FDA Chief Lester Crawford Resigns - Bush Names Intended Replacement, Andrew von Eschenbach

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Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 24 Sep 2005 - 15:00 PDT

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Less than three months after he was confirmed for the job, Lester Crawford, resigned as FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) Commissioner. Nobody knows why he chose to resign so abruptly.

President G Bush immediately announced that he intended to put forward Andrew von Eshcenbach as replacement.

Crawford had been deputy and acting commissioner for a long time. He had clocked up a total of 30 years working for the agency.

Andrew von Eschenbach is the director of the National Cancer Institute. The White House said President Bush has asked him to serve as Acting FDA Commissioner.

Lester Crawford - Background:

- He was Chair of the Department of Physiology-Pharmacology at the University of Georgia

- He was Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA)

- He was Deputy Commissioner of FDA

- From 1997-2002, Director of the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at Georgetown University and at Virginia Tech.

- He played a major role in mandatory nutrition labelling

- He also played a role in the formation of the World Trade Organization

- He played a role in the control of chemical and microbiological contaminants in food.

- He is advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) and has been so for much of his professional life

- He is a fellow/member of:

--- Member of the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine

--- Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (UK)

--- Fellow of the International Society of Food Science and Technology

--- Inducted into the French Academy of Veterinary Medicine (1984)

- 1991, he received the Wooldridge Award, the British Veterinary Association's highest award

- Studies/Qualifications

-- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), Auburn University, USA

-- PhD in pharmacology from the University of Georgia, USA

-- Honorary Doctorate (MDV) from Budapest University

Doctor Crawford was married in 1963 to Catherine Walker. They have two daughters.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor - Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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