U.S. flag An official website of the United States government
  1. Home
  2. About FDA
  3. FDA Organization
  4. Center for Devices and Radiological Health
  5. Network of Experts Program: Connecting the FDA with External Expertise
  1. Center for Devices and Radiological Health

Network of Experts Program: Connecting the FDA with External Expertise

The Network of Experts is a vetted network of partner organizations and their member scientists, clinicians and engineers who can provide the FDA rapid access to expertise when it is needed to supplement existing knowledge and expertise within the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).


On this page:


What Is the Network of Experts Program?

Within the FDA, there exists a tremendous internal cadre of expertise. However, we know how beneficial it is for employees to engage with clinicians, researchers, and other experts outside the federal government to supplement existing knowledge within the Agency and support its mission. This is particularly true when it comes to new and emerging fields of science, pioneering technologies, and the increasing complexity of medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The Network of Experts Program partners with numerous professional organizations to facilitate this exchange of knowledge.

The CDRH Network of Experts began as a pilot program with three partner organizations in 2012. As its value was recognized across CDRH, additional organizations were added to strategically align with specialty areas such as cardiology, neurology, and orthopedics. The program has grown exponentially to include expertise in newly developing areas that span across the medical device landscape. Pharmaceutical expertise is also well represented and available to CDER employees, as CDER began to leverage the program in 2017.

How Does the Network of Experts Program Work?

If an FDA employee has questions during the course of their work, they may turn to the Network of Experts Program to request external expertise. Program employees will contact partner organizations who will identify their member experts who are willing to engage with the FDA and provide feedback and experience. The FDA employee and external experts can then engage through teleconference to discuss the questions at hand. The Network of Experts Program currently partners with over 100 professional organizations, which translates to hundreds of thousands of potential experts for the FDA to engage with. Topics could be related to clinical best practices and experience, postmarket issues, and so on.

In addition to providing FDA employees with access to external expertise in traditional areas, the Network of Experts Program also aims to build pools of expertise in cross-cutting areas like digital health. For more information, see Network of Digital Health Experts.

Note: The Network of Experts Program is designed to broaden FDA employee exposure to clinical and scientific expertise; the program does not request or accept opinions, external policy advice, or recommendations.

Requirements for Organizations to Participate in the Program

To become a Network of Experts Program partner:

  • Be considered a traditional professional society or association (groups whose mission seeks to promote education and/or the public health)
  • Have 501(c)(3) non-profit status
  • The organization’s primary function should not be lobbying or sector promotion
  • The organization’s activities should not present a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest with FDA’s public health mission

Contact for the Network of Experts Program

If you have questions about the Network of Experts Program, including information on participating in the program, email NetworkofExperts@fda.hhs.gov.

Network of Experts Participants

This list is current as of March 27, 2024.

Partner Organization Abbreviation
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology AAAAI
American Academy of Audiology AAA
American Academy of Dermatology Association AAD
American Academy of Neurology AAN
American Academy of Ophthalmology AAO
American Academy of Optometry AAOpt
American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology AAOMP
American Academy of Oral Medicine AAOM
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons AAOS
American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery AAO-HNS
American Academy of Pain Medicine AAPM
American Academy of Pediatrics AAP
American Academy of Periodontology AAP
American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation AAPMR
American Academy of Sleep Medicine AASM
American Association for Clinical Chemistry AACC
American Association for the Study of Liver Disease AASLD
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy AACP
American Association for Community Psychiatry AACP
American Association of Critical Care Nurses AACN
American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists AAGL
American Association of Neurological Surgeons AANS
American Association of Orthodontists AAO
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists AAPS
American Association of Physicists in Medicine AAPM
American Burn Association ABA
American Chemical Society ACS
American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology ACAAI
American College of Cardiology ACC
American College of Chest Physicians ACCP
American College of Gastroenterology ACG
American College of Medical Geneticists ACMG
American College of Medical Toxicology ACMT
American College of Nursing-Midwives ACNM
American College of Physicians ACP
American College of Radiology ACR
American College of Rheumatology ACR
American College of Sports Medicine ACSM
American Dental Association ADA
American Epilepsy Society AES
American Gastroenterological Association AGA
American Geriatrics Society  AGS
American Glaucoma Society AGS
American Heart Association AHA
American Hernia Society AHS
American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering AIMBE
American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine AIUM
American Medical Informatics Association AMIA
American Optometric Association AOA
American Osteopathic Academy of Addiction Medicine AOAAM
American Pharmacist's Association AphA
American Physical Therapy Association APTA
American Psychiatric Association APA
American Psychological Association APA
American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons ASES
American Sleep Apnea Association ASAA
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research ASBMR
American Society for Clinical Pathology ASCP
American Society for Dermatologic Surgery ASDS
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy ASGE
American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery ASLMS
American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery ASMBS
American Society for Microbiology ASM
American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition ASPEN
American Society for Reproductive Medicine ASRM
American Society of Addiction Medicine ASAM
American Society of Anesthesiologists ASA
American Society of Biomechanics ASB
American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery ASCRS
American Society of Clinical Oncology ASCO
American Society of Hand Therapists ASHT
American Society of Hematology ASH
American Society of Human Genetics ASHG
American Society of Nephrology ASN
American Society of Neuroradiology ASNR
American Society of Plastic Surgeons ASPS
American Society of Podiatric Surgeons ASPodS
American Society of Radiation Oncology ASTRO
American Society of Retina Specialists ASRS
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene ASTMH
American Thoracic Society ATS
American Urogynecologic Society AUGS
American Urological Association AUA
American Venous Forum AVF
American Veterinary Medical Association AVMA
American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery AECOS
Association for Materials Protection and Performance AMPP
Association for Molecular Pathology AMP
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology APIC
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology ARVO
Association of American Medical Colleges AAMC
Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists AMLI
Association of Public Health Laboratories APHL
College of American Pathologists CAP
Digital Medicine Society DiMe
Endocrine Society ES
Infectious Disease Society of America IDSA
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE
International Clinical Cytometry Society ICCS
International Congress on Oral Implantologists ICOI
International Society for Laboratory Hematology ISLH
International Society for Quality of Life Research ISOQOL
International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis ISTH
North American Society for Pediatric, Gastro, Hepatology and Nutrition NASPGHAN
North American Spine Society NASS
Pan American Society for Clinical Virology PASCV
Pediatric and Congenital Electrophysiology Society PACES
Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance PeDRA
Pediatric Endocrine Society PES
Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America POSNA
Physician Assistant Education Association PAEA 
Radiation Research Society RRS
Radiological Society of North America RNSA
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America SHEA
Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders SIMD
Society for Medical Decision Making SMDM
Society for Pediatric Dermatology  SPD
Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons SAGES
Society of Breast Imaging SBI
Society of Critical Care Medicine SCCM
Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates SGNA
Society of Gynecologic Oncology SGO
Society of Interventional Radiology SIR
Surgical Infection Society SIS
American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine AADSM
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons AAOMS
American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine ASRA
Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences INFORMS
Sexual Medicine Society of North America SMSNA
Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine & Urogenital Reconstruction SUFU
International Ultraviolet Association IUVA
Dental Standards Institute DSI
American Association of Clinical Endocrinology AACE
American College of Clinical Engineering ACCE
Infusion Nurses Society INS
Academy of Osseointegration AO
World Professional Association for Transgender Health WPATH
S3 Collective  
 
Back to Top