STAT+: New CBER Director Vinay Prasad praises evidence, FDA reviewers in first speech to staff
The new CBER director struck a humble, self-deprecating, and even earnest tone in his speech to FDA staff.
WASHINGTON — In his first address to FDA staff on Wednesday, Vinay Prasad emphasized his commitment to evidence, his admiration for agency employees, and his desire to serve the American public.
The new director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research sounded very different from his online firebrand persona. He struck a humble, self-deprecating, and even earnest tone, calling the American people the agency’s “number one stakeholder.”
“My academic research discipline is epidemiology, evidence-based medicine,” Prasad said in a recording obtained by STAT. “I applaud what you do. I’ve learned a lot from reading your papers over the last 20 years.”
