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September 17, 2005
New FDA Director of Women's Health is Get This - a Male Veterinarian - Updated 9/19
Update: Something is very wrong here. Salon and others picked up the original story, but the original press release was revised. I called the Media number listed on the press release and when I stated that I had a question about the director of women's health, I was forwarded to the automated drug information line.
From Salon:
Update: Shortly after we posted this item, which was based on a press release from Planned Parenthood, a reader alerted us to a press release that was posted today on the FDA's Web site. In that release, the FDA said that Theresa A. Toigo has been appointed as the acting director of the Office of Women's Health. The FDA press release also says, rather cryptically, "This is a revision of this statement posted earlier on September 16." That earlier statement is no longer available on the FDA's site, but, as another reader pointed out, a cached version is still available through Google. Under the heading, "Dr. Norris Alderson -- Acting Director of FDA's Office of Women's Health," Alderson's bio says, "The majority of his FDA career has been in the Center for Veterinary Medicine, holding a number of management positions, culminating in the position of Director, Office of Research." Did the FDA scramble to change acting directors once it realized that Alderson's appointment might invite unhappy comparisons to Michael Brown's tenure at FEMA? Inquiring minds want to know, and are still waiting for calls back to find out.
This isn't a document dump, it's more of a manure dump. Norris E. Alderson, PhD, is our new FDA Director of Women's Health. He's a veterinarian. Somehow the Bush Administration feels he's uniquely qualified to make life and death decisions about women's health and reproductive issues.
Had I realized that veterinarians were so well versed in women's health issues, I could have saved a lot of grief! Maybe instead of using contraception, I should have just gotten spayed. Come to think of it, I know of a few men who should be neutered for the good of mankind.
Meow.
From Ms. Magazine:
Symbolic of the importance the Bush Administration places on women's health, a male veterinarian has been appointed by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Lester Crawford as acting director of the Office of Women's Health. Norris E. Alderson, PhD, has spent the majority of his career at the FDA holding various positions in the Center for Veterinary Medicine.
The Office for Women’s Health, which ensures that the FDA remains gender sensitive and monitors the progress of women’s health initiatives, was most recently headed by Dr. Susan Wood. Wood resigned late last month in protest over the FDA’s refusal to grant over-the-counter status to emergency contraception.
Posted by Lyn Wall at September 17, 2005 08:30 AM | Permalink
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The FDA Site has a different story:
Theresa A. Toigo Is Appointed Acting Director of FDA's Office of Women's Health
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Lester M. Crawford today announced the appointment of Theresa A. Toigo as the Acting Director of FDA's Office of Women’s Health. Ms. Toigo also serves as the Director of FDA’s Office of Special Health Issues (OSHI).
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/2005/toigoOWH.html
With this gang of lairs, who knows?
Posted by: Murvin Auzenne at September 18, 2005 11:25 PM
Thanks Murvin. I find it interesting that the top of that page indicates "This is a revision of this statement posted earlier on September 16.". I wonder if anyone has a screenshot of the orginal. Also, the document I referred to was deleted from the Ms. Magazine site.
Posted by: Lyn Wall at September 19, 2005 08:08 AM
Here's the current google cache of the hhs page with:
Dr. Norris Alderson
Acting Director, Office of Women's Health
Associate Commissioner for Science
Food and Drug Administration
Parklawn Building, Room 14C06
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
301-827-3340 phone
301-827-3042 fax
E-mail: norris.alderson@fda.hhs.gov
http://66.102.7.104/unclesam?q=cache:O4hJDgO1da8J:www.womenshealth.gov/owh/dhhs.htm&hl=en
Posted by: Norris Alderson at September 21, 2005 01:10 PM