Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC, has been nominated by President Obama as the next commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Califf currently serves as the FDA Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco, a role he accepted at the beginning of the year.

Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC

The previous FDA commissioner, Margaret A. Hamburg, stepped down in March of this year. Stephen Ostroff, MD, has been serving as acting commissioner since her resignation.

Prior to joining the FDA, Califf was the vice chancellor of clinical and translational research, director of Duke University's Translational Medicine Institute and a professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology at Duke's Medical Center.

In a recent interview published in Cardiology magazine, Califf expressed his desire to "help the FDA team to work with Congress, patient groups and other stakeholders on pending legislation aimed at improving the environment for biomedical innovation in the U.S., [as well as] … promote synergy across the FDA in dealing with key scientific themes that affect the whole organization."

"Califf is an acclaimed leader in the cardiovascular community who has been recognized by his colleagues throughout his career," states ACC President Kim Allan Williams, Sr., MD, FACC. "He has made important contributions to the field of cardiovascular medicine which gives him the perspective valuable to the FDA’s work, which impacts the health of many people."

Keywords: Academies and Institutes, National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, U.S., Health and Medicine Division, Translational Medical Research, United States Food and Drug Administration

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