Dr. A. Eugene Washington, vice chancellor for UCLA Health Sciences and dean, David Geffen School of Medicine, today was appointed Chair of the Board of Governors of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute by Gene L. Dodaro, Acting Comptroller General and head of the United States General Accounting Office. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) was mandated by the recently approved health reform legislation - the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - to "assist patients, clinicians, purchasers and policy-makers in making informed health decisions."
"I am honored to be appointed to the Board of Governors of PCORI and selected to serve as its Chair, said Dr. Washington. This novel undertaking has tremendous promise for measurably improving the quality of healthcare in the United States and the health of all Americans. I look forward to working with the Board members and other individuals and groups who are committed to attaining this goal."
PCORI will have a 21-member Board of Governors, including the Directors of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institutes of Health. The main objectives of PCORI include identifying research priorities, then establishing and carrying out research relating to advancing the quality and relevance of evidence about which diseases and other health conditions can effectively be prevented, diagnosed and treated.
Eugene Washington, MD, MPH, MSc, is currently the Vice Chancellor, UCLA Health Sciences, and Dean, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles. He has been a leader in assessing medical technologies and shaping national health policy. His major areas of research include prenatal genetic testing, cervical cancer screening and prevention, quality of healthcare, and racial/ethnic disparities in health outcomes. Prior to joining UCLA, he served as Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost and Professor of Gynecology, Epidemiology, and Health Policy at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Washington served as chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at UCSF; director of the UCSF Women's Reproductive Health Research Career Development Center; and co-founder and director of UCSF's Medical Effectiveness Research Center for Diverse Populations. He also co-founded the UCSF-Stanford Evidence-based Practice Center and served as its first director. Dr. Washington worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S. Public Health Service and received the Outstanding Service Medal from the U.S. Public Health Service. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine. A 1976 graduate of the UCSF School of Medicine, Dr. Washington completed graduate studies at both UC Berkeley and Harvard schools of public health and residency training at Stanford University.
Related Link: http://www.gao.gov/press/pcori2010sep23.html