Every month, RAPS highlights one interview with a regulatory professional who has earned their RAC credential. This month, we're speaking with @Andrea Chamblee. Read the full interview here.
How did you get into a regulatory career?
I graduated from law school in 1986 during a terrible recession. Reagan's threats of a Federal reduction-in-force were so serious that hiring managers were crying when I cold called them. The law firms that were actually hiring wanted bankruptcy attorneys, and I wanted to protect public health. I learned about regulatory affairs, and I knew I could use my knowledge of federal procedures and enabling laws such as the Federal Food, Drugs & Cosmetics Act. I landed a job with FDA and loved it!
Where are you in your regulatory career?
I just retired after 33 years. I was able to leverage my on-the-job training in combination products and my RAC studies of specific commodities into a rewarding career, including supervising a staff of 18 and teaching the next generations of regulatory professionals.
What was an especially memorable moment for you on the job?
Thirty years after my boss, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ombudsman, agreed with me and ordered the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) to move imaging agents—a product not metabolized—to the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), when CDER hadn't, a court ordered the move. Another very memorable moment was initiating the FDA tissue program in 1990 and watching it blossom to include so many promising therapies.
Read our full interview with Andrea here!------------------------------
Ryan Connors
Community Engagement Coordinator
RAPS
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