Scott Gottlieb, MD, stepped into his role as FDA commissioner amid much scrutiny over his deep ties to the drug and device industry. More than nine months into his leadership position, Dr. Gottlieb has managed an impressive feat for an FDA head — protecting America's public health without losing support from industry stakeholders, according to The New York Times.
Dr. Gottlieb is leading the agency through a collaborative management style, promoting longtime FDA veterans and filling other positions with former industry members. Agency employees told The Times he is an energetic and intense leader who holds "town hall-style meetings before making decisions," according to the report.
Part of Dr. Gottlieb's success also comes from his balanced efforts to protect public health, while also proposing rewards for drug and device companies.
"He's being thoughtful; he's being deliberative," William Hubbard, a 30-year FDA veteran, now retired, told The Times. "He seems to be putting aside some of his more extreme rhetoric from when he was outside, and working through the issues with a public-health orientation."