In what was a long-anticipated action, Dr. Janet Woodcock, Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) announced that Dr. Kathleen “Cook” Uhl will take over the reigns of the Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) on a permanent basis. The text of Dr. Woodcock’s announcement to CDER staff is reproduced below:
Dear Office of Generic Drugs Staff:
I am pleased to share with you the following news. An announcement will be issued to all CDER staff today.
Kathleen “Cook” Uhl, M.D., has been named the permanent director of the Office of Generic Drugs (OGD). She brings to the position more than 30 years of regulatory and medical policy, scientific, and government leadership experience.
I am confident in Cook’s continued exceptional leadership of OGD and its support of our Center’s mission. She brings extensive knowledge and skills in developing and implementing standards for the safety and effectiviness of generic drugs.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Cook for her outstanding work and service as acting director. I would also like to thank all of you in OGD for your continued hard work and dedication to CDER’s mission during not only this leadership transition, but also the transition of OGD into a super-office.
Please join me in welcoming Cook to her permanent role. Keep up the great work in OGD!
Janet Woodcock
This is good news for OGD, as there will not be another shift in leadership. Cook has taken on this job with enthusiasm, gusto, and a deep commitment. Her passion shows not only in her public speaking, but also in her actions behindthe scenes. She is singleminded in her approach to meeting the GDUFA goals and in establishing a system to meet the demands of OGD and the industry. While the results have been slow in coming, it is our hope that her appointment will take away one more distraction in OGD’s quest to meet its goals now that it has a permanent leader and will not have to adjust to a new person at the top.
