Task Forces: Addressing Adolescent Behavior

Addressing Adolescent Behavioral Health

Task Force Chairs Announced

June 09, 2007

Chair: Rubens Pamies, M.D., FACP

Dr. Pamies, received his baccalaureate degree from St. John's University, his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1986, and completed a residency in Primary Care Internal Medicine at the Cornell-North Shore University Hospital. In 1989, Dr. Pamies joined the University of South Florida College of Medicine as Staff Physician and Assistant Professor. His interest in minority medical education led him to develop the College of Medicine's first Office of Minority Affairs, where he served as Director for two years.

Dr. Pamies has a strong commitment to issues in minority education and health. Dr. Pamies has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on the following grants; NIH sponsored Center for Reducing Asthma Disparities, AHRQ sponsored Center for Improving Patient Safety, REACH 2010 Project (Meharry component), the NIH, Planning Grant for Clinical Research in Minority Institutions, and the GTE Foundation’s The Middle School and High School Teacher’s Science Academy, receiving approximately $1,480,000 in funding. He serves on countless local and national committees. In September 2005, Drs. Pamies and Satcher co-authored a book entitled Multicultural Medicine And Health Disparities.

Vice-Chair: Richard O’Brien, M.D.

Creighton University Center for Health Policy and Ethics

Dr. O’Brien received his M.D. degree from Creighton University, trained in Internal Medicine at the Columbia University Division of Bellevue Hospital, and was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin.

He served in the Army at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, was a faculty member at the University of Southern California, 1966-82, a Visiting Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, 1973-1974, and was the Director of the USC Cancer Center and the Norris Cancer Hospital and Research Institute when he left in 1982.

Dr. O’Brien was Dean of the Creighton University School of Medicine from 1982-92 and Vice President, Health Sciences from 1984-99.

He has served on numerous professional and scientific committees of the NIH and American Cancer Society and other organizations and many professional and public boards. He is a member of ΑΩΑ honorary medical society, and has received numerous professional awards.

As the Vice President, Health Sciences, Dr. O’Brien founded the Center for Health Policy & Ethics in 1985. Since 1999 he has been a member of the center. Dr. O’Brien is engaged in studying means of expanding access to health care, research ethics, health disparities, and ethics of health policy formulation.