Press Releases

Christine Cassel, MD Appointed to President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

Philadelphia, PA, April 27, 2009 – Today, the White House announced the appointment of Christine K. Cassel, MD, President and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine to President Barack Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). Dr. Cassel joins 19 other scientists and engineers on the council to advise the President's efforts to have science inform the Administrations decisions related to policy and research.

“I am honored to join such an illustrious group of scientists and I am proud to be part of this effort that embraces the advances that science can offer to our world,” said Christine Cassel, MD. “As someone who cares deeply about the future of health care in this country, I believe needed health care reforms can be aided – and should be driven – by scientific and clinical evidence to benefit patients. I look forward to giving voice to the practical applications of the use of this information to practicing clinicians.”

Dr. Cassel is a leading expert in geriatric medicine, medical ethics and quality of care. Board certified in both internal medicine and geriatric medicine, Dr. Cassel is an active scholar and lecturer. She is the author or co-author of 14 books and more than 150 journal articles on geriatric medicine, aging, bioethics and health policy. She chaired influential IOM reports on end-of-life care and public health and served on the committee that authored the Quality Chasm report . Her most recent book is Medicare Matters: What Geriatric Medicine Can Teach American Health Care.

PCAST consists of 20 of the nation’s leading scientists and engineers. They will advise the President and Vice President directly to help the administration formulate policy in the many areas where understanding of science, technology, and innovation is key to forming responsible and effective policy.

PCAST will be co-chaired by John Holdren (Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy), Eric Lander, (Director of the Broad Institute and one of the principal leaders of the Human Genome Project), and Harold Varmus, (President and CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, former head of the National Institutes of Health and a Nobel laureate).

In addition to serving on PCAST, Dr. Cassel is a representative to the National Quality Forum’s National Priorities Partnership, a member of the Commonwealth Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System and the Institute of Medicine Committee for Comparative Effectiveness Research Priorities. She was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the President's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry, and has been central to other national leadership efforts to further quality of care.

For more information contact Lorie Slass at 215-399-4005.

About ABIM
For more than 75 years, certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has stood for the highest standard in internal medicine and its 19 subspecialties and has meant that internists have demonstrated – to their peers and to the public – that they have the clinical judgment, skills and attitudes essential for the delivery of excellent patient care. ABIM is not a membership society, but a non-profit, independent evaluation organization. Our accountability is both to the profession of medicine and to the public. ABIM is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. For additional updates, follow ABIM on Facebook and Twitter.