http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Name/about-the-uspstf
About
Created in 1984, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is an independent, volunteer panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine. The Task Force works to improve the health of all Americans by making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services such as screenings, counseling services, and preventive medications.
Task Force members come from the fields of preventive medicine and primary care, including internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, behavioral health, obstetrics and gynecology, and nursing. Their recommendations are based on a rigorous review of existing peer-reviewed evidence and are intended to help primary care clinicians and patients decide together whether a preventive service is right for a patient's needs.
Each year, the Task Force makes a report to Congress that identifies critical evidence gaps in research related to clinical preventive services and recommends priority areas that deserve further examination.
Membership
- Task Force consists of 16 volunteer members who are experts in prevention, evidence-based medicine and primary care.
- Panel led by a Chair and two Vice Chairs
- Members serve four year terms
- Members are appointed by the Director of AHRQ
- Members meet three times a year for two days in Washington D.C.
- Most of UPSTF work occurs in conference calls and email discussions
- Member duties include: prioritizing topics, designing research plans, reviewing and commenting on systematic evidence reviews, discussing and making recommendations.
- AHRQ estimates that members devote approximately 200 hours a year to USPSTF.
Application Process
- Interested individuals can self-nominate
- Qualified applicants must show knowledge, expertise or leadership in the following:
-
- The critical evaluation of research published in peer-reviewed literature and in the methods of evidence review.
- Clinical prevention, health promotion, and primary health care.
- Implementation of evidence-based recommendations in clinical practice
- Some USPSTF members without primary health care clinical experience may be selected based on their expertise in methodological issues, such as meta-analysis, analytic modeling, or clinical epidemiology.
- All nominations must be submitted in writing or electronically
- Nominations must be received by May 15th of a given year to be considered for appointment beginning in January of the following year
Additional Information
The Community Preventive Services Task Force and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) are both expert panels that make prevention-oriented, evidence-based recommendations based on scientific reviews. Their work is complementary, because they focus on different settings.
The Community Preventive Services Task Force provides evidence-based recommendations on preventive services, programs, and policies for community populations. This task force has evaluated community education programs, behavior change programs, organizational and legislative policies, and health systems interventions. CDC provides ongoing administrative, research, and technical support for this task force.
Contact
Senior Project Coordinator
- Phone: 301.427.1584