FDA chief scientist Namandjé Bumpus has been named as the successor to outgoing principal deputy commissioner Janet Woodcock. In a social media post on Wednesday, Commissioner Robert Califf called Bumpus a "powerhouse scientist and leader" who will "continue to advance the agency's critical public health initiatives using cutting-edge regulatory science as a North Star."
The appointment comes about two weeks after the agency confirmed that Woodcock, a 35-year veteran at the regulator, would be retiring early next year. "There are many analogous situations that point out how hard it is to step into a role held by a legendary leader, but I am confident [Bumpus] is up for it," Califf said.
The FDA's Office of the Chief Scientist, to which Bumpus was appointed in mid-2022, supports the research foundation, science, and innovation that underpins the agency's regulatory mission. According to the agency's website, it does this through a framework that encompasses scientific collaborations, laboratory safety, the transfer of FDA inventions to the private sector, scientific integrity in FDA policy- and decision-making, and its core research component – the FDA's National Center for Toxicological Research, which generates data that the FDA requires for its regulatory decision-making.