McClellan to leave FDA, Crawford to lead

President Bush announced Feb. 20 that he would nominate Mark B. McClellan, MD, to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Dr. McClellan has served as the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration since November 2002.

Previously, Dr. McClellan, who also holds a doctorate in economics, has served as a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers and as an associate professor at Stanford University.

Dr. Lester M. Crawford Jr., the deputy commissioner of the FDA, will serve as interim commissioner if Dr. McClellan's nomination is approved by the Senate. It will not be the first time Dr. Crawford has served in this capacity; he filled in as interim director from Feb. 25, 2002 until Dr. McClellan's appointment in November 2002. Dr. Crawford has also been the director of the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine and administrator of the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Tom Scully resigned as administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in December. Dennis G. Smith has been serving in the interim.