HHS Secretary Appoints New Members to AHCPR National Advisory Council

Press Release Date: October 25, 1996

HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced the appointment of 10 new members to the National Advisory Council for Health Care Policy, Research, and Evaluation. She also announced the extension of the term of service of the council's Chairman Walter J. McNerney, M.H.A., to May 1997.

The council, comprised of 17 private-sector health care experts and consumers and seven top federal health officials, advises the secretary and the administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) on matters relating to AHCPR's activities to enhance the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness of and access to, health care services.

"The varied expertise of these individuals, combined with that of the current members of the council, will bring important insights to the future work of AHCPR," said Secretary Shalala. "Their advice will make a significant contribution to the effectiveness of health care services provided in this nation and to the health of Americans."

The 10 new members of the council 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., chair, Board of Trustees, American Medical Association, and, program director, Family Practice Residency Department of the Brazos Valley, and associate professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
• Jose Julio Escarce, M.D., Ph.D., senior fellow, Leonard Davis Institute and assistant professor, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
• Sharon C. Kiely, M.D., director of health services, Primary Care Health Services Inc., Pittsburgh, PA.
• Ada Sue Hinshaw, dean and professor, University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI.
• Jeffrey P. Koplan, M.D., M.P.H., president, The Prudential Center for Health Care Research, Atlanta, GA.
• Woodrow Meyers, 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., Dallas, TX.
• Stephen M. Shortell, Ph.D., A.C. Buehler Distinguished Professor of Health Services Management, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
• W. Leigh Thompson, M.D., Ph.D., chairman, Profound Quality Resources, Ltd., Charleston, SC.

They will join six existing council members whose three-year terms will expire in May 1997. In addition to Walter McNerney, the returning members of the panel are:

• Helen Darling, M.A., manager, Health Strategy and Programs, Corporate Benefits, Xerox Corporation, Stamford, CN.
• Robert M. Krughoff, J.D., president, Center for the Study of Services, Washington, DC.
• W. David Leak, M.D., medical director, Pain Control Consultants, Columbus, OH.
• Harold S. Luft, Ph.D., director, Institute for Policy Studies, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA.
• Edward B. Perrin, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Health Services, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

The appointment of a 17th council member is expected within the next several months. 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: Karen Migdail, (301) 427-1855 or Salina Prasad, (301) 427-1864.

Note: HHS press releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.hhs.gov/.