FDA Gets A Dream Team for Hard Times **
Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., slated to head the Food and Drug Administration, is receiving unprecedented praise from constituents and raising expectations of better things to come for the beleaguered agency.
Also boosting the spirits of FDA stakeholders is the appointment of Joshua Sharfstein, M.D., as Principal Deputy Commissioner, and the creation of a Food Safety Working Group to improve food safety laws and enforcement throughout the U.S. government.
Hamburg brings a strong background to the job. In interviews with
Food Protection Report, individuals she worked with over the years uniformly praised her scientific expertise, management skill, political savvy, and ability to work with people to get things done.
"She is able to hold her own in a way that is not off-putting, which is a good commodity to have in a sensitive, high-profile position such as commissioner of FDA," said Louis Sullivan, M.D., secretary of Health and Human Services from 1989 to 1993 and now President Emeritus of Morehouse School of Medicine, where he was founding dean and first president. He works with Hamburg on several boards of directors, including that of Henry Shein, Inc.
Former Senator San Numn, who co-chairs the Nuclear Threat Initiative, commended her integrity, good judgment and "strong, intellectual vigor," and called her a "problem solver" who knows how to get things done.
Peter Powers, First Deputy Mayor of NYC when Hamburg was Health Commissioner there, said, "I got to work with her very closely...She had a department that needed a lot of reworking in terms of management. She did that." She also elevated staff morale and citizen confidence, made sure the city paid attention to bioterrorism, and, consequently it probably has the best bioterrorism program in the country, he said.
Powers also cited her achievements in dramatically lowering cases of resistant tuberculosis and raising childhood immunizations to record highs. In addition ,she strengthened restaurant inspections in a period of budget restraints. "I was budget cutter in chief," he recalled. "Peggy was very good at explaining why certian things could not be cut -- or it would cost more money at the end of the year. Food inspection was one of them. She said it was important to keep the right number of inspectors out there. She would say where to cut -- and where you don't want to. And she was right."
Because Hamburg knows how to deal with the budget and also has knowledge of Congress, "I can tell you that the budget she goes to Congress with will clearly set forth priorities for FDA in a way that she can accomplish what she has to," Powers said. Food will get it proper attention. I have no doubt about it. We have had many conversations about food safety...and what will happen to people. She gets it."
The consensus view of Powers and other close observers is that FDA will be giving food its due attention. The FDA leadership choices are "a clear signal that this Administration has placed a priority on bolstering FDA's food safety role," according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public ,calls Hamburg "an excellent choice...who has dedicated her life to promoting public health and believes government has an iimportant role to play in promoting public health. Both she and her deputy are attuned to food issues," he said He cited Sharfstein's involvement as Baltimore Health Commissioner with legislation to eliminate trans fat from restaurant food and in setting up a commission on salt consumption.
"Hamburg knows more about food and food safety than any commissioner the day they arrived," said long-time FDA watcher Stephen Grossman, who is president of HPS Group, a regulatory consultant firm. Referring to Hamburg's stint as NYC Health Commissioner, he said, "You cannot run a big city health department with acquiring knowledge of food safety, and she did good things with food outbreaks and restaurant inspection."
Reprinted with the permission of
Food Protection Report.