Who Will Be the Next F.D.A. Chief?
Two leading contenders generate wider debate about the leadership needed to restore morale and scientific integrity to an agency battered by the politicized Trump administration.
Dr. Janet Woodcock. left, the acting F.D.A. commissioner, and Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, who held the No. 2 spot during part of the Obama administration, are considered front-runners for the job.Credit.Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, via Getty Images, left; Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call, via Getty Images
Published Feb. 20, 2021Updated March 9, 2021
One month into his presidency, President Biden still has not named a candidate to head the Food and Drug Administration, a critical position at a time when new vaccines and coronavirus treatments are under the agency’s review.
Medical schools are producing more graduates, but residency programs haven’t kept up, leaving thousands of young doctors “chronically unmatched” and deep in debt.
Clinical Trials Are Moving Out of the Lab and Into Peopleâs Homes
After the pandemic forced thousands of trials to shut down, researchers found clever ways to conduct human studies remotely â while reaching more people, quickly and cheaply.
Dr. Namandje Bumpus, a pharmacologist at Johns Hopkins University, is leading an investigation that has been on hold because of the pandemic.Credit.Michael A. McCoy for The New York Times
By Emily Anthes
Feb. 18, 2021
When the pandemic hit last year, clinical trials took a hit. Universities closed, and hospitals turned their attention to battling the new disease. Many studies that required repeated, in-person visits with volunteers were delayed or scrapped.
Scientists want to build a weather system for viruses. It would require a big financial investment, plus buy-in from doctors, hospitals and blood banks.