Califf Narrowly Confirmed as FDA Commissioner

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Dr. Robert Califf as Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Senate narrowly confirmed his appointment on a 50-46 vote with six Republicans supporting his appointment and five Democrats voting against his appointment. Califf was identified as a candidate by the Biden Administration last year.

Dr. Califf was sworn into his role on Thursday, taking over the helm from Dr. Janet Woodcock who served in the role on an interim basis during the past year. Dr. Califf served as FDA Commissioner in 2016-2017 after being confirmed by the Senate on a 89-4 vote with bipartisan support. Califf also served as FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco from 2015-2016. Prior to rejoining the FDA, Califf was head of medical strategy at Alphabet, Inc. and a professor of medicine and vice chancellor for clinical and translational research at Duke University.

Additional information on Dr. Califf is available here.