Tampa, FL (Aug. 13, 2014) – Distinguished University of South Florida Health Professor, Kevin Kip, PhD, FAHA, has been appointed to the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Committee to review the health effects in Vietnam War veterans of exposure to herbicides. Dr. Kip is an epidemiologist and biostatistics professor and the executive director of the research center at the USF College of Nursing.
Kevin Kip, PhD
Dr. Kip joins a prestigious group of epidemiologists, statisticians and physicians to review scientific and medical literature on veterans’ exposure to herbicides during their service in Vietnam. The group will help determine the short and long-term health consequences to the veterans of herbicides, chemicals used to destroy certain vegetation. Dr. Kip’s 18-month long appointment runs Aug. 1, 2014 through March 12, 2016. The committee meets four times over the course of the project.
“This appointment is an honor and a privilege,” Dr. Kip said. “It’s gratifying to be chosen and entrusted by a respected organization such as IOM to represent the public, our veterans and service members to review the evidence in a fair and unemotional way – and come to an appropriate judgment.”
IOM is a non-profit organization which helps provide unbiased and authoritative advice to the U.S. government and the private sector to make health related decisions. IOM was established in 1970 as part of the National Academy of Sciences.
“Dr. Kip’s appointment to this prestigious IOM committee comes as no surprise,” said Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, RN, WHNP-BC, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, senior associate vice president of USF Health and dean of the College of Nursing. “He is a respected scientist and professor who is revolutionizing PTSD research among veterans and service members and is a key contributor to the college’s extensive veterans and military research and education initiatives. We are honored to have him.”
Dr. Kip has extensive experience directing observational epidemiological studies and clinical trials principally in the areas of cardiovascular diseases and psychotherapy. His research expertise includes complementary and alternative medicine, gastroenterology, epidemiological methods, and veterans’ health. His research onAccelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), a brief treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for military service members and veterans, has attracted national and international headlines for its promising results.
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USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a global research university ranked 50th in the nation by the National Science Foundation for both federal and total research expenditures among all U.S. universities. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu.
