Partnership for Safe Medicines Announces 2011-2012 Alsberg Fellowship Recipient

The Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) today announced that Timothy K. Mackey, MAS, has been named the 2011-2012 Carl L. Alsberg, MD, Fellow for Safe Medicines. Established in honor of former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Carl L. Alsberg, MD, the fellowship provides a stipend to support research in drug safety.

Mackey is in the Joint Doctoral Program in Global Health, University of California San Diego School of Medicine-San Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health and Senior Research Associate, Institute of Health Law Studies, California Western School of Law. He received his B.A. in Political Science from University of California San Diego, and his Master’s in Advanced Studies in Health Law from the Joint Health Law Program at California Western School of Law and University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. He will be conducting research on Internet drug sellers and their characteristics to better promote global policy proposals to promote patient safety. His work on illicit online pharmacies has already appeared in leading academic publications such as the Journal of the American Medical Association and Journal of Medical Internet Research.

“On behalf of the PSM Board of Directors, I am pleased to award the Alsberg Fellowship to such a deserving candidate,” said Dr. Marv Shepherd, president of PSM and director of the Center for Pharmacoeconomic Studies at the University of Texas-Austin. “Tim’s research in and dedication to the field of safe medicines is helping all of us who work for this important cause further promote global policies that protect patients and ensure a safe drug supply. Congratulations, Tim.”

The Partnership for Safe Medicines Carl L. Alsberg, MD, Fellowship is named after Dr. Alsberg, the second U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner. After receiving his MD from Columbia, Dr. Alsberg developed an expertise in biochemistry. In 1912, he succeeded Harvey Wiley as chief of the Bureau of Chemistry, the name of the Food and Drug Administration at the time, a position he remained in until 1921. Dr. Alsberg’s tenure was characterized by increasing the attention given to drug regulation, to research, and to enforcement that focused on safety of the drug supply.

The Partnership for Safe Medicines Carl L. Alsberg, MD, Fellowship is awarded annually to researchers who are focused upon the same themes as reflected in Dr. Alsberg’s tenure: drug regulation, research, and enforcement to promote the highest quality and safest drug supply for patients globally.