FDA announces names of Risk Communication Advisory Committee members

WASHINGTON The Food and Drug Administration has selected the 15 members that will make up the voting committee for its Risk Communication Advisory Committee, which will help the agency strengthen how it communicated products risks and other information to the public.

The members of the committee an their areas of expertise are:

• Baruch Fischhoff, chair—risk perception and communication, decision analysis
• Christine M. Bruhn—food safety communication, risk perception
• David P. Moxley—social work, risk/behavior communication
• Jacob DeLaRosa—surgical devices, risk communication to patients
• Linda Neuhauser—health literacy, health communications in state government
• AnnaMaria DeSalva—public relations, risk/crisis communication, trust building
• John E. Paling—risk communication, broadcast media, risk perception
• Michael Goldstein—behavioral medicine, risk and health communication
• Ellen M. Peters—numeracy, risk perception, decision analysis
• Prerna Mona Khanna—medical broadcast journalism, disaster support
• Betsy Lynn Sleath—pharmacy, sociology, health literacy, health communication
• Madeline Y. Lawson—advocacy, minority health
• William K. Vaughn—consumer advocacy, policy
• Musa Mayer—patient advocacy, counseling, journalism
• Marielos L. Vega—health communication

Although the Institute of Medicine, which recommended the formation of the committee in 2006, recommended that the committee focus on medical product safety information, the FDA has expanded its role to cover communication about all agency-regulated products, including food, deputy commissioner for policy Randall Lutter said.