HHS Secretary Appoints New Members to AHCPR National Advisory Council

Press Release Date: November 21, 1997

HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced the appointment of four new members and two special advisors to the National Advisory Council (NAC) for Health Care Policy, Research, and Evaluation. Harold S. Luft, Ph.D., who was a member of the Council and served as Acting Chairman, has been announced as Chairman of the Council.

The Council is comprised of representatives from academia, health care providers, consumer groups, purchasers of health care, major private health care foundations, and top federal health officials. Its role is to provide advice to the Secretary and to the Administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) on matters related to AHCPR activities.

"I am pleased that these experts have agreed to devote their time to providing insight into various issues regarding the Agency," said Secretary Shalala. "Their advice will be invaluable to the Agency as it seeks to fulfill its mission and improve the quality of the health care system."

The four new members of the Council are:

• Colleen Conway-Welch, Ph.D., Professor and Dean, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, Nashville, TN.
• Dennis G. Fryback, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
• Vanessa Northington Gamble, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director, Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, Madison, WIs.
• Ruby Takanishi, Ph.D., President, Foundation for Child Development, New York, NY.

The two special advisors are:

• Elliott S. Fisher, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Professor of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH.
• Nelda P. Wray, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Houston Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX.

They will join 10 existing council members (including Dr. Luft), some of whose terms will expire in May 1998. These returning members of the panel are:

• Richard E. Behrman, M.D., J.D., Managing Director, Center for the Future of Children, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Los Altos, CA.
• Nancy Wilson Dickey, M.D., President Elect, American Medical Association; Program Director, Brazos Family Medical Center; and Associate Professor, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
• Jose Julio Escarce, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Natural Scientist, RAND, Santa Monica, CA.
• Ada Sue Hinshaw, Ph.D., R.N., Dean and Professor, University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI.
• Sharon C. Kiely, M.D., Medical Director, Tri-State Health Systems, Pittsburgh, PA.
• Jeffrey P. Koplan, M.D., M.P.H., President, The Prudential Center for Health Care Research, Atlanta, GA.
• Harold S. Luft, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Policy Studies, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA.
• Woodrow A. Myers, Jr., M.D., M.B.A., Director, Health Care Management, Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI.
• Martin Paris, M.D., M.P.H., Vice President, Medical Affairs, Tenet Healthcare Corp., Los Angeles, CA.
• Stephen M. Shortell, Ph.D., Professor, Health Services Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.

In addition to the private-sector members, the following federal officials serve as ex-officio members: Director, National Institutes of Health; Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration; Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Administrator, Health Care Financing Administration; Assistant Secretary for Defense (Health Affairs); and Chief Medical Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs.

For additional information, contact AHCPR Public Affairs: Salina V. Prasad, (301) 427-1864 (SPrasad@ahrq.gov).