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Commissioner's Diversity Policy Statement

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Public Health Service
Food and Drug Administration

Memorandum

Date: July 26, 2017

From: Commissioner of Food and Drugs

Subject: Diversity Policy Statement

To: All FDA Employees

To remain a high-performing Federal Agency and fulfill the promise to protect the public health requires the energetic commitment of public servants from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and cultures. For this reason, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is committed to recruiting, retaining, and developing a diverse and talented workforce as pluralistic as the society we serve. As such, I vigorously support the maintenance of an environment within FDA that is free of barriers to full participation and advancement, which values diversity and celebrates, rather than shields, our differences, and which empowers every individual to contribute to the Agency’s mission.

To this end, FDA's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (OEEO) has established a Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee which will serve as an advisory body on matters of diversity and inclusion as they pertain to our employees. I entrust this Committee to lead the way in finding new and innovative approaches toward making the agency an employer of choice for everyone. By supporting and encouraging the contributions of our employees and their efforts toward accomplishing the mission of the agency, we are fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion that will yield significant dividends now and in the future.

FDA's continued effectiveness as a regulatory agency depends upon our ability to make positive change to continually pursue what is best about our nation’s inclusive spirit. By empowering our workforce, we are leveraging our efforts to build an even stronger agency. FDA remains committed to the principles of equity and diversity as it pursues its central mission of protecting and promoting America's health.

This memorandum supersedes the memorandum from the Acting Commissioner of Food and Drugs dated January 4, 2016 to all FDA employees.

Scott Gottlieb, M.D.

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