Califf Tapped To Head FDA

President Barack Obama has nominated Robert Califf, a researcher and cardiologist, to serve as commissioner of the Food & Drug Administration. Califf, 63, joined FDA earlier this year as deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco. In that role he managed the agency’s clinical, scientific, and regulatory initiatives in areas including personalized medicine, orphan drugs, and pediatric science. He also worked to streamline the clinical trials process to get drugs to the market faster. Califf is a leader in the growing field of translational research—work that is essential for transforming scientific advances into medical products such as drugs. He has held several positions at Duke University, including vice chancellor of clinical and translational research, director of the university’s Translational Medicine Institute, founding director of its Clinical Research Institute, and professor of medicine in the division of cardiology at the Duke University Medical Center. Califf is not expected to face significant opposition in the Senate, which must confirm him before he takes the helm of FDA.