USPSTF Announces Appointments of New Vice Chair and Member

January 12, 2015 – On January 12, 2015, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) announced the appointments of David C. Grossman, M.D., M.P.H., as vice chair and Alexander H. Krist, M.D., M.P.H., as a member. Dr. Grossman and Dr. Krist were appointed to their positions by the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Dr. Krist's term began in January 2015, and Dr. Grossman will begin his term in March 2015.

Dr. Grossman previously served as a member of the USPSTF from January 2008 to December 2013. He is a board-certified pediatrician recognized for his research on injury prevention and Native American health. Currently, Dr. Grossman is a practicing pediatrician at Group Health, a senior investigator at the Group Health Research Institute, and a professor of health services and adjunct professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington. He also serves on the Community Preventive Services Task Force, the public health sister panel of the USPSTF. His current research focuses on innovations to improve the uptake and delivery of clinical preventive services in primary care.

Dr. Krist is an associate professor of family medicine and population health at Virginia Commonwealth University and an active clinician and teacher in its affiliated Fairfax Family Practice residency program. He is co-director of the Virginia Ambulatory Care Outcomes Research Network and director of community-engaged research at the Center for Clinical and Translational Research. Dr. Krist's research focuses on implementation of preventive recommendations, patient-centered care, shared decisionmaking, cancer screening, and health information technology.

Full professional biographies for all Task Force members are available on the Task Force Web site at /uspstf/about-uspstf/current-members.

The Task Force is an independent, volunteer panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine that works to improve the health of all Americans by making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services, such as screenings, counseling services, and preventive medicines. More information on the Task Force is available at www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org.