Truth-teller or reflexive contrarian: Which Marty Makary would run the FDA? Makary earned praise for his embrace of science, but some in public health are uneasy

https://www.statnews.com/2024/12/17/marty-makary-trump-pick-to-run-the-fda-commissioner-profile/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8FjEWAImmA2NI6pk8uN4m7AEKC-YIeYzEiJM1cfI6mYEEET8nHq10lvnuQAtozEdUnETdsk2h-Ar6VPEmEe7Ln8WmQ0Q&_hsmi=338888776&utm_content=338888776&utm_source=hs_email Some people see Trump’s pick to lead the FDA as a truth-teller and independent thinker with a deep respect for science. Others consider him a contrarian for contrarian’s sake who too often opines on matters outside of his expertise. Marty Makary got his start as a surgeon trying to raise awareness about the impact of hospital workplace culture on patient care. “He would leave people with a feeling of, ‘Oh my gosh, I should be doing that,’” said one psychologist who worked closely with him on the issue. But as STAT’s Lizzy Lawrence reports, Makary can fall victim to hyperbole. In 2016, he led a paper asserting that medical error was the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. that got widespread coverage — even STAT reported on it. But experts quickly saw that the conclusion was the misleading product of some methodological errors. Still, Makary is more trusted by traditional health care leaders than some of Trump’s other nominees. Read more in Lizzy’s illuminating profile on Makary and what kind of commissioner he might be.