FDA China Office’s Lixia Wang Wins Award for HHS Locally-Employed Staff

Posted on July 8, 2015 by FDA Voice

By: Mary Lou Valdez

The FDA’s mission to ensure that food is safe and medical products are effective for use by U.S. consumers and patients is widely recognized.

Mary Lou Valdez, FDA’s Associate Commissioner for International Programs

A lesser-known fact is that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employs more than 1,700 locally-employed (LE) staff in 60 countries to uphold its mission across five operating divisions, including FDA. Dr. Lixia Wang, a locally-employed staff member working for FDA in China, exemplifies the contributions of our LE staff and is the recipient of the annual HHS LE Staff of the Year Award.

China is a key supplier of goods imported to the U.S. The FDA has made significant regulatory in-roads since establishing its China post in 2008 and in many ways these are due to the contributions made by Dr. Wang and other LE staff in the world’s most populous country.

For example, Dr. Wang was essential in the negotiations of bilateral agreements for the placement of additional staff in China. With Dr. Wang’s contributions, FDA finalized these important agreements, which pave the way for FDA to more than triple its staff size in China. This move will bolster FDA’s work to protect and promote the health of consumers and patients in the U.S. and around the world.

Dr. Lixia Wang in Beijing

Dr. Wang, who has served as Medical Research Scientist for FDA’s China Office since 2009, was cited for her central role in negotiations concerning theImplementing Arrangements with China’s Food and Drug Administration, and Implementing Arrangement Between the Food and Drug Administration and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

In addition, Dr. Wang has made significant contributions to the HHS mission in China since joining U.S. Embassy Beijing in 2006. From 2006 to 2009, she served as senior local staff in the Office of the HHS Health Attaché, and played a key role in strengthening U.S.-China collaboration on infectious disease.

During that time, she also supported the FDA response to emerging problems associated with melamine in dairy and pet products, and worked to address contaminated blood thinner sourced from China. She played a key role in the 2007 negotiations of binding agreements with the Chinese Government on the safety of FDA-regulated products, and on the opening of FDA’s first-ever overseas office in 2008.

FDA congratulates Dr. Wang, and takes pride in the recognition for excellence and commitment to global public health that she brings to FDA with this award.

Mary Lou Valdez is FDA’s Associate Commissioner for International Programs