A graduate of Howard University, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania’s General Internal Medicine Residency and Fellowship Programs, Dr. Tuckson is currently Executive Vice President and Chief of Medical Affairs at UnitedHealth Group, a Fortune 25 diversified health and well-being company. He is responsible for working with all of the Company’s business units to improve the quality and efficiency of health services.
Formerly, Dr. Tuckson served as Senior Vice President, Professional Standards, for the American Medical Association (AMA). He is former President of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles; has served as Senior Vice President for Programs of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation; and is a former Commissioner of Public Health for the District of Columbia.
Dr. Tuckson is an active member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and served as the Chairperson of its Quality Chasm Summit Committee and a member on their Committee on the Consequences of the Uninsured. He is immediate past Chair of the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health and Society. Additionally, he recently served as a Commissioner, Certification Commission on Health Information Technology (CCHIT); and is currently a member of the Performance Measurement Workgroup, Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance (AQA); and the Quality Workgroup, American Health Information Community (AHIC).
Dr. Tuckson currently serves on the Board of Directors for several national organizations including the National Hispanic Medical Association; the Alliance for Health Reform; the American Telemedicine Association; the National Patient Advocate Foundation and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. Additionally, he serves on several Boards within his local community of Minneapolis, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities and Minnesota Public Radio.
Dr. Tuckson has also held other federal appointments, including cabinet level advisory committees on health reform, infant mortality, children’s health, violence, and radiation testing.
Dr. Tuckson was featured on the cover of the February 2009 issue of Black Enterprise magazine and named one of the “100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America.” He was also selected as one of the 50 Most Powerful Physician Executives in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare/Modern Physician for 2009 and 2010.