Robert Graham Selected to Head AHRQ's Center for Practice and Technology Assessment

Press Release Date: July 19, 2001

John M. Eisenberg, M.D., Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), today announced the selection of Robert Graham, M.D., as director of the AHRQ's Center for Practice and Technology Assessment (CPTA). Dr. Graham will replace Douglas Kamerow, M.D., who directed CPTA from 1994 until his retirement from the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

As CPTA Director, Dr. Graham will oversee the AHRQ's evidence-based practice and technology assessment programs, research and evaluation on translating evidence-based findings into clinical practice, and the National Guideline Clearinghouse™. CPTA also houses the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

"Robert Graham brings a wealth of expertise to the job of CPTA Director," said Dr. Eisenberg. "His experience in both the public and private sectors will enhance AHRQ's capacity to work in partnership with a broad range of organizations within the health care system."

Dr. Graham previously served in the Department of Health and Human Services from 1970 to 1985, holding various positions in the Health Services and Mental Health Administration, Bureau of Health Manpower, and the Health Resources Administration. Dr. Graham also served as the first administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration. An officer in the U.S. Commissioned Corps, Dr. Graham achieved the rank of Assistant Surgeon General.

Dr. Graham served as executive vice president and chief executive officer of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) from 1985 to 2000. Most recently, he has been on sabbatical as Scholar in Residence at the AAFP's Washington D.C.-based policy center, named by the AAFP in his honor as the Robert Graham Center: Policy Studies in Family Practice and Primary Care.

Dr. Graham is a graduate of Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana and received his medical degree from University of Kansas School of Medicine in Kansas City, Kansas. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine and has spoken and written extensively on critical health care issues.

For more information, please contact Karen Migdail, (301) 427-1855 (KMigdail@ahrq.gov).

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Internet Citation:

Robert Graham Selected to Head AHRQ's Center for Practice and Technology Assessment. Press Release, July 19, 2001. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2001/grahampr.htm

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