Contributed by Ron Gara| 15 February, 2005 05:40 GMT
"Dr. Crawford has dedicated his career to advancing the nation's public health and will lead the way as we enter a new era of individualized medicine and rapidly developing science," Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt.
FDA Acting FDA Commissioner Lester M. Crawford has received President Bush's nod to assume the post of Commissioner of Food and Drugs at the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Crawford will have his work cut out for him as the agency confronts several hot-button drug safety issues -- notably the controversy over Vioxx and other arthritis painkillers in the COX-2 class of drugs -- in addition to the usual challenges built into the position.
President Bush on Monday announced his intention to nominate Dr. Crawford to the position.
Twenty Years as WHO Advisor
Prior to serving as FDA Acting Commissioner, Dr. Crawford served as Chair of the Department of Physiology-Pharmacology at the University of Georgia, Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, and Deputy Commissioner of FDA.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Crawford was Director of the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at Georgetown University and Virginia Tech.
He has served as an advisor to the United Nations' World Health Organization for nearly twenty years. Dr. Crawford is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (UK).
He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University and his PhD in pharmacology from the University of Georgia.
'New Era of Individualized Medicine'
Responding to news of the nomination, Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt says in a statement that Dr. Crawford is an outstanding choice for Commissioner of the FDA.
"For nearly a century, FDA has earned the public's trust in protecting the food and medicine we give our families," says Secretary Leavitt. "To millions of people, the FDA brand is a seal of quality and safety that is based on the best science in the world, and I look forward to working with Dr. Crawford to build on that trust in the 21st century.
"Dr. Crawford has dedicated his career to advancing the nation's public health and will lead the way as we enter a new era of individualized medicine and rapidly developing science," Secretary Leavitt continues. "With Dr. Crawford's leadership, FDA
will provide the world's safest drugs and empower citizens with the tools they need to make to make informed choices about their health." |
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