Sara Brenner

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Sara Brenner is an American doctor who focuses on preventive medicine and public health. Since April 1, 2025, she has been the Principal Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She previously served as Acting Commissioner of the FDA from January 24 to April 1, 2025.

Education and training: Brenner grew up in Adel, Iowa. She earned a B.S. in genetics from Iowa State University, an M.D. from the University of Iowa, and an M.P.H. in health policy and administration from the University at Albany, SUNY. She completed internal medicine training at NorthShore University HealthSystem and specialized in preventive medicine and public health at the New York State Department of Health and SUNY Albany.

Academic and nanomedicine work: Brenner was a faculty member at the College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering, serving as associate professor of nanobioscience, assistant vice president for nanohealth initiatives, and director of the MD–PhD program in nanomedicine. Her research covered nanoscale materials in medicine and public health and the health effects of engineered nanomaterials. In 2016, Albany Business Review named her to its "40 under 40" list.

Public policy and government roles: In 2018 she joined the Office of Science and Technology Policy as a senior policy advisor, working on biomedical science, health data interoperability, translational science, and the U.S. bioeconomy. She also worked on addressing the opioid crisis and veterans’ suicide prevention. In 2019 she joined the FDA, where she held roles including chief medical officer for in vitro diagnostics and associate director for medical affairs in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. She contributed to regulatory policy and the safety of medical devices and helped with the FDA’s COVID-19 response, focusing on diagnostics and data quality.

Timeline at FDA: She became Acting Commissioner on January 24, 2025, after Robert Califf left the role, and served until Marty Makary took over on April 1, 2025. She then assumed the position of Principal Deputy Commissioner.