Chevy Chase, MD– According to apress releaseby New Enterprise Associates, Inc., President Donald J. Trump has nominated the firm’s Venture Partner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. as Commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A policy expert, Gottlieb has substantial experience in health care, holding roles as a physician. Gottlieb already has experience with FDA from previous senior positions he has held within the Administration, such as a FDA Deputy Commissioner for Medical and Scientific Affairs during the George W. Bush administration, and as a senior policy advisor at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Gottlieb graduated from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and also studied Economics at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He was an internal medicine resident physician at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and also held a position as a healthcare analyst for Alex. Brown & Sons, an investment bank. Among Gottlieb’s credential is his residency fellowship at the American Enterprise Institute, his position on the Federal Health IT Policy Committee, a policy board member  of the Society of Hospital Medicine, as well as his role as advisor to the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. He is a frequent contributor toThe Wall Street Journal.

“Dr. Gottlieb’s unique expertise straddles the intersection of medical care, entrepreneurship, and the role of public policy in facilitating the discovery and development of safe and effective new medical products to patients. He believes in the power of innovation to improve the quality of patient care and has the insight and experience to make it possible,” said David Mott, General Partner and head of NEA’s healthcare investing practice in the press release.

However, not everyone is keen about Gottlieb’s nominationreports NPR. For example, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, a pro-consumer advocacy group has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest because of his role on the advisory boards of several major pharmaceutical companies. The news organization cites a ProPublica website, Dollars for Docs, which shows that Gottlieb has received more than $400,000 from the pharmaceutical industry between August 2013 and December 2015 from promotional talks, research, consulting and travel during his time practicing at Stamform Hospital in Connecticut.