Science Panel

Role of the Science Panel

The role of the Science Panel is to:

  1. Review the evidence report
  2. Determine the clinical implications of the report
  3. Provide feedback and comment to ensure that all information and products developed and disseminated by this project are fair and balanced and accurately reflect the information published in the review
  4. Provide entrée to their respective professional organizations and the myriad opportunities available through these organizations for disseminating fair and balanced information to their membership.

The Science Panel is composed of practicing physicians and clinical specialists in primary care and psychiatry, and pharmacoepidemiologist. Communications between panel members are conducted in person, on conference calls, and through email. All panel members have signed a conflict of interest contract and made any required disclosures. For more information on the contract language and disclosures please see Conflict of Interest.

Science Panel Members

Timothy S. Carey, MD, MPH (Co-Principal Investigator) is Director of the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, a Sarah Graham Kenan Professor in Medicine, a Professor of Social Medicine, and an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Epidemiology. He is affiliated with multiple training programs, including the NIH funded Clinical Research Curriculum, the Primary Care Research Fellowship, and the Faculty Development Program in General Internal Medicine. Dr. Carey has served as the Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology at UNC. He is a Board Member of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine. His recent awards include the John Eisenberg Award for Excellence in Mentorship given by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in 2003 and the American College of Physicians Laureate Award in 2004. Also, he has been listed as one of America’s Top Doctors since 2001 by Castle Connolly Medical.

Dr. Carey is the Co-Investigator and Science Panel Co-chair for “Disseminating The Evidence-Based Drug Review: Anti-Epileptic Drugs for Mood Disorders Project”. His responsibilities are to ensure the scientific integrity of the project, assure adherence to the study design, assist in the development and dissemination of derivative products, and ensure compliance with Institutional Review Board requirements.

Francine Goodman, PharmD, BCPS is a clinical pharmacy specialist of the Veterans Health Administration Pharmacy Benefits Management Strategic Healthcare Group and an appointed member of the VHA's National Pain Management Strategy Coordinating Committee. She was primary author of the Oregon Health and Science University Drug Effectiveness Review Project drug class review on antiepileptic drugs in bipolar disorder, neuropathic pain, and fibromyalgia.

John M. Oldham, MD is Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff of the Menninger Clinic, and Executive Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs and Development of the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Baylor College of Medicine. Prior to his move to the Menninger Clinic and Baylor College of Medicine in January of 2007, Dr. Oldham was Professor and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Executive Director of the Institute of Psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Oldham is actively involved in teaching and research. His research interests are focused on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with severe personality disorders. He is editor of the Journal of Psychiatric Practice, and has published extensively.

John W. Williams Jr., MD is Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry at Duke University. He is co-Director for the MacArthur Initiative on Depression in Primary Care, Scientific Editor of the NC Medical Journal and a faculty member in the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care at the Durham VAMC. His research on the clinical examination, depression recognition, and methods to implement effective care models for depression have been published in major medical journals such as JAMA, BMJ and Annals of Internal Medicine. Current projects focus on the dissemination of successful care models for depression, measuring depression quality of care, improving the incorporation of evidence into clinical guidelines, and evaluating screening strategies for cognitive impairment. Dr. Williams received a Generalist Physician Faculty Scholar award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and an Advanced Career Development Award from the VA Health Services Research Program.