Christine K. Cassel
Encyclopedia
Christine K. Cassel, MD, President and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine
and ABIM Foundation
, was previously President of the American Federation for Aging Research
and the American College of Physicians
. She also formerly served as Dean of the School of Medicine and Vice President for Medical Affairs at Oregon Health & Science University
, Chair of the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at Mount Sinai School of Medicine
. During her 10 years at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
, she served as Chief of General Internal Medicine, Professor of Geriatrics and Medicine, Founding Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, and Founding Director of the Center for Health Policy Research. She is highly regarded in the fields of geriatric medicine, medical ethics and quality of care.
Dr. Cassel is one of 20 scientists chosen by U.S. President Barack Obama
to serve on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and is co-Chair and Physician Leader of a PCAST working group that made recommendations to the President on issues relating to health information technology. She served on the Institute of Medicine
(IOM)'s Comparative Effective Research (CER) Committee mandated by Congress to set priorities for the national CER effort. She also served on the IOM committee that wrote the influential report, "To Err Is Human" and "Crossing the Quality Chasm". In 2010, Modern Healthcare
named Dr. Cassel among the 50 most powerful physicians.
Among her many professional leadership positions, Dr. Cassel is past-Chair of the ABIM Board of Directors and ABIM Foundation, served as Chair of the Board of the Greenwall Foundation, which supports work in bioethics; is immediate past-President of the American Federation for Aging Research; and was a member of the Advisory Committee to the Director at the National Institutes of Health
. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Governing Council and has served on previous IOM committees responsible for influential reports on quality of care and medical errors, chaired a recent report on end-of-life care, and co-chaired a report on public health. In 1997-98, Dr. Cassel served on the President's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry. She is a fellow of the Hastings Center
, a bioethics research institution.
Dr. Cassel was formerly Chair of the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development and Professor of Geriatrics and Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. During 10 years at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
, Dr. Cassel was Chief of the Section of General Internal Medicine, Professor of Geriatrics and Medicine, Founding Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, and Founding Director of the Center for Health Policy Research.
, "Societal Perceptions of Physicians" has drawn significant interest.
, Dr. Cassel received her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts
Medical School and completed a residency in internal medicine at the Children's Hospital of San Francisco and a fellowship in geriatrics at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. Additionally, she completed a bioethics health policy fellowship program at the University of California, San Francisco
. She is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards of distinction, including Fellowship in the Royal Colleges of Medicine in the United Kingdom and Canada, and Mastership in the American College of Physicians
. Dr. Cassel is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine
in internal medicine
and geriatric medicine.
American Board of Internal Medicine
The American Board of Internal Medicine is a non-profit, independent physician evaluation organization committed to continuously improving the profession for the public good by certifying physicians who practice internal medicine and its sub-specialties...
and ABIM Foundation
ABIM Foundation
The ABIM Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation established by the American Board of Internal Medicine in 1999 to advance medical professionalism and physician leadership in quality assessment and improvement...
, was previously President of the American Federation for Aging Research
American Federation for Aging Research
The American Federation for Aging Research is a private, charitable, 501, organization whose mission is to provide funding for biomedical research on aging.- Grant programs :...
and the American College of Physicians
American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is a national organization of doctors of internal medicine —physicians who specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults. With 130,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in...
. She also formerly served as Dean of the School of Medicine and Vice President for Medical Affairs at Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon Health & Science University is a public university in Oregon with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland and a smaller campus in Hillsboro...
, Chair of the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine is an American medical school in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, currently ranked among the top 20 medical schools in the United States. It was chartered by Mount Sinai Hospital in 1963....
. During her 10 years at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Pritzker School of Medicine
The Pritzker School of Medicine is the M.D. granting unit of the Biological Sciences Division of the University of Chicago. It is located on the University's main campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, and matriculated its first class in 1927...
, she served as Chief of General Internal Medicine, Professor of Geriatrics and Medicine, Founding Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, and Founding Director of the Center for Health Policy Research. She is highly regarded in the fields of geriatric medicine, medical ethics and quality of care.
Dr. Cassel is one of 20 scientists chosen by U.S. President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
to serve on the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and is co-Chair and Physician Leader of a PCAST working group that made recommendations to the President on issues relating to health information technology. She served on the Institute of Medicine
Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
(IOM)'s Comparative Effective Research (CER) Committee mandated by Congress to set priorities for the national CER effort. She also served on the IOM committee that wrote the influential report, "To Err Is Human" and "Crossing the Quality Chasm". In 2010, Modern Healthcare
Modern Healthcare
Modern Healthcare is a weekly, 70,037-circulation business publication delivering news and information to executives in the healthcare industry...
named Dr. Cassel among the 50 most powerful physicians.
Among her many professional leadership positions, Dr. Cassel is past-Chair of the ABIM Board of Directors and ABIM Foundation, served as Chair of the Board of the Greenwall Foundation, which supports work in bioethics; is immediate past-President of the American Federation for Aging Research; and was a member of the Advisory Committee to the Director at the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Governing Council and has served on previous IOM committees responsible for influential reports on quality of care and medical errors, chaired a recent report on end-of-life care, and co-chaired a report on public health. In 1997-98, Dr. Cassel served on the President's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry. She is a fellow of the Hastings Center
Hastings Center
The Hastings Center, founded in 1969, is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit bioethics research institute based in the United States. It is dedicated to the examination of essential questions in health care, biotechnology, and the environment...
, a bioethics research institution.
Dr. Cassel was formerly Chair of the Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development and Professor of Geriatrics and Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. During 10 years at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Pritzker School of Medicine
The Pritzker School of Medicine is the M.D. granting unit of the Biological Sciences Division of the University of Chicago. It is located on the University's main campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, and matriculated its first class in 1927...
, Dr. Cassel was Chief of the Section of General Internal Medicine, Professor of Geriatrics and Medicine, Founding Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, and Founding Director of the Center for Health Policy Research.
Books and Articles
Dr. Cassel is the author or co-author of 14 books, including Medicare Matters: What Geriatric Medicine Can Teach American health Care (2005), Ethical Patient Care (2000), Geriatric Medicine (Fourth Edition), A Practical Guide to Aging (1997), Approaching Death (1997), Encyclopedia of Bioethics (1995), Ethical Dimensions in the Health Professions (1993), and Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear War: A Sourcebook for Health Professionals (1984); and more than 150 journal arrticles on geriatric medicine, aging, bioethics and health policy. She has edited and authored a number of books, including Medicare Matters: What Geriatric Medicine Can Teach American Health Care (2005), Ethical Patient Care (2000), Geriatric Medicine (Fourth Edition), A Practical Guide to Aging (1997), Approaching Death (1997), Encyclopedia of Bioethics (1995), Ethical Dimensions in the Health Professions (1993), and Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear War: A Sourcebook for Health Professionals (1984). Her recent JAMA commentary on physician motivation, co-authored with Sachin H. JainSachin H. Jain
Sachin H. Jain is an American physician and health policy analyst who was senior advisor to Donald M. Berwick, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the Obama Administration...
, "Societal Perceptions of Physicians" has drawn significant interest.
Education
A graduate of the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, Dr. Cassel received her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts
This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst...
Medical School and completed a residency in internal medicine at the Children's Hospital of San Francisco and a fellowship in geriatrics at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. Additionally, she completed a bioethics health policy fellowship program at the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
. She is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards of distinction, including Fellowship in the Royal Colleges of Medicine in the United Kingdom and Canada, and Mastership in the American College of Physicians
American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is a national organization of doctors of internal medicine —physicians who specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults. With 130,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in...
. Dr. Cassel is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine
American Board of Internal Medicine
The American Board of Internal Medicine is a non-profit, independent physician evaluation organization committed to continuously improving the profession for the public good by certifying physicians who practice internal medicine and its sub-specialties...
in internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
and geriatric medicine.