About FDA
Commissioner’s Page
Margaret Hamburg, M.D.
Margaret A. Hamburg became the 21st commissioner of food and drugs on May 18, 2009. The second woman to be nominated for this position, she is an experienced medical doctor, scientist, and public health executive. As the top official of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Dr. Hamburg is committed to strengthening programs and policies that enable the agency to carry out its mission to protect and promote the public health. "Strengthening FDA’s programs and policies will help us protect the safety of the food supply, give the public access to safe and effective medical products, find novel ways to prevent illness and promote health, and be transparent in explaining our decision-making," says Dr. Hamburg. "A strong FDA is an agency that the American public can count on."
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Major Initiatives
- Globalization
FDA works to transform from a predominantly domestically-focused agency operating in a globalized economy to a modern public health regulatory agency fully prepared for a complex globalized regulatory environment. Advancing Regulatory Science
Building on the achievements of existing agency programs to develop new tools, standards, and approaches to assess the safety, efficacy, quality, and performance of all FDA-regulated products.- Food Safety
The Food Safety Modernization Act gives FDA a mandate to develop a science-based food safety system that addresses hazards from farm to table—putting greater emphasis on prevention of foodborne illness. - Tobacco
Passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control gives FDA the authority to regulate the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of tobacco products to protect public health. - Innovation
FDA is redoubling efforts to encourage innovations that will promote public health as well as strengthen the American economy. - Transparency
FDA seeks to make more information available to the public rapidly in a form that is easily accessible and user-friendly and to foster a better understanding of Agency operations and decision-making.
