February 7, 2012 – The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) announced today the addition of four new experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine to serve as members of the panel. With guidance from Task Force leadership, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality appointed the following members: Linda Ciofu Baumann, Ph.D., R.N.; Mark H. Ebell, M.D., M.S.; Jessica Herzstein, M.D., M.P.H.; and Douglas K. Owens, M.D., M.S. These new members will each serve 4-year terms.
New members are appointed to replace members who have completed their terms. This year's appointees replace the following outgoing Task Force members: George Isham, M.D., M.S.; Rosanne Leipzig, M.D., Ph.D.; Bernadette Melnyk, Ph.D., R.N., C.P.N.P./P.M.H.N.P.; and J. Sanford Schwartz, M.D., M.B.A. The USPSTF congratulates and thanks these outgoing members for their many positive contributions to the Task Force's mission of improving the health of all Americans through evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services.
The USPSTF is an independent, volunteer panel of 16 private-sector experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine that makes recommendations about preventive services such as screenings, counseling, or preventive medications. Its recommendations empower patients, their families, and their primary care providers in making informed decisions about prevention. More information on the Task Force is available at www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org.
