Board of Directors

Neal D. Kohatsu, MD, MPH

Chairman

Dr. Neal Kohatsu is medical director of California's Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Before taking on his current position, Dr. Kohatsu was chief of the Medi-Cal Policy Section at DHCS and chief of the Cancer Control Branch of the California Department of Public Health. Previously, he was an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa, College of Public Health. His research interests include obesity, nutrition, physical activity, chronic disease epidemiology, worksite health promotion, and delivery of clinical preventive services. He directed the Preventive Intervention Center, which conducts prevention research. Dr. Kohatsu is board-certified in general preventive medicine and public health and is a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine. He also is a member of the Delta Omega Honorary Public Health Society.
 

Thomas P. Houston, MD, FACPM

Treasurer

Dr. Thomas Houston is director of the Nicotine Dependence Program at McConnell Heart Health Center at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, and is clinical professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at The Ohio State University. Immediately prior to joining the McConnell Center, Dr. Houston was professor of Public Health and Family Medicine at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans and held the Jim Finks Chair in Health Promotion. He was director of the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living, the state's tobacco prevention and control program. He joined the staff at the American Medical Association in 1990, led AMA's efforts in preventive medicine and tobacco control for 13 years and was director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation SmokeLess States Tobacco Policy Intervention national program office. Dr. Houston is a fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and the Institute of Medicine in Chicago.
 

Marcia G. Ory, PhD, MPH

Dr. Marcia Ory is a professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Rural Public Health at The Texas A&M Health Science Center in College Station, Texas. Additionally, she is the director of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-sponsored National Program Office on Increasing Physical Activity in the 50-plus population. Previously, Dr. Ory spent 20 years in federal service as chief of social science research on aging in the Behavioral and Social Research Program at the National Institute on Aging. She now provides scientific leadership for several national public health and aging networks. She is a distinguished alumnae of Purdue University, fellow of several professional organizations (American Academy of Behavioral Research, Gerontological Society of America, and the Society for Behavioral Medicine), and a recipient of numerous awards for innovations in applied gerontology.

Michael D. Parkinson, MD, MPH, FACPM

Michael Parkinson is the immediate past president of the American College of Preventive Medicine.  He maintains numerous health, health care delivery, and financing innovation strategic partnerships with health and  health care organizations committed to improving prevention, performance, and productivity.  He formerly was Executive Vice President, Chief Health and Medical Officer of Lumenos, a pioneer of consumer-driven health plans and a subsidiary of Wellpoint.  A retired Air Force colonel, his final assignment was as associate director of medical programs and resources in the Office of the Surgeon General where he was responsible for policy and planning for over 2 million beneficiaries, 70 facilities, and a $4 billion budget. He currently serves on a number of boards related to preventive medicine and health quality. Dr. Parkinson is a recipient of the Air Force Legion of Merit, Distinguished Service Award of the American College of Preventive Medicine, and Distinguished Recent Graduate Award from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He received his AB from Cornell University, MD from George Washington University, family practice training at UCLA and his MPH, preventive medicine residency, and chief residency at Johns Hopkins.