Welcome to NGC. Skip directly to: Search Box, Navigation, Content.


NGC/NQMC Expert Panel

NEW! The National Guideline Clearinghouse/National Quality Measures Clearinghouse (NGC/NQMC) Expert Panel is comprised of individuals with collective expertise in all aspects of evidence-based health, clinical practice guidelines, quality measurement and reporting, health care policy and administration, and health informatics. The Expert Panel provides feedback and guidance to NGC and NQMC on broad project areas.

Rhonda M. Anderson, R.N., DNSC(h), FAAN, FACHE

Ms. Anderson is currently the Pediatric administrator for Banner Children's Hospital at Banner Desert Medical Center and Pediatric Service Line Administrator for Banner Health. She has served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Banner Desert Medical Center and Banner Children's Hospital at Banner Desert Medical Center for the past 4 years. She has also served as the Joint Commission Commissioner since 2000. In addition to these roles, she is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Nursing at Grand Canyon University and WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Ms. Anderson received her R.N. in 1965 from Evanston Hospital School of Nursing, followed by her B.S. in Healthcare Administration and her M.P.A., from the College of St. Francis and Roosevelt University, respectively. She received her honorary doctorate from Grand Canyon University in 2007. She sits on several boards and committees, and her published work is extensive. Ms. Anderson has given over 250 presentations on various topics in the field of nursing, and was awarded the 2005 Lifetime Achievement award by the American Organization of Nurse Executives and the 2006 lifetime achievement award by Nurse Week. She currently is on 5 editorial boards of healthcare and nursing journals.

Kathryn L. Coltin, M.P.H.

Ms. Coltin currently serves as Director, External Quality Data Initiatives at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and is an Independent Consultant in health care performance measurement, reporting and improvement. She has extensive experience in the design and development of performance measures for health plans and providers, among other areas. Ms. Coltin has served on several national advisory committees, and has had a long-standing interest in the application of information technology to quality measurement and improvement. She has consulted on numerous initiatives to measure and publicly report on performance, for which she has twice shared the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium's "Investing in Information" award. She holds an M.P.H. from Boston University, where she trained as a clinical epidemiologist. She completed all pre-doctoral course work in the Joint Program for Advanced Studies in Health Policy of Boston University and Brandeis University, under a fellowship from the Pew Memorial Trusts.

James A. Cowan, M.D., M.P.H.

In his current role as Head of Clinical Programs and Operations for Aetna Health Analytics, Dr. Cowan leads a team of clinicians and analysts providing clinical and operational support for Aetna's provider performance measurement initiatives, including the pro-active identification of members for medical management programs and the integration of historic and predictive data into transactional medical management systems. He holds a leadership role in several large-scale information technology projects to enhance Aetna's information technology infrastructure for analytic and operational support of medical management programs. Prior to joining Aetna, Dr. Cowan served as Chief of Medicine and Director of Quality Improvement at St. Luke's Hospital. After earning a B.S. from Birmingham University, he obtained his M.D. from Dalhousie University in 1977 and his M.P.H. from Columbia University in 1997. He became a Fellow of the American College of Physicians in 1985. He is a member of many prominent medical societies, and has published numerous articles, reviews, and book chapters.

Dave Davis, M.D., CCFP, FCFP, FRCPC(hon)

Dr. Davis currently serves as Vice President, Continuing Health Care Education and Improvement, Association of American Medical Colleges as well as Adjunct Professor in the Departments of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation and Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. He graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1967, and over a 30 year period has been: chairman of an all-staff inter-professional CE program at Joseph Brant Hospital (Burlington, Ont.); director of CME and subsequently chair of CE at McMaster University's Faculty of Health Sciences; associate dean, CE, and founding director of the Knowledge Translation Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; and chairman of Ontario's Guidelines Advisory Committee. Dr. Davis has also developed a comprehensive competency assessment program for the provincial licensing body, and helped launch a center for faculty development and a Mini-Med School at the University of Toronto. Emphasizing a systematic, outcomes-based focus on CME, he has acted as PI, Co-PI or investigator on numerous grants. This emphasis has seen the publication of over 100 peer-reviewed papers, dozens of abstracts, book chapters, and two major books on CME practices, and presentations on four continents. He has been chair or president of national or provincial Canadian organizations, two North American organizations (the Alliance for CME and the Society for Academic CME) and the Guidelines International Network.

George Isham, M.D., M.S.

Dr. Isham has served as Medical Director and Chief Health Officer of HealthPartners Inc. since 1992. He sits on the Board of Directors of the Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, the HealthPartners Research Foundation, and the Alliance of Community Health Plans (formerly The HMO Group). He is also a member of several prominent professional societies including the National Quality Forum and the American Medical Association, and was appointed as a lifetime National Associate of the National Academies of Science in 2003. In addition to being an original member of the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) Advisory Board from 1996 to 2003, he is a current member of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Dr. Isham began his graduate work at the University of Illinois, obtaining his M.D. in 1972, followed by his M.S. in Preventive Medicine/Administrative Medicine from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1999. He completed his medical internship and his Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. He has published numerous articles, trade press and edited materials, and has presented at nearly 100 invited lectures.

Vincent E. Kerr, M.D.

As both President of Care Solutions and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kerr currently holds two leadership positions at Uniprise, UnitedHealth Group. As Chief Medical Officer, he is responsible for clinical policy matters internally and for external clinical policy matters for the large employer segment. In the capacity of President of Care Solutions, he leads the strategy for large employers to manage trends and improve the quality and efficiency of care, among other responsibilities. Positions held prior to joining Uniprise include Director of Healthcare Management, Ford Motor Company and Corporate Medical Director, GE Company. He obtained his B.A. in 1973 from Harvard College, followed by his M.D. from Yale University School of Medicine. He sits on many committees and boards, and is currently on the Board of Directors of the American Benefits Council and the National Partnership for Women and Families. Dr. Kerr has also served as Adjunct Attending Physician at Bridgeport Hospital since 1992.

Lisa A. Lang, M.P.P.

Lisa Lang is Assistant Director for Health Services Research Information of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and Head of its National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology. She is responsible for the NLM's activities to support the information needs of health services researchers and the public health workforce. She is also involved in NLM's health data standards development activities. Before joining the NLM, Ms. Lang worked in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where she was at the forefront of the agency's implementation of the public-private collaboration to promote public reporting on hospital quality of care, as well as its efforts to identify hospital quality measures for value-based purchasing. Her prior experience includes more than a decade focusing on quality and consumer protection issues as a Senior Health Policy Analyst in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Department of Health and Human Services, as well as a visiting fellowship at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. She received a B.A. from Stanford University and a Masters in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Susan L. Norris, M.D., M.Sc., M.P.H.

Dr. Norris received her M.D. and M.Sc. in Experimental Surgery at the University of Alberta and her M.P.H. from the University of Washington. She practiced primary care medicine at Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound for nine years, and was involved in the development and implementation of evidence-based practice guidelines and processes. From 1999 to 2004 Susan worked at the CDC, leading a systematic review work group within the Division of Diabetes, and publishing a number of widely-cited reviews and meta-analyses on the effectiveness of diabetes education and weight control interventions. Dr. Norris is currently an Assistant Professor at the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center, where she is also lead methodologist for the revision of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute clinical guidelines. Moreover, she leads a group performing systematic reviews for the American Urological Association, and she also performs systematic reviews for the Drug Effectiveness Review Program. She led an international group which developed methods for the use of observational studies in reviews of comparative effectiveness of pharmaceutical agents and devices under AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program, and led the 2007 review of the effectiveness of screening for type 2 diabetes for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Douglas Owens, M.D., M.S.

In addition to being Director of the Stanford University-University of California San Francisco Evidence Based Practice Center, Dr. Owens also serves as the Director of the Postdoctoral Fellowship in Medical Informatics, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Palo Alto and Stanford University; and the Program on Clinical Decision Making and Guideline Development, Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research. His research interests include methods for the development of clinical guidelines, analytic methods for medical decision making, technology assessment, and quantitative policy analysis. As a member of the American College of Physicians (ACP), Owens plays a significant role in guideline development efforts. After earning his B.S. from Stanford University, he obtained his M.D. from the University of California San Francisco, and his M.S. from Stanford University. In addition to extensive publishing credits including articles, books, and abstracts, Dr. Owens has given over 100 invited lectures and presentations and has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards. In 2007 he was awarded the Under Secretary's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health Services Research, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He is also currently a Professor of Medicine, Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, Stanford University School of Medicine.

Gregory Pawlson, M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Pawlson has served as Executive Vice President of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) since 2000. In this capacity he has oversight and responsibility for research and analysis, federal and state contracting, performance measure development and corporate/foundation relationships. Prior to joining NCQA, Dr. Pawlson held various roles at the George Washington University Medical Center, including Senior Associate Vice President for Health Affairs, Chairman of the Department of Health Care Sciences, and Director of the Institute for Health Policy, Outcomes and Human Values. He received his undergraduate degree from Penn State University, his M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, and completed his internship/residency at Stanford University. He was then a staff associate of the National Institutes of Health, and later an Endocrine fellow and Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at the University of Washington. During that time Dr. Pawlson earned his M.P.H. with a focus on health systems and management, and did several studies involving systems at Group Health Puget Sound.

Richard N. Shiffman, M.D., M.C.I.S.

Dr. Shiffman currently serves as both the Associate Director of the Yale Center for Medical Informatics and Professor of Pediatrics at Yale University School of Medicine. He has received significant research funding from both the NIH-National Library of Medicine and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. He has been awarded numerous honors, including the Byron E. Oberst Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2006 for significant contributions to the use of clinical information technology in pediatrics. He is a member of many prominent groups, including the Guidelines International Network and several guideline development panels for the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Otolaryngology. After earning his B.A. and his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, he obtained his M.C.I.S. from the University of Denver in 1991. His published writing is extensive and includes many original articles, National Committee Policy Statements, and Practice Guidelines.

Jeffery Thompson, M.D., M.P.H.

As Director of the Chief Medical Officer, Health and Recovery Services Administration for Washington State Medicaid since 2003, Dr. Thompson's focus is on the application of business and public health strategies that result in improved health outcomes, cost savings, improved risk management, productivity, and quality of care. Prior to joining Medicaid, he held various leadership roles including Director of Occupational Health Services at Moffett Naval Air Station; Corporate Medical Director for the Weyerhaeuser Company; and Medical Director/Director of Policy & Purchasing for the Health Care Authority. He earned his B.A. at San Jose State University, followed by his M.D. at the University of Nebraska, an M.P.H. at the University of Washington and Internal Medicine at Stanford. Dr. Thompson sits on the Board of Directors of the Northwest Association of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and is the Medicaid Representative to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services HCPC Selection Committee, Quality Technical Advisory Group and Medicaid Medical Director Steering Committee.

Marita G. Titler, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN

Dr. Titler currently serves as both the Director of Research, Quality and Outcomes Management and the Senior Assistant Director at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She also serves, since 1994, as Director of the Research Translation and Dissemination Core of the Gerontological Nursing Intervention Research Center at the university. She currently directs the Institute of Translational Practice, Center for Research in the Implementation of Innovative Strategies in Practice (CRIISP) for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Her funded program of health services research focuses on translation and implementation science, evidence-based practice outcomes effectiveness research and quality improvement. She earned her M.A. in Nursing, followed by her Ph.D. at the University of Iowa. Dr. Titler has given over 180 presentations; published numerous journals, books, and abstracts; and has been the series editor for nearly 50 evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, and has received numerous national awards including the Sigma Theta Tau International Elizabeth McWilliams Miller Award for Excellence in Research. She received the Distinguished Service Award from Mount Mercy College in 2006.

Josie Williams, M.D., M.M.M., C.P.E.

In addition to serving as Co-Director, Rural and Community Health Institute, and Institute for Healthcare Evaluation; Quality, Patient Safety Initiatives, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, Dr. Williams is also Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Family and Community Medicine in the Texas A&M University System. After obtaining her R.N. and B.S., Dr. Williams continued to earn her M.D. at the University of Texas Medical School, and her Masters of Medical Management at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Gastroenterology Association and the American Society of Internal Medicine/American College of Physicians. She sits on the Board of Trustees of the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement, as well as on the Board of Commissioners for the Joint Commission. Moreover, Dr. Williams is set to take office as President of the Texas Medical Association in May 2008. Dr. Williams has received many honors, including the Texas Medical Association-Medical Student Section C. Frank Webber, M.D. award in 2002. In addition to sitting on the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Medical Quality and the Journal of Patient Safety, she has spoken at numerous invited presentations and authored many published articles and abstracts.

Modena Wilson, M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Wilson joined the American Medical Association as Senior Vice President for Professional Standards in September 2004. She previously directed the Department of Committees and Sections at the American Academy of Pediatrics. She attained the rank of Professor of Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she also directed the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and General Academic Pediatrics Fellowship Program, Co-directed the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, and held a joint appointment in the School of Public Health's Department of Health Policy and Management. Dr Wilson graduated summa cum laude from McPherson College, earned her M.S. in Biology from Wichita State University, and her M.D. at the University of Kansas. She completed her pediatric residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals in Madison. She received her M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University, and was a member of the inaugural class of the US Public Health Service's Primary Care Policy Fellowship. Her national activities have included service on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the Advisory Council of the National Injury Prevention Center. She previously served as Associate Editor of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, and co-directed the Interdisciplinary Generalist Clerkship and the Genetics in Primary Care projects. She is a member of the American Board of Pediatrics and a Past-President of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association (now the Academic Pediatric Association).