"Tobacco Wars: Behind the Scenes at the FDA" will be discussed by Dr. David Kessler, dean of the Yale University School of Medicine and former U.S. Food and Drug Administration commissioner, at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 at The Queen's Medical Center. Ex-FDA chief
to speak here on efforts
to battle tobaccoStar-Bulletin staff
Kessler is the featured speaker in this year's Robert T. Wong, M.D. Lecture Series presented by the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine.
The free talk is open to the public in Queen's Conference Center Auditorium, 510 S. Beretania St.
Kessler led the FDA in a fight to regulate nicotine as a drug and stop smoking among children with new restrictions on tobacco advertising and vending machines.
He was appointed by President George Bush and reappointed by President Bill Clinton as FDA commissioner from 1990 to 1997.
He described the FDA's fight against the tobacco industry in his book, "A Question of Intent: A Great American Battle with a Deadly Industry."
Other FDA accomplishments under Kessler include speeding the drug approval process to get promising therapies for serious and life-threatening diseases to patients, improved nutritional labels on food products, strong controls to improve food safety, improved standards for mammography, and the MEDWatch program for reporting problems with medical service, food or drug products.
Kessler, a pediatrician and lawyer, joined Yale's School of Medicine in 1997 and continues to be a leading voice on national health issues.
He serves on the boards of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University and the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, among other organizations.
His awards include the 2001 National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal, the American Cancer Society's Medal of Honor and the American Academy of Pediatrics Excellence in Public Service Award
The Robert T. Wong, M.D. Lecture Series was established to bring to Hawaii people who have made major contributions in medicine.