Alex H. Krist, MD, MPH

Alex H. Krist, M.D., M.P.H., is a professor of family medicine and population health at Virginia Commonwealth University and an active clinician and teacher at the Inova Fairfax Family Practice Residency. He is also codirector of the Virginia Ambulatory Care Outcomes Research Network and director of community-engaged research at the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research. Dr. Krist’s areas of interest include implementation of preventive recommendations, patient-centered care, shared decision making, cancer screening, and health information technology. He is the primary author of numerous peer-reviewed publications and has presented to a wide range of audiences at national and international conferences. Dr. Krist has been one of the leading thinkers on how to operationalize USPSTF recommendations in clinical practice and an innovator in the use of health information technology to promote implementation of recommended services. Working closely with patients and practices, he has invested years in developing an online personal health record that uses complex heuristic programming rules to tailor USPSTF recommendations to individual patients; engage patients in their care; and offer decision support to patients, clinicians, and practices. Dr. Krist is also leading initiatives in Virginia to address the root causes of poor health including unhealthy behaviors, mental health, and social needs. During his tenure as Chair, Dr. Krist helped to lead the USPSTF in addressing systemic racism, integrating the social determinants of health into recommendations for preventive care, and being more inclusive with respect to sex, gender, and identity. He has been involved in making key guidelines for cancer screening, health behavior counseling, preventing cardiovascular disease, screening and counseling for depression, and many more preventive services. For the past two decades, Dr. Krist has been an active member of several professional societies, participated in many expert panels, and served on several national committees. He is an active member of the National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine and has served as a committee member on Implementing High Quality Primary care and is now a co-chair for a committee on Transforming Health Care to Create Whole Health.