FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg is stepping down

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

published 5 February 2015

Dr. Margaret Hamburg has been commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration since May 2009, making her one of the longest-serving FDA chiefs in modern times. That will in end March, government officials say, when Hamburg steps down. Dr. Stephen Ostroff, the agency's chief scientist, will replace Hamburg on a temporary basis, but newly named Deputy Commissioner Dr. Robert Cahill, who oversees medical products and tobacco, is widely seen as frontrunner to replace Hamburg, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox