April 3, 2025

Dear Colleague, 

The FDA works to safeguard the public against potential health risks, ensures the safety and efficacy of medical products, and the safety of our nation’s food supply and cosmetics.  Your partnership, knowledge and engagement in the public health space are appreciated. 

Sincerely,

The Public Engagement Staff
Public Engagement Staff | FDA

Updates

Dr. Martin A. Makary Sworn in as FDA Commissioner

Renowned surgeon-scientist and health policy expert, Martin A. Makary, M.D., M.P.H., took the oath of office to become the 27th Commissioner of Food and Drugs. Dr. Makary was confirmed by a bipartisan vote of the U.S. Senate.

“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Makary to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  “He is a national leader in medicine with impeccable credentials.  His extensive research, clinical experience, and national leadership make him uniquely qualified to lead the FDA as we work together to Make America Healthy Again.”

Dr. Makary’s accomplishments as a researcher, clinician, and prolific author are numerous.  He has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed articles in medical literature and founded the Johns Hopkins Center for Surgical Trials and Outcomes Research.  Dr. Makary has led cross-disciplinary research on a range of subjects including cancer care, obesity, frailty and psychologic reserve in older patients, adverse event monitoring, the Orphan Drug Act, antimicrobial resistance, and Alzheimer’s.  Of note, he is the co-developer of the Surgery Checklist used in many operating rooms around the world today.  A member of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Makary has been a visiting professor at more than 25 medical schools across the U.S. and internationally.

“I am honored and humbled to assume this role at the FDA under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Kennedy,” said FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary, M.D., M.P.H.  “I look forward to working with this Administration and the FDA workforce to advance our shared goals in meeting the agency’s public health mission.  As Commissioner, I hope to ensure that the FDA holds to the gold standard of trusted science, transparency, and common sense so that we can Make America Healthy Again.”

Dr. Makary is a graduate of Bucknell University, Thomas Jefferson University, and the Harvard School of Public Health.  He completed his residency at Georgetown University and surgical oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins.  After six years on the faculty at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Makary was named an endowed chair in gastrointestinal surgery and subsequently promoted to full professor with tenure.  He has held joint appointments at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.

About Us

The Public Engagement Staff resides within the Office of the Commissioner and falls under the Office of External Affairs.  We aim to build stronger relationships with health professional organizations, patients and patient advocacy organizations, consumer groups, trade associations, think tanks and academia, and other interested parties, in order to better inform our policy making process, identify policy hurdles or misconceptions, and create strategic collaborations.  For more information, please contact us at: PublicEngagement@fda.hhs.gov.  For patient specific inquiries, please contact us at: Patients Ask FDA.