sharfstein is supported by the Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Henry Waxman.