Washington: Dr. Robert Califf, a senior Google Health advisor, has been named the next chief of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by US President Joe Biden. Dr. Califf is currently a professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, where he previously served as Vice Chancellor and founded the Duke Clinical Research Institute, and works as a senior advisor for parent firm Alphabet's Verily Life Sciences and Google Health divisions. With over 1,200 articles in the peer-reviewed literature, he has conducted many groundbreaking clinical trials and is one of the most frequently referenced authors in biomedical science. "It is critically critical that we have a steady, independent hand to lead the FDA as it examines numerous consequential decisions concerning vaccine approvals and more," Biden said in a statement on Friday. "I am certain that Dr. Califf will ensure that the FDA continues to make decisions based on research and evidence," he continued. A Verily Covid-19 testing programme, a Google tool to discover skin disorders, personal health data, and machine learning (ML) projects are among the most recent health research efforts. Dr. Califf is a well-known expert in clinical trial research, health disparities, healthcare quality, and cardiovascular medicine around the world. Google announces first cohort of Google News Initiative Startups Lab India Xi Jinping and Joe Biden to hold virtual summit on November 15 Biden signs bill prohibiting Huawei and ZTE from doing business in the US