Dr. Robert M. Califf, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will join leaders at Cornell to discuss the roles of research, policy and regulation in addressing health challenges in New York state and across the U.S., part of a two-day visit to Cornell’s Ithaca and Weill Cornell Medicine campuses.

The discussion, “A Fireside Chat with Robert M. Califf,” will take place on Oct. 16 from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Memorial Room of Willard Straight Hall, 136 Ho Plaza. The event is free and open to the public.

The discussion will be moderated by Krystyn J. Van Vliet, vice president for research and innovation; Lorin D. Warnick, Ph.D. ’94, the Austin O. Hooey Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine; Rachel Dunifon, the Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean of the College of Human Ecology; and Jeff Niederdeppe, senior associate dean in the Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy.

Speakers will consider persistent factors that challenge health outcomes in the United States, including those prevalent in rural communities. Those challenges highlight the concept of One Health, which connects the health of the planet with that of humans, including sustainable food production, antimicrobial resistance and emergent threats that may cross to humans.

“Our goal is to engage faculty, students, health care leaders and community members in upstate New York in this discussion with FDA leadership about the challenges we face and the opportunities for universities, hospitals and other New York institutions to contribute to improved health outcomes here and across the United States,” Van Vliet said.

The event at Willard Straight Hall is part of a visit by Califf to New York City and Ithaca on Oct. 15-16, hosted by Cornell. In Ithaca, Califf will be joined by FDA Deputy Commissioner Jim Jones and Tristan Colonius, the FDA’s chief veterinary officer and deputy director for science policy. Califf’s two-day visit will also include meetings with upstate and New York City hospital, university and government leaders, as well as faculty and student researchers. A public event moderated by Dr. Robert A. Harrington, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine, will take place on Oct. 15 from 1-2 p.m. in Uris Auditorium at Weill Cornell Medicine.

J. Edward Anthony is a writer for the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation.