The Washington, D.C.-based National Quality Forum (NQF) has named Christine K. Cassel, M.D., as president and CEO. Cassel will begin her position at NQF effective mid-summer 2013. 

 “NQF is deeply fortunate to have Dr. Cassel join us as our new leader,” William Roper, M.D., dean of University of North Carolina School of Medicine, vice chancellor for medical affairs and CEO of UNC Health Care System and chair of the NQF Board of Directors, said in a statement.  “Dr. Cassel has the credentials, leadership skills, public respect, credibility and vision needed to run an organization as vital as NQF. At this critical juncture where improved quality is the linchpin to achieving healthcare of the highest value, we believe Dr. Cassel is uniquely qualified to carry NQF’s mission forward.  We are honored she has chosen to join us in our national quest to improve health and healthcare.” 

Cassel announced in April this year she was leaving her position as the president and CEO of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the ABIM Foundation.  She has led ABIM for 10 years, spearheading efforts to promote physician professionalism and certification, quality improvement, and the important role physicians play in stewarding limited resources wisely. An expert in geriatric medicine, medical ethics and quality of care, Cassel was previously president of the American Federation for Aging Research and the American College of Physicians. She also formerly served as dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at Oregon Health and Science University, as well as chair of the department of geriatrics and adult development at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and chief of general internal medicine at The University of Chicago.

 A pioneering woman in healthcare, Dr. Cassel was the first woman chair at ABIM, first woman president at the American College of Physicians, and the first woman dean of Oregon Health and Science University.  She is also one of 20 scientists chosen by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST,) and is co-chair and physician leader of a PCAST report to the president on future directions of health information technology.