Dr. Tonette Krousel-Wood appointed to US Preventive Services Task Force
Tulane University physician-researcher Dr. M. “Tonette” Krousel-Wood has been appointed to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent, volunteer panel of leading experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine that works to improve the health of people nationwide by making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services.
Krousel-Wood, professor and the Jack Aron endowed chair in primary care medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine and professor of Epidemiology at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, will serve a four-year term on the national panel starting this year.
"As a preventive medicine-trained physician, I am humbled by this appointment which provides an exciting opportunity to focus on addressing health issues upstream and do work that matters in our communities nationwide."
— Dr. Tonette Krousel-Wood
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is made up of 16 volunteer members and makes recommendations for health screenings, counseling services and preventative medications. 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.
“As a preventive medicine-trained physician, I am humbled by this appointment which provides an exciting opportunity to focus on addressing health issues upstream and do work that matters in our communities nationwide by enhancing the practice of primary care with evidence-based preventive services recommendations,” Krousel-Wood said.
Through her research, service and policy advocacy, Krousel-Wood has long worked to improve the health of women, older adults and vulnerable communities. Her research focuses on preventing and managing hypertension and cardiometabolic diseases with evidence-based interventions to advance health and health equity across age, sex, race, socio-economic status and rural versus urban areas.
She is the founding director of the Tulane Center for Health Outcomes, Implementation and Community Engaged Science (CHOICES) and the principal investigator on multiple NIH-funded independent research grants and career development awards. She has also led grants funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Krousel-Wood is past president of the Board of Regents for the American College of Preventive Medicine and past chair of the American Board of Preventive Medicine.
She also serves in several leadership roles at Tulane, including as the associate provost for the health sciences, senior associate dean of faculty in the School of Medicine, and associate dean for public health and medical education.
The Task Force announced Krousel-Wood’s appointment along with two other new members, Dr. Sei Lee of the University of California, San Francisco, and Dr. Sarah Wiehe of Indiana University School of Medicine.
“On behalf of my fellow Task Force members, I am pleased to welcome Drs. Lee, Krousel-Wood, and Wiehe to the Task Force,” said Task Force chair Dr. Michael Barry. “These new members bring expertise in the delivery of primary care, specialized knowledge of preventive health issues, and a dedication to addressing health disparities. I look forward to working with them to advance our mission of improving the health of people nationwide.”
