Robert Califf is a fervent believer in data. At the FDA, will that be enough?

At his confirmation hearing last month to lead the Food and Drug Administration, Robert Califf was pressed by U.S. senators for his views on the opioid crisis, on tobacco and e-cigarette regulation, and on his relationship with pharmaceutical and tech companies.

Califf came prepared and, by all accounts, sailed through.

But the hearing did little to address a fundamental question: Who is Robert Califf, and what can we expect him to do?

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