Dr. Makary was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March 2025 as the 27th Commissioner of Food and Drugs. He oversees the full breadth of the FDA portfolio and the execution of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, including assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products, medical devices, the nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements and tobacco products. Prior to joining the FDA, he served at Johns Hopkins University as a surgical oncologist specializing in hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery and chief of islet transplant surgery, and as a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. There, he conducted a broad range of public policy research on the underlying causes of disease, healthcare costs and relationship-based medicine. A prolific writer and public voice in healthcare, Dr. Makary has authored more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles and is a regular contributor to The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, and has written multiple bestselling books including Unaccountable, The Price We Pay and Blind Spots, with Unaccountable serving as the inspiration for the popular TV series The Resident. He has served in a leadership position at the World Health Organization patient safety program, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2018, and is the recipient of the “Nobility in Science Award” from the National Pancreas Foundation, among numerous other honors. His appointment as FDA Commissioner brings together his deep clinical expertise, health policy scholarship, and commitment to transparency and accountability in medicine.
