On March 19, 2009, HHS announced the members of the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research. The Council was authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) as part of a major expansion of federal efforts to compare the effectiveness of different medical treatments, including both infrastructure changes and an infusion of $1 billion in funding for comparative effectiveness research. The Council is charged with helping to coordinate and guide investments in comparative effectiveness research, advising the President and Congress on federal comparative effectiveness research infrastructure needs, and reviewing federal agency organizational expenditures for comparative effectiveness research. The Council must report to the President and Congress by June 30, 2009 on current federal comparative effectiveness research and recommendations for research conducted under ARRA funding. The members of the Council are as follows:

• Anne Haddix, chief policy officer, Office of Strategy and Innovation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
• Thomas Valuck, Medical Officer and Senior Adviser, CMS Center for Medicare Management;
• Peter Delany, Director, Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration;
• Carolyn Clancy, Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality;
• Deborah Parham Hopson, Associate Administrator, HIV/AIDS Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration;
• David Hunt, Chief Medical Officer, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology;
• James Scanlon, Acting Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, HHS;
• Elizabeth Nabel, Director, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health;
• Garth Graham, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, Office of Minority Health, HHS;
• Jesse Goodman, Acting Chief Medical Officer, Food and Drug Administration, and Director, FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research;
• Michael Marge, Acting Director, Office on Disability, HHS;
• Neera Tanden, Counselor, Office of the Secretary, HHS;
• Joel Kupersmith, Chief Research and Development Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs;
• Michael Kilpatrick, Director of Strategic Communications for the Military Health System, Department of Defense; and
• Ezekiel Emanuel, Special Advisor for Health Policy, Office of Management and Budget

In a related development, the Institute of Medicine is accepting public comments on priorities for comparative effectiveness research under the ARRA.  Stakeholders can submit answers to a questionnaire through March 27, 2009.