FDA Launches Fellowship Program

Rockville, MD (July 17)-The US Food and Drug Administration is seeking applicants for its new Commissioner’s Fellowship Program for scientists, engineers, and health professionals. The two-year program will help prepare the agency to replace a large number of FDA staff who are preparing to retire as well as meet future goals. The first 30–40 participants will begin in October 2008.

“FDA is a science-based regulatory agency, and to fulfill our mission over the coming decade we will need to recruit thousands of highly skilled scientists and others with specialized and relevant expertise,” said Frank M. Torti, MD, MPH, principal deputy commissioner and chief scientist, in a prepared statement. “The FDA Commissioner’s Fellowship Program is designed to attract these people to the FDA and provide them with in-depth knowledge of the science that underpins regulatory decisions as we meet the challenges of both globalization and rapid changes in science and technology."

The coursework will be offered at the agency’s White Oak, Maryland, campus or at other FDA facilities chosen by the participant. The program centers on hands-on research and seminars in the sciences of regulatory review, including public policy, FDA law, epidemiology, clinical trials, statistics, devices, and radiological health.

To apply, a curriculum vitae and three references, including contact information, should be submitted to [email protected] by Aug. 29, 2008. Additional information is available on the FDA website.