One of the country's leading experts in research on chronic fatigue syndrome, Leonard A. Jason, professor of psychology at DePaul University, has been named to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) committee on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

The HHS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Coordinating Committee was formed in 1996 to improve coordination and communication regarding CFS research and related issues between HHS, the biomedical community and voluntary organizations concerned with CFS, and to promote coordination of related activities within the Social Security Administration (SSA).

As a member of the committee, Jason will work to provide advice to government health officials, to assure interagency coordination and communication of CFS research and related issues, facilitate increased governmental awareness of CFS research and educational needs, develop complementary research programs that minimize overlap, identify opportunities for collaborative efforts in research and education, and develop informed responses to constituency groups regarding HHS and SSA efforts and progress.

Jason has done research on CFS for more than 20 years. His groundbreaking study of chronic fatigue syndrome prevalence, released in 1999, found that there was a greater prevalence of CFS among Latinos, African-Americans and women. His research showed the rate of prevalence to be twice as high as previously reported by the Centers for Disease Control.

Jason is the author of 12 books, including "Understanding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Empirical Guide to Assessment and Treatment," co-authored with Fred Friedberg and published in 1998. Among his many awards are DePaul University's Cortelyou-Lowery Award for Excellence and the American Psychological Association's Karl F. Heiser Award for Advocacy, both received in 1998. Jason has served on DePaul's faculty since 1975. He holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Rochester.

His appointment was announced in July at a meeting of the HHS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Coordinating Committee in Washington, D.C. Named with Jason is Jeffrey A. Rabin, a Chicago attorney, who represents individuals with CFS seeking benefits under the Social Security Act. The HHS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Coordinating Committee is chaired by U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher.