UCLA’s Eugene Washington joins J&J board

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has appointed health policy specialist Dr Eugene Washington of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to the company's board of directors.

Washington is currently vice chancellor of health sciences and dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, as well as chair of the board of governors of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCROI).

The Institute is a national research organisation authorised by Barack Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to develop a comparative effectiveness research programme, which can be used to inform health policy through evidence-based research.

"Gene has dedicated his life to improving healthcare as a practitioner, researcher, teacher, administrator and policy advisor,” said Bill Weldon, chair of J&J.

“He brings our board valuable leadership and insight into analysing healthcare policy, assessing medical technologies and sharing forward-looking perspectives on the role we can play in addressing the world's healthcare challenges."

Washington joined UCLA in 2010 having previously held the position of executive vice chancellor, provost and professor of gynaecology, epidemiology and health policy at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF).

The other positions he currently holds include serving as a member of the board of directors of the California Wellness Foundation.