Economist John E. Calfee (1941-2011) studied the pharmaceutical industry and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the economics of tobacco, tort liability, and patents. He previously worked at the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Economics. He had also taught marketing and consumer behavior at the business schools of the University of Maryland at College Park and Boston University. While Mr. Calfee's writings are mostly on pharmaceutical markets and FDA regulation, his academic articles and opinion pieces covered a variety of topics, from patent law and tort liability to advertising and consumer information. His books include Prices, Markets, and the Pharmaceutical Revolution (AEI Press, 2000) and Biotechnology and the Patent System (AEI Press, 2007). Mr. Calfee wrote regularly for AEI's Health Policy Outlook series. He testified before Congress and federal agencies on various topics, including alcohol advertising; biodefense vaccine research; international drug prices; and FDA oversight of drug safety.

From 2005 to 2009, John held the position of Health Attaché of the United States Mission to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In that capacity, John represented the United States at UNESCO and OECD on health, social, and science policy matters such as the effect of U.S. and European health systems'organizational and reimbursement policies on innovation, quality, and access.

Prior to his position of Health Attaché, John served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, in charge of the Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy (DALTCP), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2001 to 2005. While practicing law, with specialty in health law and policy, John represented hospitals, hospital associations, organ recovery organization, doctors, and others in connection with legal issues such as Medicare reimbursement; price controls; health planning and certificate of need; organ donation and recovery; antitrust; fraud and abuse and self-referral; national physician data bank; and physician discipline.