Purdue institute to host virtual interview with former FDA commissioner

Margaret A. Hamburg
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The Purdue University Women’s Global Health Institute (WGHI) will host a virtual interview with Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and former foreign secretary of the National Academy of Medicine, about her leadership in public health, career path and women’s health at 6:30 p.m. ET April 13.

The interview is part of the WGHI Interview Series, which features distinguished scientists and leaders discussing their contributions to women's health, insights on careers and experience with work-life balance. Hamburg will be interviewed by Laura Murray-Kolb, department head and professor of nutrition science at Purdue. To attend the free event, which is open to the public, online registration is required at www.purdue.edu/dp/wghi. The link to access the virtual event will be emailed to all registered participants.

Hamburg is an internationally recognized leader in public health, medicine, and biomedical research and innovation. In her leadership role at the FDA, she was known for advancing regulatory science, modernizing regulatory pathways, globalizing the agency and implementing public health policies on disease prevention.

Hamburg’s many other prominent roles include serving as president/chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, assistant secretary for planning and evaluation for Health and Human Services, assistant director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where she worked to improve services for women and children. She is considered an expert on biological threats, public health preparedness and emergency response. Hamburg currently is interim vice president for biological programs and policy and a board member at the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

Hamburg earned her bachelor’s degree at Harvard College and received her M.D. at Harvard Medical School. Early in her career, Hamburg was a neuroscience researcher at Rockefeller University and the National Institutes of Health. Hamburg is widely published and has received numerous awards and honorary degrees.

The virtual event is co-sponsored by Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology, and Infectious Disease, the College of Health and Human Sciences, Purdue Policy Research Institute, the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence and the Women in Science Program in the College of Science.