FDA initiates hiring blitz.

AS part of a multi-year hiring initiative, FDA will look to fill more than 1300 positions within the next several months in order to meet its public health mandates.

Specific occupational needs include medical officers, consumer safety officers, chemists, nurse consultants, biologists, microbiologists, health/regulatory/general health scientists, mathematical statisticians, epidemiologists, pharmacologists, pharmacists and veterinary medical officers.

Many positions are located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, specifically Rockville, Silver Spring and College Park, MD, along with other offices across the country in FDA's five regions, 20 districts, 179-plus resident posts, as well as new FDA offices overseas.

Positions will be available throughout the agency, including in the Center for Biologics evaluation and Research, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the Center for Veterinary Medicine, the National Center for Toxicological Research, the Office of the Commissioner and the Office of Regulatory Affairs.

Nearly tripling the number of people hired between 2005 and 2007, FDA hopes to fill more than 600 new positions and to backfill 700 others in fiscal year 2008. The impetus and objective is to implement the FDA Amendments Act of 2007, the Food Protection Plan and the Import Safety Action Plan, while ensuring the safety of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, food, cosmetics and more.