Bernadette Dunham, D.V.M., PhD FDA

Dr. Bernadette Dunham was appointed Director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) on January 7, 2008.  Prior to becoming CVM’s Director, Dr. Dunham had been CVM’s Deputy Director.

Dr. Dunham also served as the Director of CVM’s Office of Minor Use and Minor Species from August 2006 to January 2008.  She came to CVM in December 2002 as the Deputy Director of CVM’s Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation.

Dr. Dunham has served as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine from 1996 to 2012.  She lectured on a variety of topics from emerging issues and opportunities in veterinary medicine to the role of consensus building in policy development.

Prior to joining FDA, Dr. Dunham was Acting Director for the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Governmental Relations Division in Washington, D.C. In that position, she participated in the formation and execution of AVMA policies, objectives and programs, with emphasis on Federal legislation and regulatory issues.  Dr. Dunham’s work also involved identifying Congressional and regulatory issues that might impact the veterinary medical profession, as well as developing strategies for response to these issues.  Dr. Dunham was with the AVMA from 1995 to 2002, first as an Assistant Director and later as the Acting Director of the Governmental Relations Division.