
Dr. Evelyne Mbandi

Dr. Evelyne Mbandi was named acting deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Public Health Science (OPHS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in December 2024. In this role, Dr. Mbandi partners with the OPHS assistant administrator to inform FSIS decision making through a program that is responsible for scientific analysis, advice, and recommendations on matters related to science and public health. Her team provides recommendations on all matters involving public health and related sciences at FSIS, striving to address current and emerging public health challenges. Her duties directly support FSIS’ Strategic Goals – 1: Prevent Foodborne Illness and Protect Public Health, 2: Transform Inspection Strategies, Policies and Scientific Approaches to Improve Public Health, and 3: Achieve Operational Excellence.
Dr. Mbandi served as director of the Microbiological and Chemical Hazards Staff (MCHS) for OPHS since 2018. Her team was instrumental in adopting the ‘cloth’ sampling of beef trimmings in 2023 to replace the previous excision method and development of the Salmonella in Poultry Risk Profile in support of FSIS’ Salmonella Framework. She oversaw the planning and conducting of microbiological and chemical exploratory studies and surveys and provided microbiology and chemistry expertise on recalls and outbreak investigations. Dr. Mbandi consulted on and reviewed international equivalence and international audits, developed in-depth hazard assessments for policy considerations, and managed the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. She served as co-chair of the Science and Policy Committee, the first step in the agency’s governance process. The committee oversees the commodity workgroups and projects under development across the agency, ensuring that FSIS policies are data driven and science based. She served as the deputy director of MCSH from 2017 to 2018.
Dr. Mbandi’s FSIS career began with OPHS in 2005 as a food safety fellow. She transitioned to staff microbiologist in2007 and held that title through 2010. Beginning in 2011, she served as the deputy director for the Office of Policy and Program Development’s (OPPD) Risk, Management and Innovations Staff until 2017. Within OPPD, she supervised a diverse professional workforce of technical and administrative personnel. She was involved in OPPD’s strategic planning and budget formulation, ensuring that policy development and delivery were well coordinated with the strategic plan.
Dr. Mbandi’s educational background includes a doctoral degree in food science from Wayne State University. She was appointed chairperson of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene in June 2023 and is a subject matter expert on controlling Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella in ready-to-eat meat and poultry products.