Margaret Hamburg, former FDA commissioner, appointed foreign secretary of IOM

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MARGARET HAMBURG, former commissioner of FDA, was appointed foreign secretary of the Institute of Medicine.

In this part-time position, Hamburg will serve as a senior advisor on international matters to the IOM president and council and as liaison to foreign academies of medicine and science. Her term is effective through June 30, 2019.

She succeeds Jo Ivey Boufford, president of the New York Academy of Medicine, who served in the position for eight-and-a-half years.

Hamburg was appointed commissioner of the FDA in May 2009, the second woman to serve in this position. Her past roles have also included senior scientist at the Nuclear Threat Initiative; assistant secretary for policy and evaluation in the Department of Health and Human Services; and commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Hamburg is the daughter of David Hamburg, who served as president of the IOM from 1975 to 1980. Since her election to the IOM membership in 1994, she has actively contributed to the mission of the IOM as chair of the Board on Global Health (2005-2009) and as a member of the IOM Council (2005-2009) and various consensus and convening activities.

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