RADM Denise Hinton

RADM Denise Hinton is FDA’s Chief Scientist. In this capacity, she is responsible for leading and coordinating FDA's cross-cutting scientific and public health efforts.

The Office of the Chief Scientist works closely with FDA’s product centers, providing strategic leadership and support for FDA’s regulatory science and innovation initiatives, including the Advancing Regulatory Science Initiative, the Critical Path Initiative, health informatics, scientific professional development, scientific integrity, and the Medical Countermeasures Initiative (MCMi).

RADM Hinton previously served as Deputy Director of the Office of Medical Policy (OMP) in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), where she concurrently served as Acting OMP Director from 2014 to 2016. There, she led the development, coordination, and implementation of medical policy programs and strategic initiatives, including the efficient integration of rapidly evolving science and new technologies into the drug development and regulatory review processes. RADM Hinton’s work involved close collaboration with other CDER program areas, FDA product centers, and a broad variety of stakeholders.

RADM Hinton joined FDA in 2002 in CDER’s Division of Cardiovascular and Renal Products and, later, served in the center’s former Division of Training and Development. Before coming to FDA, she was an officer in the U.S. Air Force. RADM Hinton earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida State University and her Master of Science degree from Boston University.

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