Meet Bernadette Dunham, D.V.M., Ph.D., Director, Center for Veterinary Medicine

Dr. Bernadette Dunham was appointed Director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 7, 2008. The Center regulates the manufacture and distribution of drugs and food additives that will be given to animals, including animals from which human foods are derived, and companion animals (pets).

“We foster public and animal health by approving safe and effective products for animals and as the regulator of drugs and food additives for animals, the Center for Veterinary Medicine influences the lives of millions of animals and people each day,” says Dr. Dunham. “We are at the forefront of addressing issues such as antimicrobial resistance, genetically engineered animals, and food safety.

Previous positions held by Dr. Dunham during her tenure with CVM include: Deputy Director of CVM, Director of the Office of Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Drug Development, and Deputy Director of the Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation.

Dr. Dunham is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, a position she has held since 1996.

Prior to joining FDA in 2002, Dr. Dunham was Acting Director for the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) Governmental Relations Division in Washington, D.C. In that position, which she held from 1995 to 2002, she participated in the formation and execution of AVMA policies, objectives and programs, with emphasis on Federal legislation and regulatory issues.

From 1989 to 1995, Dr. Dunham was the Director of Laboratory Animal Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse, N.Y. She participated in a post-doctoral residency program in the Department of Pathology at the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., from 1987 to 1988. Dr. Dunham was a research assistant professor at Boston University from 1984 to 1987. Prior to returning to academia to pursue her Ph.D., Dr. Dunham was in private practice in Ontario, Canada from 1975 to 1979.

Dr. Dunham received the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada and a Ph.D. in cardiovascular physiology from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts.