As our population ages, there has been a slow shift in the focus of those fighting disease. We began attempting to react to diseases once they occur, but overtime, focus has shifted to trying to prevent disease in the first place. This tide has created changes in both public and private companies, government, universities, and individual researcher's and practitioner's goals. An example of this, is the United States government's task force focused on advancing preventive medicine.

Created in 1984, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is an independent, volunteer panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine. The Task Force works to improve the health of all Americans by making evidence-based recommendations about clinical preventive services such as screenings, counseling services, and preventive medications. All recommendations are published on the Task Force’s web site and/or in a peer-reviewed journal.