ARTICLE SUMMARY:
In this week’s Pathways Picks: Medtech and digital health veteran Jared Seehafer is FDA’s first Deputy Commissioner for Technology and Artificial Intelligence; digital health leader Anindita Saha leaves the agency; Europe proposes to simplify its procurement rules; South Korea surveillance exemptions; and more medtech policy updates.
FDA Taps Tech Chief
FDA has tapped an official with medtech, digital health, and start-up bona fides to serve as its first-ever Deputy Commissioner for Technology and Artificial Intelligence. Jared Seehafer was named to the new role September 8.
Seehafer joined FDA in 2025 as a senior advisor in the Office of the Commissioner, where he has played a central role in the development of FDA digital health policies over the past year along with Rick Abramson, director of the agency’s Digital Health Center of Excellence. With the promotion, he will now “serve as the agency’s senior leader for technology, software, and AI and will provide leadership in establishing FDA-wide strategy and priorities in these areas,” according to an announcement by the Department of Health and Human Services. “The newly created position underscores the Trump Administration’s commitment to accelerating reliable AI innovation, modernizing federal technology, and ensuring an effective regulatory framework for emerging technologies,” HHS states.
Before FDA, Seehafer was CEO and cofounder of a medtech/digital health compliance software company (Enzyme) and a start-up investor. Previously, he worked as a consultant and within the medtech industry, including at Medtronic and St. Jude Medical.
