The Honorable Peggy Hamburg
Margaret (Peggy) Hamburg recently retired as foreign secretary for the National Academy of Medicine and completed her terms as president and board chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is an internationally recognized leader in public health, medicine, and science.
Hamburg was the twenty-first commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where she was known for advancing regulatory science, modernizing regulatory pathways, and globalizing the agency. Before this, she was founding vice president and senior scientist at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a foundation dedicated to reducing nuclear, chemical, and biological threats. Other past positions include assistant secretary of health and human services for planning and evaluation, health commissioner for New York City, and assistant director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Hamburg is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School and is board-certified in internal medicine. She currently chairs the Harvard Medical School board of fellows and serves on numerous other nonprofit boards and advisory councils, as well as on the board of a biotechnology company.
All of us at the Commission are in shock and are heartbroken at news that Senator Lieberman has died suddenly and unexpectedly. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Hadassah, their children, and extended family.
We all were the beneficiaries of Joe’s many years of selfless public service, his kindness, and civility. Joe was the definition of a Mensch – a person of great integrity and honor. He always put others first and always worked to better our nation, to which he tirelessly devoted so much of his energy. He had an indefatigable spirit that always pushed our work forward.
For nearly ten years, Joe was my co-chair here at the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense. He cared deeply about the mission, for sure. Even more, he cared about each of our fellow Commissioners and the staff, all of whom I know are personally grieving at this tremendous loss. May his memory be a blessing.
Tom Ridge
March 27, 2024
