Patrik Johansson, M.D., tapped by president to serve on Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative Public Health
President Barack Obama has appointed Patrik Johansson, M.D., director of the Rural Health Education Network in the Harold M. and Beverly Maurer Center for Public Health, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, to the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health.
The advisory group, which is made up of 15 non-federal members, is part of the National Prevention Council which was created through the Affordable Care Act. The purpose is to develop a national prevention strategy that identifies key priorities and actions needed across all sectors of society to prevent and reduce our nation’s leading causes of death and disability.
"I am honored to be appointed to the advisory,” said Dr. Johansson, who has been director of UNMC’s rural health program since 2009. “UNMC’s representation on the Advisory Group is indicative of the institution’s leadership in public health and rural health care professions training.”
· Dr. Johansson’s term begins immediately.
· As part of the advisory council, Dr. Johansson will help provide policy and program recommendations.
· And advice to the National Prevention Council on: effective, science-based chronic disease prevention and management, integrative health care practices and health promotion.
“Our nation will be greatly served by the talent and expertise these individuals bring to their new roles,” President Obama said. “I am grateful they have agreed to serve in this Administration, and I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead.”
“Dr. Johansson’s appointment to this advisory group is indicative of his leadership and experience in public health policy and research. We are sure he will play a vital role and provide valuable insight,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D.
An internist by training, Dr. Johansson has dedicated his career towards working in the intersection of clinical medicine, health policy, and research, having served as deputy chief medical officer at the Greater Southeast Community Hospital, a community hospital in Washington D.C. He also served as assistant research professor at The George Washington University Department of Prevention and Community Health.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Johansson was an instructor of social medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is a member of the American Public Health Association, the National Rural Health Association and the Nebraska Rural Health Association.
He is a graduate of the Commonwealth Fund Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy and the Great Plains Public Health Leadership Institute.
Dr. Johansson is a past recipient of the Harvard Medical and Dental School Dean’s Community Service Award and the Harvard School of Public Health’s Albert Schweitzer Award. He holds a B.A. from Brown University, an M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health, and an M.D. from UNMC.
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.
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