Susan T. Mayne, PhD, C-EA, Winslow Professor of Epidemiology; Associate Director for Population Sciences at Yale Cancer Center; and Chair of the Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, has been appointed to the position of Center Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Dr. Mayne joined Yale University in 1987 as a post-doctoral fellow, and directed Yale Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program from 1993-2010. She also served as Associate Director for Population Sciences from 1995. Dr. Mayne played a key role in Cancer Center leadership and contributed significantly to the Center’s ongoing status as a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“Dr. Mayne’s leadership has been invaluable in the growth and evolution of Yale Cancer Center,” said Thomas J. Lynch, MD, Director of the Yale Cancer Center. “It is a testament to her research excellence and exceptional leadership that she has been given this new opportunity to apply her expertise to significant public health issues at the national level.”
Supporting Public Health
Dr. Mayne and her trainees have received national recognition for their outstanding research, and Dr. Mayne is the recipient of several national awards in mentoring/training and for her service to many organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences. She is well known in the cancer community, having served on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the NCI. Dr. Mayne has also led a competitively funded cooperative training program in cancer epidemiology and genetics with the NCI since 2003.
The FDA center she will lead is responsible for promoting the public’s health by ensuring that the nation’s food supply is safe, sanitary, wholesome, and honestly labeled, and that cosmetic products are safe and properly labeled. The center regulates $417 billion worth of domestic food, $49 billion worth of imported foods, and over $60 billion worth of cosmetics sold across state lines, and is supported by a staff of over 800 employees, with a budget of nearly $300 million, over one-third of which supports research.
The CFSAN is the scientific, regulatory, and educational cornerstone of the U.S. food and nutrition system, working to reduce chronic diseases like cancer and obesity. In today’s global marketplace, it has an important international role as well, routinely engaging foreign governments. Drawing on her scientific background in nutrition, toxicology, epidemiology, and public health, Dr. Mayne will provide strong leadership and continue to elevate the Center’s work across many diverse areas ranging from the detection of foodborne pathogens to food labeling/health claims on foods. ■
