FDA names director for pandemic preparedness

Jul 21, 2006 (CIDRAP News) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has created a new position that involves directing the evaluation of products for emerging and pandemic disease threats and has named veteran staff member Mark Goldberger, MD, MPH, to fill it.

Goldberger has been appointed "medical director for emerging and pandemic disease threats" in the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), the agency announced yesterday.

"Dr. Goldberger will serve as a Senior Advisor for CBER's pandemic flu program to plan, coordinate and implement activities related to the development and evaluation of products for emerging and pandemic threats," the FDA said in a news release.

On the FDA staff since 1989, Goldberger currently directs the Office of Antimicrobial Products in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, officials said. He "has been at the forefront of combating other emerging infectious diseases, and we are grateful he has agreed once more to help tackle another monumental challenge, preparing for pandemic influenza and other future threats," said Acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach, MD.

Goldberger earned his medical degree and did his residency and an infectious diseases fellowship at Columbia University, where he also taught for 10 years. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention he served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer, investigating outbreaks and studying Guillian-Barre syndrome associated with swine flu vaccine.

He will begin meeting with CBER staff members over the next few weeks and will join the center full time at the end of August.

See also:

Jul 20 FDA news release
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01413.html