FDA Names New Director for Vaccines, Biologics Unit

The FDA has appointed Katherine Szarama as acting director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), the unit responsible for evaluating the safety, effectiveness, and availability of vaccines and other biological products for human use.

Szarama, who previously served as CBER's deputy director under Vinay Prasad, brings prior experience from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the National Institutes of Health. Her appointment follows a period of leadership instability at CBER, which included the departure of longtime director Peter Marks and personnel disruptions during Prasad's tenure — factors public health communicators should note when contextualizing current federal vaccine regulatory operations. Read more from The Hill here.