Bob McNellis joined the ODP in February 2022 as a Senior Advisor for Disease Prevention. In this role, he leads the effort to identify prevention research areas for investment across the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and serves as the NIH liaison to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the Community Preventive Services Task Force. Mr. McNellis is also the scientific advisor for the ODP’s Pathways to Prevention Program.

Before assuming these responsibilities, he was Senior Advisor for Primary Care at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), where he worked on a broad portfolio of intramural and extramural primary care research. At AHRQ, Mr. McNellis conducted research on the dissemination and implementation of clinical preventive services in primary care practice. He has expertise in quality improvement and evidence-based strategies to improve clinical practice. In addition, Mr. McNellis served as a medical officer for the USPSTF from 2011 to 2018. Prior to joining AHRQ, Mr. McNellis was Vice President for Science and Public Health at the American Academy of Physician Assistants and was also an assistant professor at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Mr. McNellis earned his Master of Public Health in epidemiology and preventive medicine and his physician assistant credential from The George Washington University.