CDER director
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Janet Woodcock is named director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, where she has served as acting director for six months, the agency says March 10. She previously served as FDA's chief medical officer and as a deputy commissioner. An internist and rheumatologist, Woodcock has held other leadership positions at FDA, including Office of Therapeutics Research and Review director and Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research acting deputy director as well as previous service as CDER director (1"The Tan Sheet" Dec. 10, 2007, In Brief). The Safety First program CDER launched this month is one initiative Woodcock has led since becoming acting CDER director (2"The Tan Sheet" March 3, 2008, p. 9). She also led the agency's launch of the Critical Path Initiative, designed to bridge the gap between basic scientific research and the medical product development process...