Commissioner of Food and Drugs Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., today announced the appointments of Lou Valdez as associate commissioner for international programs, and of Lori Davis as chief information officer.

"At a time when the FDA is strengthening its presence in multiple regions around the world, and implementing state-of-the-art information technology systems, Lou Valdez and Lori Davis bring experience, dedication and leadership that will contribute significantly to the Agency's mission of protecting and promoting the public health," said Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D. 

In 2008 the FDA opened offices in China and implemented plans for additional offices in India, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. The agency also commenced a multi-year information technology modernization program. Both are critical for import protection, food protection and medical product safety.

• Lou Valdez will help lead implementation of the FDA's international programs at a time of significant growth and expansion of the agency and the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) international presence. Valdez previously served as deputy director of the HHS Office of Global Health Affairs, where she led the development of U.S. Government policy positions on a wide range of complex international public-health issues. Valdez is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, and holds a Master of Science degree in Management from the University of Maryland University College. 

• Lori Davis joined FDA as deputy chief information officer in November 2007 and has been instrumental in restructuring the Office of Information Management and centralizing Information Technology (IT) project budgets and resources. In her new position, Davis will be responsible for strengthening FDA's IT infrastructure, and for creating a robust IT foundation to enhance the interoperability of systems across the agency. Davis previously served as acting deputy director in the Office of Strategic Operations and Regulatory Affairs at HHS' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), as special assistant to the CMS chief operating officer, and as deputy director of CMS' Office of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Standards (now the Office of e-health Standards and Services). Davis is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the Louisiana State University.