Clinton Pick Would Be First Female to Head FDA
President Clinton has tentatively chosen a New Mexico cancer specialist to become the first female chief of the Food and Drug Administration, officials said Tuesday.
Dr. Jane Henney, vice president of the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Center, is undergoing routine background checks. Administration officials said Clinton hopes to announce her nomination within weeks.
Henney, 51, was a close deputy to former FDA Commissioner David A. Kessler from 1992 to 1994, giving her hands-on experience in running the agency that regulates 25% of the national economy: drugs, medical devices, foods and cosmetics.
But her link to Kessler has raised concerns among Senate Republicans who disliked his aggressive style.
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