Susan Mayne

Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration

Susan T. Mayne, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this position, Dr. Mayne leads the Center’s development and implementation of programs and policies related to the composition, quality, safety, and labeling of foods, food and color additives, and cosmetics. CFSAN also oversees diet and health initiatives, which include fostering the development of healthier foods and ensuring that consumers have access to accurate and useful information to make healthy food choices. The FDA foods program is responsible for approximately 80% of the U.S. food supply, which includes approximately $400 billion in domestic food and $50 billion in imported food. The Center is comprised of 1000 staff with a budget of over $300 million. An internationally recognized public health leader and scientist, Dr. Mayne received a B.A. in chemistry from the University of Colorado. She earned a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences, with minors in biochemistry and toxicology, from Cornell University. She came to the FDA from Yale University, where she was the C.-E.A. Winslow Professor of Epidemiology and the Associate Director of the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center.