Henry I. Miller

Robert Wesson Fellow in Scientific Philosophy and Public Policy
Biography: 

Henry I. Miller, MS, MD, is the Robert Wesson Fellow in Scientific Philosophy and Public Policy at the Hoover Institution. His research focuses on public policy toward science and technology, encompassing a number of areas, including pharmaceutical development, genetic engineering in agriculture, models for regulatory reform, and the emergence of new viral diseases.

Miller served for fifteen years at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a number of posts. He was the medical reviewer for the first genetically engineered drugs to be evaluated by the FDA and thus instrumental in the rapid licensing of human insulin and human growth hormone. Thereafter, he was a special assistant to the FDA commissioner and the founding director of the FDA's Office of Biotechnology. During his government service, Miller participated frequently on various expert and policy panels as a representative of the FDA or the US government. As a government official, Miller received numerous awards and citations.

Since coming to the Hoover Institution, Miller has become well known not only for his contributions to scholarly journals but also for his articles and books that make science, medicine, and technology accessible. His work has been widely published in many languages. Monographs include Policy Controversy in Biotechnology: An Insider's View; To America's Health: A Model for Reform of the Food and Drug Administration; and The Frankenfood Myth: How Protest and Politics Threaten the Biotech Revolution. Barron's selected The Frankenfood Myth as one of the 25 Best Books of 2004. In addition, Miller has published extensively in a wide spectrum of scholarly journals and popular publications worldwide, including The Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association, Science, the Nature family of journals, Chronicle of Higher Education, Forbes, National Review, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, the Guardian, Defining Ideas, and the Financial Times. He is a regulator contributor to Forbes.com and frequently appears on the nationally syndicated radio programs of John Batchelor and Lars Larson.

Miller was selected by the editors of Nature Biotechnology as one of the people who had made the "most significant contributions" to biotechnology during the previous decade. He serves on numerous editorial boards.

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Recent Commentary

Analysis and Commentary

EPA Remains A Paragon Of Government Waste, Fraud And Abuse

by Henry I. Millervia Forbes
Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Just when you think you’ve seen every manifestation of incompetence, corruption and dishonesty that’s possible in a government agency, the Environmental Protection Agency comes up with something new and different.

Analysis and Commentary

The USDA 'Organic' Label Misleads And Rips Off Consumers

by Henry I. Miller, John Cohrssenvia Forbes
Monday, March 7, 2016

There is a Japanese proverb that goes, “Faith makes even the head of a sardine the object of worship.” That’s the sort of devotion that seems to be driving many Americans to buy overpriced organic products such as food, bed linens, pillows and clothes, sales of which increased 83% between 2007 and 2012.

Featured

Regulate Precision Medicine Less And We Can Afford To Fund It Less

by Henry I. Millervia National Review
Friday, March 4, 2016

In a splashy White House event on February 25, President Obama once again touted his precision, or personalized, medicine initiative, which is intended to advance medicine’s new mantra, “The right dose of the right drug for the right patient at the right time.”

Analysis and Commentary

Dirty Secrets Of Fraudulent ‘Advocacy Research’

by Henry I. Miller, Robert Wagervia National Review
Friday, February 26, 2016

Scientific publishing is in crisis. A number of empirical studies have shown that 80 to 90 percent of the claims coming from scientific studies in major journals fail to replicate.

Analysis and Commentary

Poorly Regulated 'Herbal Supplements' Could Be Your Worst Nightmare

by Henry I. Miller, Josh Bloomvia Forbes
Wednesday, February 24, 2016

The “dietary supplement” industry manufactures and sells more than vitamins, fish oil, and Echinacea. Way more. And some of its products could literally be your worst nightmare.

Analysis and Commentary

Will Zika Virus Be The Big Winner At The Summer Olympics?

by John Cohrssen, Henry I. Millervia Forbes
Wednesday, February 17, 2016

This summer Brazil will host Olympiad XXXI. It could become a vast real-world experiment to test whether, how and to what extent Zika virus infection will be spread globally after the expected half million attendees return to their home countries.

Analysis and Commentary

When Food Labels Mislead

by Henry I. Miller, John Cohrssenvia Washington Times
Sunday, February 14, 2016

The USDA ‘organic’ label is both meaningless and unconstitutional.

Analysis and Commentary

Bitten By The Unresponsive, Irresponsible FDA

by Henry I. Miller, Drew L. Kershenvia National Review
Thursday, February 11, 2016

Regulators are blocking innovative approaches to protecting us from Zika and other viruses.

Analysis and Commentary

Last Chance To Stop EPA's Biggest, Worst Power Grab

by Henry I. Millervia Forbes
Wednesday, February 10, 2016

The Environmental Protection Agency has been in the news a lot lately–and as usual, the news isn’t good. EPA continues to be a paragon of zealotry, politicization and operational incompetence.

Featured

Modification Of Embryos Will Someday Treat Hideous Diseases

by Henry I. Millervia National Review
Tuesday, February 2, 2016

On Monday a story in the British newspaper The Independent had this breathless lede: “Scientists in the UK will be allowed to genetically modify human embryos for the first time in history, after they received a licence to go ahead with groundbreaking research into the early stages of human life.” Few in the scientific community would find this earth-shattering.

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