HHS ASST. SECTY. FOR HEALTH WILL BE ROBERT WINDOM, MD

HHS ASST. SECTY. FOR HEALTH WILL BE ROBERT WINDOM, MD, who was announced as President Reagan's selection for the position in a May 8 White House press release. The official nomination comes about two months after Windom emerged as the Administration's preferred choice for the job ("The Pink Sheet" March 10, "In Brief"). Windom, 56, is a practicing physician in internal medicine in Sarasota, Fla. In addition to his private practice, Windom is affiliated with the University of Miami and University of South Florida Schools of Medicine. The position has been without a permanent office holder since the departure of Edward Brandt, MD, in 1984. Windom has experience in the D.C. health arena: he has served as liaison to the Washington AMA Office from 1975 to 1986. He also presently serves on the Advisory Council to the National Institute on Aging. Windom has served on the National Board of Directors of the American Heart Association and as a member of the AMA Task Force on Medical Education for the Health Policy Agenda. Windom is an active AMA member. His appointment, combined with the choice of Otis Bowen as HHS Secty., puts two figures close to AMA at the top of the HHS health hierarchy. The nominee for one of the nation's top health policy post carries the appropriate political credentials for a Reagan appointement. In 1984, Windom was chairman of the Reagan-Bush re-election Regional Cmte. for Florida, Georgia and Albama. He also worked on a cmte. supporting Reagan in 1980. Windom's professional activities include experience with severan of the key topical issues in the purview of the Assistant Secretary for Health. He is a member of the Florida Governor's Advisory Committee to Alzheimer's Disease, as well as a member of the Florida health dept.'s Organ Donor Advisory Committee. Also, as a member of the National Legislative Committee of the Florida Medical Assn. and as a past president of the Florida Medical Assn., Windom is presumably familiar with the issue of pharmacist prescribing. Florida became the first state to permit pharmacists to prescribe drugs from a specific formulary with legislation that became effective May 1 ("The Pink Sheet" April 14, p. 7). Windom is apparently media-tested. He currently hosts a weekly TV show, "Medical Viewpoint," and has other media involvements. He is a Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Cardiology and a member of various Florida and national medical societies. HHS ASST. SECTY. WINDOM: BACKGROUND AT A GLANCE Personal: Born July 14, 1930. BA and MD from Duke University Current Activities: Univ. of Miami and Univ. of South Florida Schools of Medicine Liaison to Washington AMA Office Florida Medical Assn., National Legislative Committee Florida Medical Political Action Committee, President Advisory Council to the National Institute on Aging Member, Governor's Advisory Committee to Alzheimer's Disease Member, Organ Donor Advisory Committee, Florida Department, HRS Past Activities: Florida Medical Association, President, 1982-83 American Heart Association, National Board of Directors Chairman, Reagan-Bush '84 Re-election Regional Committee for Florida, Georgia and Alabama