U.S. Preventive Services Task Force appoints Dr. Karina Davidson as vice chair

MANHASSET, N.Y., March 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Karina Davidson, PhD, MASc, senior vice president of research at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and a leading psychology and cardiology scientist, has been appointed as vice chair of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The Task Force is an independent, volunteer panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine. Its members come from many health-related fields, including internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics and behavioral health. The panel's mission is to improve the health of all Americans by making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services such as screenings, counseling services, and preventive medications.

"Dr. Davidson's appointment to this important task force is recognition of her leadership in chronic disease management," said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institute. "Her knowledge of the most important trends in preventive medicine will help guide the Task Force to success in its critical work."

In December 2018, Northwell Health, which is the largest health care provider in New York State, appointed Dr. Davidson to lead a new Manhattan-based Feinstein Institute center focused on personalized health. Her research is centered on the relationship between psychosocial risk factors and their role in the course and outcome of cardiovascular disease.

"Dr. Davidson's expertise in behavioral and cardiovascular health has been essential to many topics in the Task Force portfolio," said Task Force chair Douglas K. Owens, MD, MS. "She has a longstanding commitment to improving the delivery and quality of health care and she will be a valuable addition to our leadership team."

Dr. Davidson previously served as a member of the Task Force from 2014 to 2018. Along with her work at the Feinstein Institute, she is also a professor of behavioral medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and a licensed clinical psychologist. She has written more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and numerous editorials and book chapters, has won national and international awards for her research, and served as president of many professional societies.

To learn more about the members of the Task Force, visit https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Name/our-members

About the Feinstein Institute
The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research is the research arm of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider in New York. Home to 50 research laboratories and to clinical research throughout dozens of hospitals and outpatient facilities, the Feinstein Institute includes 4,000 researchers and staff who are making breakthroughs in molecular medicine, genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and bioelectronic medicine – a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we empower imagination and pioneer discovery, visit FeinsteinInstitute.org.

About the Task Force
The 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 medicines. More information on the Task Force is available at www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org.

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SOURCE Northwell Health