Mark Abdoo

Mark Abdoo is the Associate Commissioner for Global Policy and Strategy, providing executive oversight, strategic leadership and policy direction to FDA’s global operations, trade and diplomacy activities, and engagement with international stakeholders. He leads the Office of Global Policy and Strategy (OGPS), which is comprised of the Office of Diplomacy and Partnerships, the Office of Global Operations, and the Office of Trade, Mutual Recognition and International Arrangements, which are collectively dedicated to expanding the reach of FDA’s global agenda in sustainable and measurable ways.

Mr. Abdoo joined FDA in 2013 as the inaugural director of the Office of Public Health and Trade (OPHT) in the Office of International Programs, where he led FDA’s efforts related to the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership trade agreements, and, worked with the Commissioner’s Office, the Centers, the Offices of Chief Scientist and Regulatory Affairs to develop agency positions on trade issues.

Prior to joining FDA, Mr. Abdoo served in other senior positions in the Federal government including: Senior Advisor for Food Security and Agricultural Economics at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); Director for Global Health and Food Security at the National Security Council staff at the White House; and, in various positions in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, including Director and Acting Deputy Director for Multilateral Affairs in the Office of Global Affairs, where he was responsible for the Department’s engagement with the Agencies of the United Nations System, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and other organizations.

Mr. Abdoo received a Bachelor of Arts degree from College of the Holy Cross and conducted graduate studies at Brown University. Before joining the Federal civil service, Mark lived in East Asia for more than nine years, where he owned two consulting companies. He is fluent in Mandarin.