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GAO Makes Appointment to Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Governing Board

Washington, D.C. (February 4, 2014) -- Gene L. Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), today announced the appointment of Alicia Fernandez, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), to the Governing Board of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

"Dr. Fernandez brings to the PCORI Board the important perspective of a physician with experience in caring for a diverse group of patients, including many with chronic diseases and language barriers in accessing health services," Dodaro said.

Fernandez will replace Eugene Washington, MD, MSc, who left the board at the end of 2013.

In addition to being Professor of Clinical Medicine at UCSF, Dr. Fernandez is a practicing general internist in the General Medical Clinic and Medical Wards at San Francisco General Hospital. She has served on task forces on diversity, health disparities, and health literacy for national organizations, such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Quality Forum, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the American Medical Association, and the Society of General Internal Medicine. Her research has focused on health disparities, chronic disease, and patient/provider communication.� Dr. Fernandez received her BA from Yale University, her Medical Degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and was a Fellow at UCSF.

For more information, contact Mary Giffin on GAO's Health Care team at (202) 512-7114, or Chuck Young in GAO's Office of Public Affairs at (202) 512-4800, or visit the GAO Health Care Advisory Committees web page at www.gao.gov/about/hcac.

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