50 Most Influential Physician Executives – 2016

The winds of change blowing through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration'with the arrival of newly confirmed Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf'come at a time when the agency faces a host of challenges. Addressing the opioid drug abuse epidemic and preparing for the possibility of new rules that will redefine its approach to regulating medical products are among the issues the former clinical researcher must make his top priorities while trying to improve a workforce that has been under-resourced and understaffed for years. "The FDA must evaluate increasingly complex information to make good decisions on behalf of the public," Califf said. "So we need the best people, and that includes keeping the pipeline full but also keeping people happy when they work here." A cardiologist by training, Califf, 64, served as founding director of Duke University's Clinical Research Institute.

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