Margaret Hamburg Gets Unanimous Senate Approval

It could be the end of an era.  

For many years, the FDA has lacked decisive leadership and strategic vision.  

The agency, which was once the gold-standard of regulatory agencies, has seen that gold tarnish overtime while it became a scapegoat and means for many on Capitol Hill to gain a headline at the agency's expense.

Today, that perhaps changes.  Dr. Margaret Hamburg won unanimous Senate approval for her nomination last evening.  The Congress has "signed on" to her agenda.  

And a large agenda it will need to be.  The danger for Dr. Hamburg, like the Administration that appointed her, is that there is so much to do, that it is difficult to know where to begin and how fast to move on so many fronts.  Dr. Hamburg is going into a crisis situation where the agency, for years, has pretended no such situation exists.   

That will require that she pick and choose where to start.  Good crisis counseling dictates that you begin where you can make the greatest possible impact with the greatest possible notice.  Choose carefully those points where you can effectively make change, make it quickly and where it will immediately make a difference that is evident.  Do it again, and do it again, until you are riding a wave of change and success.  That is the way to establish momentum.

Good luck Dr. Hamburg.