FDA Creates Office of the Chief Medical Officer, Announces Staff Changes

Rockville, MD (Jan. 19)-The US Food and Drug Administration (www.fda.gov) announced the creation of the Office of the Chief Medical Officer as well as two important staff changes at the agency.

Deputy Commissioner Janet Woodcock will step into the newly created position of chief medical officer. In this post, she will collaborate with FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach to plan, organize, direct, staff, coordinate, control, and evaluate the agency’s scientific and medical regulatory activities “to achieve the mission of FDA,” according to an official FDA announcement. Said von Eschenbach, “Creation of this office, and position, will better ensure we achieve this mission with the highest scientific quality and effectiveness needed.”

In addition, the agency named John R. Dyer as its deputy commissioner of operations and chief operating officer, a position that will focus on “strengthening the management, business processes, and information technology of the agency.” Before coming to FDA, Dyer served as chief operating officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Baltimore, MD, www.cms.hhs.gov), where he helped implement the Medicare Modernization Act and led the group’s day-to-day operations.