U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg and Deputy Commissioner for Foods Michael Taylor issued a joint letter yesterday announcing that Stephen Sundlof was stepping down from his position of director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN).  He has accepted a two-year assignment with the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.  

Sundlof served as director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine for 14 years prior to his appointment as director of CFSAN in January of 2008.  While at CFSAN he was responsible for leading the development and implementation of programs and policies related to the composition, quality, safety, and labeling of foods, food and color additives, dietary supplements, and cosmetics.  He will remain an advisor for the FDA Foods Program.

In his new position, Sundlof will begin a training and development program in regulatory science.  This program is a collaborative effort between the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Minnesota, and the Ohio State University.  It will be designed for government employees, offering a blend of science, policy, leadership, and nontechnical skills Hamburg and Taylor stated are, “necessary to be successful in today’s complex regulatory environment.”

Michael Landa, who has been Deputy Director for Regulatory Affairs at CFSAN since 2004, will serve as Acting Director.  Roberta Wagner, who has served as Director of CFSAN’s Office of Compliance since 2008, and Donald Kraemer, who has served as Deputy Director of CFSAN’s Office of Food Safety since 2007, will serve as Acting Deputy Directors.