Deputy Commissioners
Assistant Chiefs
Willard D. Bigelow (1907-1913)
Assistant Chief
Robert L. Emerson (1913-1916)
Assistant Chief
Jones W. Parker (1916-1918)
Co-Assistant Chief w/Dr. Emerson
Walter G. Campbell (1918-1924)
Assistant Chief
W.W. Skinner, Sc.D. (1921-1926)
Assistant Chief
Paul B. Dunbar, Ph.D. (1927-1940)
Assistant Chief
Deputy Commissioners**
Paul B. Dunbar, Ph.D. (1941-1943)
Assistant Commissioner, 1941-1942
Associate Commissioner, 1943
Charles W. Crawford (1945-1951)
Assistant Commissioner, 1944-1945
Associate Commissioner, 1946-1948
Deputy Commissioner, 1949-51
George P. Larrick (1951-1954)
Deputy Commissioner
John L. Harvey (1954-1965)
Deputy Commissioner
Winton B. Rankin (1966-1969)
Deputy Commissioner
James D. Grant (1970-1971)
Deputy Commissioner
Sherwin Gardner (1972-1979)
Deputy Commissioner
Mark Novitch, M.D.(1979-1985)
Deputy Commissioner
John A. Norris, J.D. (1985-1988)
Deputy Commissioner
James A. Benson (1989-1991)
Deputy Commissioner
Mary Pendergast, J.D. (1990-1998)
Deputy Commissioner/Senior Advisor to the Commissioner
Michael A. Friedman, M.D. (1997-1998)
Lead Deputy Commissioner
Bernard Schwetz, D.V.M., Ph.D. (2001 - 2002)
Principal Deputy Commissioner/Senior Advisor for Science
Murray Lumpkin, M.D., M.Sc. (2005 -2014)
Deputy Commissioner for Office of International and Special Programs
Deputy Commissioner for Office of International Programs
Lester M. Crawford, D.V.M., Ph.D. (2002-2005)
Deputy Commissioner
Frank M. Torti, M.D., M.P.H. (2008-2009)
Principal Deputy Commissioner/Chief Scientist
Joshua Sharfstein, M.D. (2009–2011)
Principal Deputy Commissioner
John M. Taylor, III, J.D. (2011-2014)
Acting Principal Deputy Commissioner
Rachel Sherman, M.D., M.P.H. (2017-present)
Principal Deputy Commissioner
Amy Abernethy, M.D., Ph.D. (2018-2021)
Principal Deputy Commissioner
Janet Woodcock, M.D. (2020; 2022-present)
Principal Deputy Commissioner
**Paul Dunbar and Charles Crawford functioned as Deputy Commissioners.
Deputy Commissioners for Policy
Michael R. Taylor, J.D. (1991-1994)
Deputy Commissioner for Policy
William Schultz (1995-1999)
Deputy Commissioner for Policy
Amit Sachdev, J.D. (2004 – 2005)
Acting Deputy Commissioner for Policy
Scott Gottlieb, M.D. (2005-2007)
Deputy Commissioner for Policy
Randall Lutter, Ph.D. (2007 – 2010)
Acting Deputy Commissioner for Policy
David H. Dorsey, J.D. (2010 – 2012)
Acting Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, and Budget
Sally A. Howard (2013-2015)
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, and Budget
Jeremy B. Sharp (2015-2017)
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, and Budget
Anna Abram (2017-present)
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, Legislation and Analysis
Deputy Commissioners for External Affairs
Carol Scheman (1991-1994)
Deputy Commissioner for External Affairs
Sharon Smith Holston (1994-2001)
Deputy Commissioner for International and Constituent Relations
Deputy Commissioners for Operations
Jane Henney, M.D. (1991-1994)
Deputy Commissioner for Operations
Linda Suydam, D.P.A. (1994-1995)
Interim Deputy Commissioner for Operations
Michael A. Friedman, M.D. (1995-1999)
Deputy Commissioner for Operations
Janet Woodcock, M.D. (2005 – 2007)
Deputy Commissioner for Operations and Chief Operating Officer (COO)
John Dyer, MPH (2007–2009)
Deputy Commissioner for Operations and Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Russell Abbott (2010-2011)
Deputy Commissioner, Office for Administration and Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Jim Sigg (2010-2012)
Acting Deputy Commissioner for Operations and Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Jim Sigg (2012-2014; 2017-present)
Deputy Commissioner for Operations and Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Curtis L. Coy (2011-2011)
Acting Deputy Commissioner, Office for Administration and Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Caroline Lewis (2011-2011)
Acting Deputy Commissioner, Office for Administration and Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Walter Harris, M.B.A., P.M.P. (2012-Present)
Deputy Commissioner for Operations and Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Deputy Commissioners for Management & Systems
Mary Jo Veverka (1994-1995)
Deputy Commissioner, OMS
Robert J. Byrd (1997-2001)
Deputy Commissioner, OMS
Deputy Commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs
Scott Gottlieb, M.D. (2005 – 2007)
Deputy Commissioner for Medical & Scientific Affairs
Deputy Commissioners for Foods and Veterinary Medicine
Michael R. Taylor, J.D. (2010–2016)
Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine
Stephen Ostroff, M.D. (2016–Present)
Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine
Deputy Commissioner for Science and Public Health
Jesse L. Goodman, M.D., M.P.H. (2009–2012)
Deputy Commissioners for Medical Products and Tobacco
Stephen P. Spielberg, M.D., Ph.D. (2011–2013)
Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products
Leona Brenner-Gati, M.D. (2013)
Acting Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco
Robert M. Califf, M.D. (2015-2016)
Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco
Rachel Sherman, M.D., M.P.H. (2016-2017)
Associate Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco
Deputy Commissioners for Global Regulatory Operations and Policy
Deborah Autor (2011–2013)
Deputy Commissioner for Global Regulatory Operations and Policy
Howard Sklamberg (1/2014–2017)
Deputy Commissioner for Global Regulatory Operations and Policy
Dara Corrigan, J.D. (2017–Present)
Acting Deputy Commissioner for Global Regulatory Operations and Policy