A native of Philadelphia, Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach,served as the 20th Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration from December 2006 until the end of the George W. Bush administration. Von Eschenbach earned a Bachelor’s of Science from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia in 1963 and his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1967.  He completed his internship at Philadelphia General Hospital and his residency in urologic surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia. Von Eschenbach then worked as an instructor in urology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He also served as a lieutenant commander in the US Navy Medical Corps.

 

In 1976, von Eshcenbach joined the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston as a urologic oncology fellow and was invited to join the faculty the following year. He held the titles of consulting professor of cell biology and professor of urology before becoming chairman of the Department of Urology in 1983. Later, von Eschenbach became founding director of the Prostate Cancer Research Program at MD Anderson and directed the Genitourinary Cancer Center. At MD Anderson he also served as vice president for academic affairs, held the Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Clinical Research Distinguished Chair in Urologic Oncology, and served as executive vice president and chief academic officer.

 

In January 2002, von Eschenbach was appointed director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), where he served until taking over the leadership of the FDA.

 

A cancer survivor, von Eschenbach has had an impact on the fight against cancer that extends beyond the clinical and academic communities. He is a founding member of C-Change and was president-elect of the American Cancer Society at the time of his appointment to the NCI.  He has published more than 200 articles, books and book chapters. Von Eschenbach has also served as an editorial board member of several leading journals and on several organizational boards. In 2006, Time Magazine chose von Eschenbach as one of the 100 most influential people to shape the world.

 

Official Bio