People in the News -- April

The Government Accountability Office announced in a recent press release (3-page PDF; About PDFs) that it has appointed 13 people to a new advisory body established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Two AAFP members are among the individuals appointed to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee.

Neil Calman, M.D., of New York, was appointed to a two-year term on the committee as an expert in improving the health of vulnerable populations. Calman is president and CEO of The Institute for Family Health Inc. In 1993, he was one of the first recipients of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's annual Community Health Leaders Awards. He has worked to bring quality health care to New York City's poor and homeless populations.

Arthur Davidson, M.D., of Denver, also was appointed to a two-year term on the committee and will lend expertise in the area of patient and consumer advocacy. Davidson currently holds several positions with the city of Denver, including director of public health informatics in the Denver Public Health Department, director of Denver's Center for Public Health Preparedness, medical epidemiologist and director of HIV/AIDS surveillance. Davidson also is an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

The two family physicians will join other committee members in helping to create a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure. Incoming HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and the majority and minority leaders of the U.S. House and Senate will appoint seven more individuals to the committee. President Obama may appoint additional committee members to represent relevant federal agencies.