NLM in Focus is pleased to welcome the newest member of the NLM Board of Regents: Carlos Roberto Jaén, MD, PhD.

When the National Library of Medicine’s Board of Regents meets on May 8-9, it will benefit from another perspective as Dr. Jaén joins the distinguished group.

Dr. Jaén is chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. His research focuses on preventive care for people with chronic diseases including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. From 2005-2008, he served on the National Advisory Council to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

To get to know Dr. Jaén better, NLM in Focus asked him the same questions that the current Board members answered back in February.

Q&A with Carlos R. Jaén, MD, PhD

	Carlos R. Jaén, MD, PhD
1. Very briefly, what is your background?	I am a family physician, epidemiologist, and primary care health services researcher. My research, over the last 20 years, is focused on understanding “real world” primary care practices and how to best promote change towards improved patient-centered care.
2. How did you feel when you received your invitation from the Secretary of HHS to serve on the Board of Regents?	I felt honored and a sense of responsibility to bring the voice of practicing primary care physicians, patients, and communities to the deliberations and implementation of the strategic plan of the National Library of Medicine.
3. Why are you serving on the Board of Regents?	Because I believe that I can bring a needed perspective to the Board of Regents. NLM needs to be grounded in the needs of patients, families, and clinicians on the front lines. This need must be balanced with the goal of accelerating discovery and advancing health through data-driven research. Ultimately, we must use the best information and discoveries to address health and health care for all.
4. Tell us something surprising about yourself.	As a native Panamanian, I love Latin dancing and playing Latin drums.

The Board of Regents serves as an advisory body to the secretary of Health and Human Services, the director of NIH, and the director of NLM on important aspects of policy regarding the Library. In addition, the Board is the final review body for NLM’s extramural grant program.

The NLM Board of Regents was established in 1956 by the same Act that created the National Library of Medicine.

The Board meets three times a year in February, May, and September. The Board is currently comprised of eighteen members, including nine ex officio members.

Welcome, Dr. Jaén!