Former FDA Commissioner Steps Into New, Internationally Focused Healthcare Role
Margaret Hamburg, the former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), may have stepped down from her role as commissioner earlier this week, but that doesn't mean she's stepping away from government service or healthcare just yet.
This week, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) announced that Hamburg has accepted a position as the foreign secretary of IOM. The part-time position will allow Hamburg to service "as a senior adviser on international matters to the IOM president and council and as liaison to foreign academies of medicine and science," IOM said in a statement.
Hamburg's term began on 6 April 2015 and will continue until 30 June 2019.
The IOM acts as a government-sponsored think tank of sorts, and is highly influential on matters of science and policy in the US. While it is technically a non-governmental organization, it operates under the banner of the US National Academies and receives significant funding from the US federal government.
Hamburg's involvement with the IOM isn't unexpected. Hamburg served as the chair of IOM's Board on Global Health between 2005 and 2009, and has been involved with IOM since becoming a member in 1994. In addition, Hamburg's father, David Hamburg, served as IOM president from 1975 to 1980.