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Earlier this month, Dr. Gavin Huntley-Fenner was elected to serve a second full term on . But that's not the only public service he'll be performing over the next four years. He's also just received a four-year appointment to the Risk Communication Advisory Committee.

Formed in June 2007, the committee counsels the agency on ways to improve public communication about the risks and benefits of FDA-regulated products. Its establishment was one of the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine's 2006 report, "The Future of Drug Safety: Promoting and Protecting the Health of the Public." Huntley-Fenner, a scientist who will be one of  on the panel, will specifically study how warnings, labels and other types of hazard communications impact safety-related behavior.  "I am very proud to have been selected as a national caliber expert in the field and eager to use my professional skills to serve my country," he said. This isn’t the first major appointment for Huntley-Fenner, who holds a doctorate in brain and cognitive sciences. In 2007, he was also selected by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell to serve on a newly created committee to help improve education programs for students with autism.