USFDA Commissioner Dr Robert M Califf tests COVID positive
US: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday that Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend while traveling on official agency business. He is up to date on vaccines against COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms.
Commissioner Califf has not recently been in close contact with President Biden or Vice President Harris.
"Consistent with CDC guidelines, Dr. Califf continues the FDA's work virtually while isolating at home to continue the FDA's vital work to protect and advance the health of every American," the US agency stated.
Dr. Califf is a graduate of Duke University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and a fellowship in cardiology at Duke. President Joe Biden nominated Dr. Califf to head the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Dr. Califf was sworn in on February 17, 2022.
Previously, Dr. Califf served as Commissioner of Food and Drugs from February 2016 to January 2017. Dr. Califf served as the FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco from February 2015 until his first appointment as Commissioner in February 2016. Prior to rejoining the FDA, Dr. Califf was head of medical strategy and Senior Advisor at Alphabet Inc., contributing to strategy and policy for its health subsidiaries Verily Life Sciences and Google Health. He joined Alphabet in 2019, after serving as a professor of medicine and vice chancellor for clinical and translational research at Duke University. He also served as director of the Duke Translational Medicine Institute and founding director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute.
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines, and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products
Read also: CEO of Pfizer tests COVID positive again
