HHS NEWS

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS                              Print Media:         301-827-6242
February 2, 1998                                    
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LORRIE McHUGH-WYTKIND IS APPOINTED NEW FDAASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Lead Deputy Commissioner of Food and Drugs Michael A. Friedman, M.D., today announced that HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala has appointed Lorrie McHugh-Wytkind as Associate Commissioner for Public Affairs at the Food and Drug Administration. Ms. McHugh-Wytkind will begin her duties immediately.

"It gives me great pleasure to have someone of Lorrie's skill and experience at FDA," Dr. Friedman said. "She has a strong record of public service and a proven ability to manage the challenges of providing the media and the public with accurate and timely information."

Ms. McHugh-Wytkind has held a wide range of public affairs positions in the executive and legislative branches, as well as political, labor and private sector organizations. Most recently she served as a Deputy Assistant to the President at the White House for Media Affairs and Operations. In that capacity she was the chief deputy press secretary and directed the White House's regional media operation.

Before her White House service, Ms. McHugh-Wytkind had served at the U.S. Department of Labor, as the Press Secretary for the U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, and as a News Media Outreach Specialist at the AFL-CIO. She has also worked for a number of private media relations/public affairs consulting firms.

Ms. McHugh-Wytkind received her bachelor of arts degree, Magna Cum Laude (with Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Sigma Alpha honors), from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

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