Bumpus propelled to FDA’s second-in-command
Regulatory News | 29 November 2023 |
Namandjé Bumpus will be promoted to FDA principal deputy commissioner. (Source: FDA)
Only a little over a year after joining the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Namandjé Bumpus is being promoted to principal deputy commissioner, making her the second most senior official at the agency.
On 29 November, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf announced on X, the social media platform formerly called Twitter, that Bumpus would be promoted to principal deputy commissioner and replace Janet Woodcock when she retires. Earlier this month, Woodcock announced she was retiring from FDA early next year after almost four decades at the agency (RELATED: This Week at FDA: Woodcock’s irreplaceable legacy and an averted shutdown, Regulatory Focus 17 November 2023).
“As Principal Deputy Commissioner, Namandjé will work closely with FDA leadership to develop, advance and implement key public health Initiatives, as well as to oversee the agency's day-to-day functions,” Califf wrote in an all-staff email. “Chief among those priorities is the proposed reorganization unifying the Human Foods Program, creating a new model for the Office of Regulatory Affairs, and strengthening the entire agency.”
Califf went on to note that Bumpus has been integral in leading the Implementation and Change Management Group, which has been tasked with revamping FDA’s human foods program. Revamping the program has been a top priority for the commissioner after the agency came under heavy criticism for its handling of the 2022 infant formula crisis. Some have also blamed the crisis on Woodcock, and it is considered a key reason why she was not nominated for the commissioner position herself.
Bumpus joined FDA in 2022 as chief scientist after serving as chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. Califf noted that after joining, she has also led FDA’s implementation of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act.
“She has continued to raise the cache of the FDA's regulatory science within the agency and to the outside world, in part by being a champion of plain language, a staunch advocate for truth-telling in public health, and a formidable scientist,” he added.
As chief scientist, Bumpus has also been working to reform FDA’s advisory committee system, another key issue for Califf. During a webinar hosted by the Alliance for a Stronger FDA, she highlighted that approving or rejecting a premarket submission is up to FDA’s internal experts and not external panel experts. She also wants to reform the system so the agency can ensure it is identifying the right experts for a panel, depending on the topic (RELATED: FDA working to streamline adcomm system, hybrid model here to stay, Regulatory Focus 3 August 2023).
On 29 November, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf announced on X, the social media platform formerly called Twitter, that Bumpus would be promoted to principal deputy commissioner and replace Janet Woodcock when she retires. Earlier this month, Woodcock announced she was retiring from FDA early next year after almost four decades at the agency (RELATED: This Week at FDA: Woodcock’s irreplaceable legacy and an averted shutdown, Regulatory Focus 17 November 2023).
“As Principal Deputy Commissioner, Namandjé will work closely with FDA leadership to develop, advance and implement key public health Initiatives, as well as to oversee the agency's day-to-day functions,” Califf wrote in an all-staff email. “Chief among those priorities is the proposed reorganization unifying the Human Foods Program, creating a new model for the Office of Regulatory Affairs, and strengthening the entire agency.”
Califf went on to note that Bumpus has been integral in leading the Implementation and Change Management Group, which has been tasked with revamping FDA’s human foods program. Revamping the program has been a top priority for the commissioner after the agency came under heavy criticism for its handling of the 2022 infant formula crisis. Some have also blamed the crisis on Woodcock, and it is considered a key reason why she was not nominated for the commissioner position herself.
Bumpus joined FDA in 2022 as chief scientist after serving as chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. Califf noted that after joining, she has also led FDA’s implementation of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act.
“She has continued to raise the cache of the FDA's regulatory science within the agency and to the outside world, in part by being a champion of plain language, a staunch advocate for truth-telling in public health, and a formidable scientist,” he added.
As chief scientist, Bumpus has also been working to reform FDA’s advisory committee system, another key issue for Califf. During a webinar hosted by the Alliance for a Stronger FDA, she highlighted that approving or rejecting a premarket submission is up to FDA’s internal experts and not external panel experts. She also wants to reform the system so the agency can ensure it is identifying the right experts for a panel, depending on the topic (RELATED: FDA working to streamline adcomm system, hybrid model here to stay, Regulatory Focus 3 August 2023).
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