February 14, 2005 -Crawford Named to Head FDA

Dr. Lester Crawford has been nominated by President Bush to be commissioner of the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Crawford has been serving as acting commissioner since the departure of former Commissioner Mark McClellan in March of last year, and members of Congress have expressed alarm that the agency has been without a commissioner at a critical time. Crawford received a degree in veterinary medicine from Auburn University and a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Georgia. In a statement following the nomination, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said, "Dr. Crawford has dedicated his career to advancing the nation's public health and will lead the way as we enter a new era of individualized medicine and rapidly developing science." The FDA is responsible for protecting the safety of medicines and much of the country's food supply.