Top VA Physician Appointed to PCORI Board of Governors

Part of 17-Member Inaugural Board Under Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act



WASHINGTON (Sept. 30, 2010)- Dr. Robert Jesse, Principal Deputy Under
Secretary for Health at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA),
accepted an appointment to the first Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Institute's Board of Governors.

"Instead of asking simply what works, we will be determining what works
best," Jesse said. "This is important work as it will help standardize
American health care toward the best practices in the medical field and
we should see better efficiency as result."

The board, created by the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act, is charged with identifying comparative effectiveness research
(CER) priorities and establishing a research agenda. CER studies are
head-to-head trials that compare different clinical practices and
therapies to see how they stack up against each other for treating a
defined patient population. The studies are unlike most clinical trials
conducted in the United States, which examine only whether a drug or
other medical approach works better than an inert placebo alternative.

As the VA Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health, Jesse leads
clinical policies and programs for the Nation's largest integrated
health care system. Jesse also serves as a Professor of Internal
Medicine and Cardiology at Virginia Commonwealth University School of
Medicine. He has extensive experience in comparative effectiveness,
cardiology, cancer and biochemical research.  Previously, he was the
Chief Consultant for Medical Surgical Services and VA's National Program
Director for Cardiology in VA's Office of Patient Care Services where he
was instrumental in implementing broad reforms in the delivery of
specialty, sub-specialty and emergency care that have significantly
improved the quality of care provided across the VA health care system.

"Robert Jesse is the right pick for this board as they navigate new
waters in American health care," said VA Under Secretary for Health Dr.
Robert A. Petzel. "For years, Veterans throughout the U.S. have had the
fortune of Dr. Jesse's intense passion for medical perfection and
professionalism. I am pleased that the entire Nation will now benefit
from his expertise."