RFK Jr. names 2 cardiologists to USPSTF
Two cardiologists have been named to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent group that makes care recommendations based on clinical evidence. Its ratings for various screenings, counseling services and prevent medications are designed to help guide patient care and insurance coverage decisions.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced a total of eight new USPSTF members. The new members include Ronald P. Karlsberg, MD, a cardiologist with the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and Venkatesh L. Murthy, MD, PhD, a cardiologist with the University of Michigan Medical School who serves as a professor of preventive cardiology, internal medicine and radiology.
Both Karlsberg and Murthy are cardiovascular health specialists with years of experience in the fields of preventive medicine. They are both also medical imaging specialists, giving them keen insights into how heart disease can develop in patients over time.
Preventive care has been a rising trend in cardiology; the addition of two cardiovascular health specialists to the USPSTF highlights this trend on a national level.
Other new members include:
- Seth J. Corey, MD, MPH
- Patrick K. Hunter, MD, MSc
- Stephen T. Parente, PhD
- Goldie Stands-Over-Bull, MD
- Louis J. Wilson, MD
- Dennis W. Wulfeck, MD, MBA, DHA
“Prevention is one of our most powerful tools for confronting chronic disease. The Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendations influence preventive care across America, and Americans deserve recommendations grounded in rigorous, objective science,” Kennedy said in a statement. “We are strengthening the Task Force to ensure it asks hard questions, follows the evidence wherever it leads and maintains the highest standards of scientific integrity.”
Since first being named HHS secretary, Kennedy has repeatedly appeared to be at odds with USPSTF members. Meetings were canceled on more than one occasion, for example, and there have been concerns that he may let some members go before the end of their four-year terms.
American Medical Association sees additions as a 'significant departure'
The American Medical Association (AMA) shared a quick statement about these additions to the USPSTF. The group shared its concern that primary care physicians are not represented in the group as much as they have been in the past.
“The USPSTF plays an important role in helping physicians and patients make evidence-based decisions about preventive care," AMA President Willie Underwood, III, MD, MSc, MPH, said. "Its credibility has been built on a membership grounded in prevention and primary care—the physicians who routinely deliver preventive services and understand how recommendations translate into clinical practice.
“The composition of this new slate represents a significant departure from the Task Force’s traditional membership. We believe maintaining a strong primary care voice must remain central to its work. As the USPSTF moves forward, its recommendations must continue to be based on a transparent, rigorous, independent scientific process and informed by the perspective of physicians who deliver preventive care to patients every day. This is essential for ensuring that task force recommendations are trusted by clinicians and followed by patients.”
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.