Dr. Janet Woodcock joined the FDA in 1986 and served as director of the Office of Therapeutics Research and Review and acting deputy director in the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. In 1994, she joined CDER, and from 2005 until 2008, she held several positions including deputy FDA commissioner and chief medical officer, deputy commissioner for operations and chief operating officer. Her responsibilities involved oversight of various aspects of scientific and medical regulatory operations. In 2015, Woodcock also assumed the role of acting director of CDER’s newly formed Office of Pharmaceutical Quality in addition to her responsibilities as CDER director.
She received her M.D. from Northwestern Medical School and completed further training and held teaching appointments at Pennsylvania State University and the University of California in San Francisco.