Alta in the Family

When I was asked to advise President Obama’s FDA transition team, some of the smartest questions came from Alta Charo.  Now she can ask even smarter questions from the inside. Starting on August 31^st, she’s joining FDA as a senior advisor, reporting to Assistant Commissioner for Policy David Horowitz.

Charo (a professor of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison) also served on the Institute of Medicine panel that examined the country's drug safety system.  According to the Pink Sheet, “Other issues that Charo has examined include direct-to-consumer advertising and generic testing, and she has also come out in favor of a mandatory vaccination campaign for human papilloma virus.”

Charo told colleagues in Madison that she will be joining "a small group of people who will form a think tank within the commissioner's office." FDA declined to discuss what her exact role will be. Her appointment at the agency lasts for one year but can be renewed for another year.