On FDA...

While the FDA key positions like all other agencies are filled by appointees - I find many of the people to be career employees - MD's PhD's.

However policies seems to be coming down from the parent agency the DHHS. Well currently former EPA, Leavitt is Secretary.

Interesting, however is his deputy:
Biography of Eric D. Hargan
Acting Deputy Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

As Acting Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, Eric D. Hargan is the chief operating officer of the largest civilian department in the federal government, with a budget of $640 billion and more than 67,000 employees. Working closely with Secretary Mike Leavitt, Hargan oversees all operations, including Medicare, Medicaid, public health, medical research, the regulation of food and drugs, welfare, child and family services, disease prevention, Indian health, mental health services, and many other activities. He also serves as the Regulatory Policy Officer for HHS, overseeing the development and approval of all HHS regulations and significant guidances. In addition, he leads a number of initiatives at the Department, including implementing the President’s Management Agenda, ....

snip

Prior to joining HHS, Hargan was a partner in the Chicago headquarters of the law firm of Winston & Strawn, where he specialized in corporate law, particularly mergers and acquisitions, securities, and venture capital transactions.

http://www.hhs.gov/about/bios/deputysecretary.html

any thoughts?

its mission and cared at all... Since then, just a series of anti-regulatory anti-consumer cronies.

chief operating officer - in the past?

It sounds like a corporation...

trying to make departments more efficient by modeling them after businesses. At my department at NIH (before I got there) my supervisor was referred to as co-chief (cochair really is what he was) but before that he was a clear number two but was referred to as the department CEO. Trust me, this guy was a SCIENTIST with some administration skills, not what one would think of as an CEO.

just curious...

the so called "CEO" who was BY FAR, the most brilliant, honest, efficient scientist I ever met was forced out because he "behaved improperly" by trying to fire and demote people who were either a) lazy, b) incompetant or c) dishonest (and in at least one case all three) and not doing their jobs. That would have to be a big fat NO, then wouldn't it!:)

thanks..:)

And not just about FDA. I think HHS appointees are busy doing damage to NIH as well. I know one high up at NIH who used to be a PhD at FDA but screwed up a safety study badly around 2000, with MD and pHD's calling for this person to be fired. Not long after this person got an NIH post overseeing many of the same kind of studies. Sound familiar? Since this is a admin post, I am sure it was more of an appointment and that kind of thing seems to be handled by the parent HHS...:mad:

considering, the post yesterday about the 100 appointees from corporate America - this appointment system seems to be rife with potential for abuse.

Should there not be better qualification requirements?

I am sure the person I am talking about was "qualified" but still shouldn't have the job. As for the corporate appointees, from Biotech--let me say that it is common for career biologists to move back and forth from private biotech to govt research and back again. That was me-private-govt-private. Just because these people used to work for certain companies does not necessarily mean they got their jobs by cronyism and are unqualified. But it could be cronyism too. I would like to see the scientists that work under an appointee get a say. That MIGHT help. Of course that would be counterproductive if you are not going for competence as is the case with any and all Bush appointments

and then you have those really obvious off-the wall appointments, too. FEMA & the guy above.

Perhaps, like judges - get a consensus opinion..

but it seems either the Dems have been asleep or just gave up and deemed it all as futile under the repub grip until last Novemember.