Dr. Stephen Hahn Confirmed as FDA Commissioner

On Dec. 12, the United States Senate voted, 72-18, to confirm Dr. Stephen Hahn as Commissioner of Food and Drugs. Dr. Hahn was nominated by President Donald Trump in November; in early December, a Senate panel approved his nomination in an 18 to 5 vote advancing him to the full Senate vote. 

Dr. Stephen Hahn had been Chief Medical Executive at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) in Houston, Texas, since May 2018 and Gilbert H. Fletcher Memorial Distinguished Chair and Professor of Radiation Oncology at MDACC since January 2015. As a radiation oncologist, Dr. Hahn specialized in treating lung cancer and sarcoma. He has authored 220 peer-reviewed original research articles.

From 1996-2014, Dr. Hahn was at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was Henry K. Pancoast Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology from 2005-2014. Dr. Hahn was a senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from 1989-1996. Dr. Hahn received his medical degree from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, in 1984 and his B.A. in Biology from Rice University, Houston, TX, in 1980. He completed his residency in radiation oncology at NCI, his fellowship in medical oncology at NCI, and his residency in internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco Hospitals. He is board-certified in both medical oncology and radiation oncology.

“Dr. Hahn brings an impressive set of scientific and leadership qualifications to the job, and I look forward to seeing the FDA and its people thrive under his leadership,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar in a statement. “I am also grateful to Admiral Brett Giroir and Dr. Ned Sharpless for their dedicated work as acting commissioners and for their enduring commitment to public health.”