Network of Experts Program: Connecting the FDA with External Expertise
The Network of Experts is a vetted network of partner organizations and their member scientists, clinicians and engineers who can provide the FDA rapid access to expertise when it is needed to supplement existing knowledge and expertise within the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).
On this page:
- What is the Network of Experts Program?
- How does the Network of Experts Program work?
- Requirements for organizations to participate in the program
- Contact for the Network of Experts Program
- Network of Experts Participants
What Is the Network of Experts Program?
Within the FDA, there exists a tremendous internal cadre of expertise. However, we know how beneficial it is for employees to engage with clinicians, researchers, and other experts outside the federal government to supplement existing knowledge within the Agency and support its mission. This is particularly true when it comes to new and emerging fields of science, pioneering technologies, and the increasing complexity of medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The Network of Experts Program partners with numerous professional organizations to facilitate this exchange of knowledge.
The CDRH Network of Experts began as a pilot program with three partner organizations in 2012. As its value was recognized across CDRH, additional organizations were added to strategically align with specialty areas such as cardiology, neurology, and orthopedics. The program has grown exponentially to include expertise in newly developing areas that span across the medical device landscape. Pharmaceutical expertise is also well represented and available to CDER employees, as CDER began to leverage the program in 2017.
How Does the Network of Experts Program Work?
If an FDA employee has questions during the course of their work, they may turn to the Network of Experts Program to request external expertise. Program employees will contact partner organizations who will identify their member experts who are willing to engage with the FDA and provide feedback and experience. The FDA employee and external experts can then engage through teleconference to discuss the questions at hand. The Network of Experts Program currently partners with over 100 professional organizations, which translates to hundreds of thousands of potential experts for the FDA to engage with. Topics could be related to clinical best practices and experience, postmarket issues, and so on.
In addition to providing FDA employees with access to external expertise in traditional areas, the Network of Experts Program also aims to build pools of expertise in cross-cutting areas like digital health. For more information, see Network of Digital Health Experts.
Note: The Network of Experts Program is designed to broaden FDA employee exposure to clinical and scientific expertise; the program does not request or accept opinions, external policy advice, or recommendations.
Requirements for Organizations to Participate in the Program
To become a Network of Experts Program partner:
- Be considered a traditional professional society or association (groups whose mission seeks to promote education and/or the public health)
- Have 501(c)(3) non-profit status
- The organization’s primary function should not be lobbying or sector promotion
- The organization’s activities should not present a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest with FDA’s public health mission
Contact for the Network of Experts Program
If you have questions about the Network of Experts Program, including information on participating in the program, email: NetworkofExperts@fda.hhs.gov (to contact CDRH), or CDERNetworkofExperts@fda.hhs.gov (CDER) (to contact CDER).
Network of Experts Participants
| Partner Organization | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology | AAAAI |
| American Academy of Audiology | AAA |
| American Academy of Dermatology Association | AAD |
| American Academy of Neurology | AAN |
| American Academy of Ophthalmology | AAO |
| American Academy of Optometry | AAOpt |
| American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology | AAOMP |
| American Academy of Oral Medicine | AAOM |
| American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons | AAOS |
| American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery | AAO-HNS |
| American Academy of Pain Medicine | AAPM |
| American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry | AAPD |
| American Academy of Pediatrics | AAP |
| American Academy of Periodontology | AAP |
| American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | AAPMR |
| American Academy of Sleep Medicine | AASM |
| American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine | AAUCM |
| American Association for the Study of Liver Disease | AASLD |
| American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy | AACP |
| American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists | AAPP |
| American Association for Community Psychiatry | AACP |
| American Association of Critical Care Nurses | AACN |
| American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists | AAGL |
| American Association of Neurological Surgeons | AANS |
| American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) Foundation | AANA |
| American Association of Orthodontists | AAO |
| American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists | AAPS |
| American Association of Physicists in Medicine | AAPM |
| American Burn Association | ABA |
| American Chemical Society | ACS |
| American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology | ACAAI |
| American College of Cardiology | ACC |
| American College of Chest Physicians | ACCP |
| American College of Emergency Physicians | ACEP |
| American College of Gastroenterology | ACG |
| American College of Medical Geneticists | ACMG |
| American College of Medical Toxicology | ACMT |
| American College of Nursing-Midwives | ACNM |
| American College of Physicians | ACP |
| American College of Radiology | ACR |
| American College of Rheumatology | ACR |
| American College of Sports Medicine | ACSM |
| American College of Toxicology | ACT |
| American Dental Association | ADA |
| American Epilepsy Society | AES |
| American Gastroenterological Association | AGA |
| American Geriatrics Society | AGS |
| American Glaucoma Society | AGS |
| American Heart Association | AHA |
| American Hernia Society | AHS |
| American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering | AIMBE |
| American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine | AIUM |
| American Medical Informatics Association | AMIA |
| American Occupational Therapy Association | AOTA |
| American Optometric Association | AOA |
| American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine | AOAAM |
| American Pharmacist's Association | AphA |
| American Physical Therapy Association | APTA |
| American Psychiatric Association | APA |
| American Psychological Association | APA |
| American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons | ASES |
| American Sleep Apnea Association | ASAA |
| American Society for Bone and Mineral Research | ASBMR |
| American Society for Clinical Pathology | ASCP |
| American Society for Dermatologic Surgery | ASDS |
| American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy | ASGE |
| American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery | ASLMS |
| American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery | ASMBS |
| American Society for Microbiology | ASM |
| American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition | ASPEN |
| American Society for Reproductive Medicine | ASRM |
| American Society of Addiction Medicine | ASAM |
| American Society of Anesthesiologists | ASA |
| American Society of Biomechanics | ASB |
| American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery | ASCRS |
| American Society of Clinical Oncology | ASCO |
| American Society of Hand Therapists | ASHT |
| American Society of Health-System Pharmacists | ASHP |
| American Society of Hematology | ASH |
| American Society of Nephrology | ASN |
| American Society of Neuroradiology | ASNR |
| American Society of Pediatric Nephrology | ASPN |
| American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics | ASPET |
| American Society of Plastic Surgeons | ASPS |
| American Society of Podiatric Surgeons | ASPodS |
| American Society of Radiation Oncology | ASTRO |
| American Society of Retina Specialists | ASRS |
| American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene | ASTMH |
| American Thoracic Society | ATS |
| American Urogynecologic Society | AUGS |
| American Urological Association | AUA |
| American Venous Forum | AVF |
| American Veterinary Medical Association | AVMA |
| American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery | AECOS |
| Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine | ADLM |
| Association for Materials Protection and Performance | AMPP |
| Association for Molecular Pathology | AMP |
| Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology | APIC |
| Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology | ARVO |
| Association of American Medical Colleges | AAMC |
| Association of Healthcare Value Analysis Professionals | AHVAP |
| Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists | AMLI |
| Association of Public Health Laboratories | APHL |
| College of American Pathologists | CAP |
| Digital Medicine Society | DiMe |
| Endocrine Society | ES |
| Healthcare Sterile Processing Association | HSPA |
| Infectious Disease Society of America | IDSA |
| Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers | IEEE |
| International Clinical Cytometry Society | ICCS |
| International Congress on Oral Implantologists | ICOI |
| International Society for Laboratory Hematology | ISLH |
| International Society for Quality of Life Research | ISOQOL |
| International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis | ISTH |
| North American Society for Pediatric, Gastro, Hepatology and Nutrition | NASPGHAN |
| North American Spine Society | NASS |
| PA Education Association | PAEA |
| Pan American Society for Clinical Virology | PASCV |
| Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society | PACES |
| Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance | PeDRA |
| Pediatric Endocrine Society | PES |
| Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society | PIDS |
| Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America | POSNA |
| Radiation Research Society | RRS |
| Radiological Society of North America | RSNA |
| Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America | SHEA |
| Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders | SIMD |
| Society for Medical Decision Making | SMDM |
| Society for Pediatric Dermatology | SPD |
| Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons | SAGES |
| Society of Breast Imaging | SBI |
| Society of Critical Care Medicine | SCCM |
| Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates | SGNA |
| Society of Gynecologic Oncology | SGO |
| Society of Interventional Radiology | SIR |
| Society of Toxicology | SOT |
| Surgical Infection Society | SIS |
| American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine | AADSM |
| American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | AAOMS |
| American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine | ASRA |
| Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences | INFORMS |
| Sexual Medicine Society of North America | SMSNA |
| Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine & Urogenital Reconstruction | SUFU |
| International Ultraviolet Association | IUVA |
| Dental Standards Institute | DSI |
| American Association of Clinical Endocrinology | AACE |
| American College of Clinical Engineering | ACCE |
| Infusion Nurses Society | INS |
| Academy of Osseointegration | AO |
| World Professional Association for Transgender Health | WPATH |
| S3 Collective |