PHI serves as an Office of the Commissioner resource for quantitative and qualitative research and analytics, and cross-agency leadership and coordination on priority public health and policy issues. It undertakes work at the request of the Commissioner or Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation, and International Affairs, and in collaboration with the Centers. The Team also leads cross-Agency efforts to develop improved tools for information analysis.

PHI leverages the strength of being a multi-disciplinary group to engage in work that benefits from bringing a variety of perspectives and skills to bear. PHI brings innovative approaches to developing an evidence-base for FDA policy, particularly in areas that have not been well-explored by the Agency or stakeholders, as well as creates and manages cross-agency collaborations ensuring that all perspectives are included. 

The group includes expertise in quantitative analytics and modeling, clinical pharmacology, medicine, public health, health economics, health care outcomes research, law, global health, computer science/data visualization, and more.