By Blessing Nweke
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Friday that he has nominated Dr. Marty Makary, a pancreatic surgeon at Johns Hopkins University, to be the next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Makary, known for his outspoken views on public health, would replace current FDA commissioner Dr. Robert Califf if confirmed by the Senate.
Makary, the chief of Islet Transplant Surgery at Johns Hopkins, has made a name for himself as a health policy expert. He has served in leadership roles at the World Health Organization and as a public adviser to Paragon Health Institute, a conservative think tank. He is also a frequent Fox News commentator. Trump lauded Makary as a highly respected figure in medicine who could restore the FDA’s trust with the American public. On Truth Social, Trump claimed the FDA had lost sight of its primary mission and that Makary would “course-correct” the agency.
In his new role, Makary would oversee the regulation of food, drugs, medical devices, and other products. However, his past controversial statements on COVID-19 have raised concerns. Makary has publicly criticized the government’s pandemic response and promoted natural immunity as an alternative to vaccines, a stance that has been widely debunked. He also questioned the safety of Covid boosters for younger populations, an opinion that has been disputed by much of the medical community.
Makary’s nomination would also place him in a leadership position under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump has chosen as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy, a staunch critic of vaccines, has drawn significant backlash from the medical community, a point Makary defended in a recent Fox News appearance.
Critics, including vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit, argue that Makary’s past statements make him unfit for such an influential role in public health.
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