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Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach M.D.


Self Description

November 2005: "Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., is the 12th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since its creation in 1937. A nationally recognized urologic surgeon, Dr. von Eschenbach's distinguished career as a key leader in the fight against cancer spans nearly three decades.

Prior to accepting the appointment to lead the NCI in January 2002, Dr. von Eschenbach served as Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, leading a faculty of nearly 1,000 cancer researchers and clinicians. At M. D. Anderson he also served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and held the distinguished Roy M. and Phyllis Gough Huffington Clinical Research Distinguished Chair in Urologic Oncology.

Dr. von Eschenbach, as founding director of the Prostate Cancer Research Program, was instrumental in fostering integrated research programs in the biology, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of prostate cancer at M. D. Anderson. He also directed the Genitourinary Cancer Center there. Dr. von Eschenbach joined M. D. Anderson as a urologic oncology fellow in 1976 and was invited to join the faculty a year later. Just six years later - in 1983 - he was named chairman of the Department of Urology. Other positions held at M. D. Anderson include Consulting Professor of Cell Biology and Professor of Urology.

Dr. von Eschenbach, himself a cancer survivor, has had an impact on the fight against cancer that extends beyond the clinical and academic communities. He is a founding member of C-Change and was president-elect of the American Cancer Society at the time of his appointment to the NCI. In addition, he has made significant contributions to the scientific literature - more than 200 articles, books, and book chapters. Dr. von Eschenbach has also served as an editorial board member of several leading journals and on several organizational boards.

Many influential organizations have recognized Dr. von Eschenbach for his leadership and accomplishments, among them the American Medical Writers Association, the American Urological Association, and the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. Dr. von Eschenbach has also been included in "The Best Doctors in America" publications, received the Medical Award of Excellence from Cancer Counseling, the Achievement Awards from the 100 Black Men of Metropolitan Houston and Partners in Courage for his significant contributions to prostate cancer programs, and the Julie Rogers "Spirit of Love" Award for demonstrating unparalleled dedication, commitment, and spirit in the fight against cancer.

A native of Philadelphia, Dr. von Eschenbach earned a B.S. from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia in 1963 and his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1967. Dr. von Eschenbach completed residencies in general surgery and urology at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia and then was an instructor in urology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He also served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps."

http://www.cancer.gov/directorscorner/about-the-director

Third-Party Descriptions

April 2008: 'In response to recent findings and media reports, Cheeseman said that FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach has created an agency task force to examine BPA but that the agency maintains it is "absolutely safe" for use in food and medical products.'

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/26/AR2008042602126.html

May 2006: That's the take-home message that has left a cloud hanging over a going-away party for National Cancer Institute Director Andrew C. von Eschenbach, who in March was nominated by President Bush to head the Food and Drug Administration.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/07/AR2006050700797.html

November 2005: The National Cancer Institute said yesterday that it will cancel its online subscription to a widely read weekly newsletter that has been publishing unflattering articles about the institute and its director, Andrew C. von Eschenbach.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/21/AR2005112101355.html

Relationships

RoleNameTypeLast Updated
Employee/Freelancer/Contractor (past or present) Department of the Navy Organization Nov 22, 2005
Student/Trainee (past or present) Georgetown University Organization Nov 22, 2005
Organization Executive (past or present) M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Organization Nov 22, 2005
Organization Head/Leader (past or present) National Cancer Institute (NCI) Organization Nov 22, 2005
Student/Trainee (past or present) St. Joseph's University (SJU) Organization Nov 22, 2005
Employee/Freelancer/Contractor (past or present) University of Pennsylvania, The ("Penn") Organization Nov 22, 2005
Friend (past or present) President George Herbert Walker Bush Person Nov 22, 2005

Articles and Resources

Date Fairness.com Resource Read it at:
Sep 24, 2009 F.D.A. Reveals It Fell to a Push by Lawmakers

QUOTE: The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that four New Jersey congressmen and its own former commissioner unduly influenced the process that led to its decision last year to approve a patch for injured knees, an approval it is now revisiting.

 New York Times
Oct 21, 2008 Official Portraits Draw Skeptical Gaze--Cost to Taxpayers Vaires but Can Reach Nearly $50,000

QUOTE: investing taxpayer money in the time-honored art of official portraiture has become increasingly controversial. In a throwback to the Jimmy Carter era, some fiscal watchdogs and government scholars suggest that high-quality photographs would be a more cost-efficient way to honor departing dignitaries, especially because most portraits are largely inaccessible to the public.

 Washington Post
Jul 16, 2008 Problems Persist With Red Cross Blood Services

QUOTE: The situation has proved so frustrating that in January the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration attended a Red Cross board meeting — a first for a commissioner — and warned members that they could face criminal charges for their continued failure to bring about compliance, according to three Red Cross officials who attended the meeting and requested anonymity because Red Cross policy prohibits public discussion of its meetings with regulators.

 New York Times
Apr 27, 2008 Studies on Chemical In Plastics Questioned: Congress Examines Role Of Industry in Regulation

QUOTE: Despite more than 100 published studies by government scientists and university laboratories that have raised health concerns about a chemical compound that is central to the multibillion-dollar plastics industry, the Food and Drug Administration has deemed it safe largely because of two studies, both funded by an industry trade group.

 Washington Post
Aug 04, 2007 Two Very Different Paths From Farm to Table: Bifurcated Safety System Means Some Foods Get Less Scrutiny

QUOTE: the Government Accountability Office called federal oversight of the food safety system "fragmented" and put it on a list of "high-risk" programs.

 Washington Post
Jul 18, 2007 FDA Faulted In Safety Lapses: White House Orders Study of Imports

QUOTE: The Food and Drug Administration came under withering criticism by a House panel yesterday for its handling of recent food-safety violations, and the Bush administration later disclosed plans to establish a working group to review the safety of food and other imports.

 Washington Post
Jun 07, 2007 Doctor Says Avandia Maker Intimidated Him: After Raising Issue of Heart Risk, 'I Was Characterized as a Liar,' He Tells a House Committee

QUOTE: A prominent doctor who sounded an early alarm about a widely used diabetes drug testified yesterday that he was intimidated by the manufacturer when he raised concerns about the drug's safety. .... The revelations came during a tense four-hour hearing focused on how the Food and Drug Administration handled safety concerns about Avandia.

 Washington Post
Jun 06, 2007 Diabetes Drug Still Has Heart Risks, Doctors Warn

QUOTE: A medical study intended to demonstrate the heart safety of a well-known diabetes treatment seems, instead, to have added to the controversy over the drug [Avandia]. .... A supervisor in the drug safety office at the [FDA] said in an interview yesterday that she was rebuked last year after calling for a stronger warning label on Avandia and a competing drug, Actos.

 New York Times
Apr 05, 2007 So just what's in Fido's food, anyway?: A massive pet food recall has spurred US consumer groups and pet owners to call for more oversight.

QUOTE: The big question pet owners, consumer groups, animal rights activists, legislators, and others want to know is: "What's in this stuff, anyway?"...Other questions on their minds run the gamut from who polices the pet-food chain, to who writes the standards for pet-food labeling, to which companies are making which brands with what ingredients.

 Christian Science Monitor
Mar 22, 2007 F.D.A. Rule Limits Role of Advisers Tied to Industry

QUOTE: The changes are intended to respond to a growing chorus of critics who contend that drug and device makers have hijacked the Food and Drug Administration’s approval process by paying those who serve on the agency’s advisory panels. In one famous example, 10 of the 32 advisers who voted in 2005 to allow the painkiller Bextra to remain on the market and the painkiller Vioxx to return to the market despite safety worries had taken money from the drug makers. Under the new rules, their votes would not have counted and the committee would have voted to keep both drugs off the market.

 New York Times
Feb 27, 2007 Women's Health Office Funds Cut

QUOTE: Women's health advocates inside and outside the agency suspect they are witnessing, at least in part, a long-anticipated payback for the trouble the office stirred during the prolonged debate over nonprescription sales of Plan B. Taking a position that chafed the administration's conservative base, the office had stood up for scientific research that had backed the safety and appropriateness of such sales.

 Washington Post
Jan 31, 2007 FDA Revamps Process for Safety of Drugs After Approval

QUOTE: [The Food and Drug Administration--Ed.]outlined plans to better monitor safety problems after drugs are approved and to make internal changes to increase the profile of agency scientists who raise red flags about drugs.

 Washington Post
Aug 24, 2006 Morning After Pill Is Cleared for Wider Sales

QUOTE: The Food and Drug Administration today approved over-the-counter sales of the “morning-after” contraceptive pill to women 18 and older, resolving one of the most contentious issues in the agency’s 100-year history.

 New York Times
Aug 01, 2006 F.D.A. Shifts View on Next-Day Pill

QUOTE: The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it was moving toward endorsing sale of the morning-after pill without a prescription for women 18 and older, signaling what may be the end of one of the most stubborn health policy debates of the Bush administration.

 New York Times
Aug 01, 2006 FDA to Reopen Discussions With Plan B Manufacturer

QUOTE: The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it is ready to engage in detailed discussions with the maker of the "morning-after pill," sold as Plan B -- talks that could lead to over-the-counter sales of the controversial emergency contraceptive to women at least 18 years old...The timing led many of the drug's supporters, including several members of Congress, to discount the agency's announcement as a political ploy timed to defuse what was widely anticipated to be a difficult interrogation.

 Washington Post
Jul 03, 2006 Petitions to FDA Delay Generic Drugs, Critics Say: Critics Say Companies Misusing Process

QUOTE: A procedure designed to alert the Food and Drug Administration to scientific and safety issues is getting a hard look from members of Congress, who say they are concerned that it may be getting subverted by the brand-name drug industry.

 Washington Post
Jun 09, 2006 Unapproved Drugs Called 'Threat': FDA Chief Says Some Medications Bypass Process to Ensure Safety

QUOTE: Thousands of prescription drugs never approved by the Food and Drug Administration are on the market, and some pose clear health risks to patients...

 Washington Post
May 08, 2006 Gift Solicitation Invites Ethics Debate

QUOTE: ...a "farewell reception and roast" to be held on the NIH campus in Bethesda in honor of von Eschenbach. In addition to the $25 entrance fee for the May 17 event, the invitation solicits additional "contributions" for a gift for the outgoing boss. Problem is, that's a violation of federal ethics rules...

 Washington Post
Nov 22, 2005 Cancer Institute to Drop Newsletter: Online Publication Printed Criticisms About Group, Director

QUOTE: Officials at the $4.8 billion institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, said the action was a cost-cutting move...But others interpreted the decision as an attempt at information control.

 Washington Post