BOSTON — The Food and Drug Administration’s medical device center has lost a significant number of staff following massive cuts at the start of the Trump administration. The regulator is now looking to make up lost ground through a hiring push, Dr. Michelle Tarver, director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said Wednesday at AdvaMed’s The MedTech Conference.
“We’ve had over the past year-plus about 22% attrition rates,” Tarver said.
Some areas have been affected more than others. The device center has lost up to 30% of clinical reviewers and a significant number of digital health and artificial intelligence specialists, the director said.
As a result, the device center has been on a recruiting tear.
Over the summer, the FDA’s acting chief of staff announced the agency has been authorized to hire 2,200 people. The figures did not include a breakdown for the different FDA centers. Tarver said the CDRH is still awaiting final orders, but the device center has hired more than 65 people in the building, exceeding its target of 63 people for fiscal year 2026 under the current medical device user fee amendments, or MDUFA.
“We have actually exceeded our hiring for fiscal year ‘26 under the MDUFA commitment, which is a herculean effort considering all the changes that have happened, as well as a testament to people recognizing how much that mission resonates with them,” Tarver said.
Early last year, the Department of Health and Human Services announced plans to slash 3,500 FDA staff, about a fifth of the agency. The FDA cuts took place suddenly and haphazardly, with staff being unable to badge into the office, or receiving emails from the HHS with incorrect information. Some who were dismissed were brought back, while those who remained grappled with increasing workloads.
“We are not done,” Tarver said. “We’ve got to hire more because we recognize that our center regulates 250,000-plus devices.”
