Profiles

Dr. Kuo is Health Sciences Clinical Professor of Family Medicine in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) David Geffen School of Medicine, Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and Program Leader for the Population Health Program at the UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). In the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Dr. Kuo directs the Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, and during the coronavirus diseae 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, he served as a medical director and science advisor for the Department’s Outbreak Management Branch; he co-led an effort to assist local health plans with vaccinating the homebound population against this respiratory virus.

Dr. Kuo is an experienced executive in public administration and a physician researcher who has worked extensively in policy development, population health, and health and social services implementation, including program interventions that affect special populations – e.g., older adults, justice involved youth, food insecure families. His portfolio includes projects in infectious disease epidemiology and mortality; tobacco control; cardiovascular health; implementation of clinical and preventive services including the National Diabetes Prevention Program and the Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support program; nutrition and physical activity promotion; diversion programs for youth and adults; and social conditions that affect health. He and his colleagues are known for their work in complex system analysis, implementation/improvement science, and health impact assessments of public policies and system-level changes, including menu labeling regulation, food procurement policies, and chronic disease prevention efforts supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Kuo is currently the principal lead and key personnel for several federally funded initiatives in Los Angeles County, including LA BOLD, Solutions for Equitable Diabetes Prevention and Management, the Innovative Solutions for Cardiovascular Health project, and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program – Produce Prescription Program.

Dr. Kuo and his colleagues are working on several innovative approaches to advance learning models of practice, including best practices for patient-centered care and population health strategies that can prevent and control chronic diseases by intervening on underlying social determinants of health. He and his collaborators at the UCLA CTSI have been working towards expanding the use of dissemination, implementation and improvement science in public health practice and health services administration. These efforts and their resulting learning framework form a foundation for present collaborations between the UCLA CTSI, local health agencies, universities and nonprofits, and the diverse populations they serve.