David A. Kessler
David A. Kessler | |
|---|---|
Kessler in April 2009 | |
| Head of Operation Warp Speed | |
| In office January 20, 2021 – February 24, 2021 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Moncef Slaoui |
| Succeeded by | Gustave F. Perna (Chief Operating Officer of COVID-19 Response for Vaccine and Therapeutics) |
| Co-Chair of the COVID-19 Advisory Board | |
| In office November 9, 2020 – January 20, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| 16th Commissioner of Food and Drugs | |
| In office November 8, 1990 – February 28, 1997 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Frank Young |
| Succeeded by | Jane E. Henney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David Aaron Kessler May 13, 1951 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Amherst College (BA) University of Chicago (JD) Harvard University (MD) |
David Aaron Kessler (born May 13, 1951) is an American pediatrician, attorney, author, and administrator (both academic and governmental) serving as Chief Science Officer of the White House COVID-19 Response Team since 2021.
Kessler was the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 8 November 1990 to 28 February 1997. He co-chaired the Biden-Harris transition’s COVID-19 Advisory Board from November 2020 to January 2021 and headed Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government program to accelerate the development of COVID-19 vaccines and other treatments, from January to February 2021.