President Barack Obama has nominated cardiologist Dr. Rob Califf as commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Califf served in various capacities at Duke University School of Medicine and Duke University Medical Center from 1982 to 2015 before joining the FDA, where he has been deputy commissioner for medical products and tobacco since March.
Califf founded and served as vice chancellor and director of the Duke Translational Medicine Institute at Duke University School of Medicine. He was also director of the cardiac care unit at Duke University Medical Center, and he founded the Duke University Clinical Research Institute in 2006, serving as its director.
Califf's nomination must be confirmed by Congress. The previous permanent FDA commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, left the agency in March 2015 after serving as commissioner since May 2009.
