The FDA has appointed prominent clinician and researcher Frank M. Torti, MD, as principal deputy commissioner and new chief scientist, a post that stems from the FDA Amendments Act of 2007.

Torti will support the launch of the FDA Fellowship Program, which could attract up to 2,000 professionals of varying disciplines for a two-year training program. The new office plans to ensure the quality and regulatory focus of the intramural research programs of the agency, placing special emphasis on the importance of clinical research trials that are a part of the foundation of the agency’s regulatory structure.

Throughout his career, Torti has served on and chaired many national health and medical committees, and serves on the National Institutes of Health’s National Advisory Council for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

He plans to join the FDA in May.