The Senate on Feb. 24 confirmed Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC, as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by a vote of 89-4.

Robert M. Califf, MD, MACC

“Dr. Califf is an acclaimed leader in the cardiovascular community who brings impressive medical knowledge, clinical research experience and leadership capabilities to the FDA,” said ACC President Kim Allan Williams, Sr., MD, FACC, in a 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 American College of Cardiology congratulates him on his confirmation as the new FDA commissioner.”

Califf was nominated by President Barack Obama in September 2015. The previous FDA commissioner, Margaret A. Hamburg, stepped down in March 2015. Stephen Ostroff, MD, has been serving as acting commissioner since her resignation.

Most recently, Califf served as the FDA Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco. 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. 

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

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