Margaret A. (Peggy) Hamburg, M.D., former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has been elected chair of the Commonwealth Fund’s board of directors. Hamburg’s tenure begins immediately. She succeeds Michael Drake, M.D., president of the University of California, who has served as the Commonwealth Fund chair since 2019.
Hamburg, a member of the Fund’s board since 2015, recently served as chair of the Fund’s Commission on a National Public Health System. Currently she co-leads the InterAcademy Partnership, an international consortium of national academies of science, medicine, and engineering. Before joining the FDA, Hamburg was founding vice president and senior scientist at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a foundation dedicated to reducing nuclear, chemical, and biological threats. She has also served as assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and health commissioner for New York City.
“The Fund was one of the first foundations established by a woman, Anna Harkness, and I am especially honored and gratified to be the first woman to serve as its chair,” said Hamburg.
