Speakers

Dr. Neelum T. Aggarwal Professor Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center/Rush University Medical Center

Dr. Neelum Aggarwal is a faculty member of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center and Professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical Center. She has multiple roles within the Center that include serving as a principal investigator (PI) and site PI for NIA funded clinical trials and longitudinal population-based studies. Her research focuses on the impact of cardiovascular disease/stroke and disparities to cognitive decline and dementia in Chicago’s racially diverse communities and is the PI for the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) Diet in Stroke Patients. She was an MPI for the PCORI funded CEERIAS study, which laid the foundation for the 2CEERIAS (PI: Dr. Washington) study that examined neighborhood barriers in seeking acute stroke care during COVID.

Dr. Lauren Amos Deputy Area Director, State and Local Human Services Mathematica

Lauren Amos (PhD, Learning Sciences, Northwestern University) is Mathematica’s deputy area director for state and local human services. She directs the HHS Equity Technical Assistance Center. Dr. Amos has over 20 years of experience in research, program evaluation, and technical assistance (TA) to support federal, state, local, and philanthropic efforts to improve disparities in the K-16 public education, juvenile justice, and child welfare systems. She has led the formation of four TA centers and specializes in the designing peer-to-peer networks and online communities of practice, delivering evaluation TA, and developing interactive tools and other resources for practitioners and policymakers.

Sara Ansari COO A1M Solutions

Sara Ansari is the Chief Operating Officer of A1M Solutions, a small, woman-owned business dedicated to supporting disadvantaged communities. Throughout her career, Ms. Ansari has dedicated herself to collaborating with the federal government. Ten years ago, Ms. Ansari made a conscious decision to concentrate on initiatives that enhance services for underserved populations in the United States. At A1M's core, we have cultivated a mission-driven culture that permeates every aspect of our organization. We strongly believe in integrating policy and domain expertise seamlessly across all functions, including design, product development, and data analytics. By harnessing these capabilities, we aim to create impactful solutions that address the complex challenges faced by the communities we serve.

RDML Richardae Araojo Associate Commissioner for Minority Health and Director U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Minority Health and Health Equity

Rear Admiral Richardae Araojo serves as the Associate Commissioner for Minority Health and Director of the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this role, RDML Araojo provides leadership, oversight, and direction on minority health and health disparity matters for the Agency. RDML Araojo previously served as the Director of the Office of Medical Policy Initiatives in FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), where she led a variety of broad-based medical and clinical policy initiatives to improve the science and efficiency of clinical trials and enhance professional and patient labeling. RDML Araojo joined FDA in 2003, where she held several positions in CDER. RDML Araojo received her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Maryland, and earned a Master’s degree in Pharmacy Regulation and Policy from the University of Florida.

Dr. Larissa Avilés-Santa Division Director of the NMHD Division of Clinical and Health Services Research NIH National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

Dr. Larissa Avilés-Santa is the director of the Division of Clinical and Health Services Research at National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) at the NIH. In this capacity, she has led and/or supported the development of multiple new scientific initiatives in a wide range of topic areas, including health care models for persons with multiple chronic conditions. Prior to joining NIMHD, she worked at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute as the project director (2006-2019) for the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. In 2015, she founded the NIH Hispanic Health Research Scientific Interest Group. In 2017, Dr. Avilés-Santa was the field coordinator of the post-hurricanes Irma and María recovery of the health and social services in Puerto Rico during the first six and a half months of work coordinated by HHS-ASPR. Dr. Avilés-Santa earned her medical degree from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine, and completed a residency in internal medicine at the University Hospital in San Juan and a fellowship in endocrinology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She also earned a Master’s degree at the University of Texas School of Public Health.

Kristen Azar Scientific Director, Sutter Health Institute for Advancing Health Equity Sutter Health

Kristen M.J. Azar, RN, MSN/MPH, FAHA, serves as the scientific director for the Sutter Health Institute for Advancing Health Equity (IAHE) and leads an experienced, multidisciplinary group of clinicians, researchers, and administrators. The team is focused on using resources and data within Sutter’s integrated network to incubate innovative solutions to eliminate health disparities and advance the science of health equity. Over more than a decade, she has led numerous published studies in the areas of health services research, health care disparities, and health equity. Azar holds graduate degrees from Johns Hopkins in nursing and public health. As scientific director for the Sutter Health IAHE, Azar is a recognized health equity leader and received a 2021 Nurse Leader Award for her work in health equity, from the Association of California Nurse Leaders. Under her leadership, with support from its advisers and essential partners, IAHE has made significant progress in developing a multiyear strategic plan; cultivating partnerships with industry, academia, and community groups; identifying opportunities for fundraising; and joining the national dialogue around health equity.

Tanya Balsky Senior Manager Deloitte

Tanya Balsky, MPP, is a public health professional and data scientist at Deloitte. She leads a variety of complex analytics projects for CMS, including work for the Center for Program Integrity, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, and Office of Minority Health; she brings an equity lens to each of them. Her experience spans value-based care, strategic policy and regulatory compliance, and data strategy initiatives.

Dr. Alena Baquet-Simpson Executive Medical Director Aetna/CVS Health

Dr. Baquet-Simpson drives quality and efficiency outcomes for Medicare membership in value-based contracts and leads clinical performance improvement efforts. Alena also provides clinical leadership to the Aetna Medicare Multicultural program, aimed at creating a culture of health equity for Black and Hispanic members and their communities. Dr. Baquet-Simpson earned her bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University, and then proceeded to earn her medical degree with honors at Meharry Medical College. She is board certified in Family Medicine. Dr. Baquet-Simpson has over 30 years of Medical Management experience, as well as 12 years of experience in clinical practice.

Leigha Basini Director, Division of Benefit & Marketplace Analysis & Policy CMS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight

Leigha Basini is the Director of the Division of Benefit & Marketplace Analysis & Policy in the CMS's Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), where she leads policy development for Marketplace plans, policy and operations related to the essential health benefits including drug and non-discrimination policy, and plan and drug data collection and analysis. Prior to joining CMS, she was a Program Manager at the National Academy for State Health Policy and attorney at the New York State Department of Financial Services where worked on health care reform. Leigha has a BA from Queens University of Charlotte and a JD from Tulane Law School.

Dr. Teal Benevides Associate Professor Augusta University

Teal W. Benevides, PhD, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA is a wife, mother, occupational therapist, and health services researcher. Dr. Benevides is a tenured Associate Professor in the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University. Her work fosters access to services for autistic people and others with intellectual and developmental disabilities through community-engaged approaches and applied health services research using large-scale data. Dr. Benevides is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and serves on several disability, suicide prevention, and occupational therapy organizations as a board or committee member to advance knowledge translation and promotion of community priorities.

Stephen Benjamin Senior Advisor and Director White House Office of Public Engagement

Steve Benjamin is a Senior Advisor to the President and Director of Public Engagement. Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Benjamin was the Mayor of Columbia, South Carolina from April 2010 through December 2021. Benjamin has served as President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (2018-2019), as President of the African American Mayors Association, Vice Chairman of the Global Parliament of Mayors, Executive Chairman of Municipal Bonds for America, a Member of the Federal Communications Commission’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee, and Member of the Accelerator for America Advisory Council.

Mayor Benjamin served as the Spring 2022 Richard L. and Ronay A. Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of South Carolina’s top ranked Honors College teaching a course titled “Columbia, South Carolina: Building a Great City” and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Pi Phi fraternities. Benjamin is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he served as President of Student Government and as President of the Student Bar Association.

He is married to the Honorable DeAndrea Gist Benjamin, a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The Benjamins are the proud parents of two daughters and are members of the Saint John Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina.

Dr. Susannah Bernheim, MD, MHS Chief Quality Officer/Senior Advisor CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation

Susannah Bernheim, MD, MHS, is Chief Quality Officer/Senior Advisor for the CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation. She was previously an Associate Professor at Yale University School of Medicine and Senior Director of Quality Measurement at the Yale-New Haven Hospital Centers for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE). She completed her undergraduate degrees at Yale University and her medical degree at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Bernheim was a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars program at Yale University, earning a Master’s degree in Health Sciences Research.

LeAnn Blanco Health Equity Manager Washington Health Benefits Exchange

LeAnn is an experienced leader with a history of working in the health care and higher education industry. LeAnn has spent the last decade developing her master skills as a leader in education, training, facilitation, team building, people development, DEIBA and health care equity. She has worked in roles ranging from certified medical assistant, tenured faculty professor, program manager, director, board manager, and advisory board member across Eastern, Central and Northwest Washington state.

Brenda Blunt Senior Director, Health Policy Oak Ridge Associated Universities

Brenda is the Senior Director for Health Policy at Oak Ridge Associated Universities. She holds a doctorate in healthcare administration with a specialization in health policy and advocacy and a masters in nursing leadership and management. Brenda also serves as adjunct faculty at Tennessee Wesleyan University's School of Nursing. Brenda brings experiences from across the healthcare landscape including clinical, policy work at CMS, and serving as a SME to various federal agencies.

Ethan Bradley Health Policy Analyst Booz Allen Hamilton

Ethan Bradley is a Health Policy Analyst at Booz Allen Hamilton. His background is in Public Health and Health Economics and Policy, with a focus on the economic impacts of policies that aim to reduce health inequities. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri, where he continues to be involved in advocacy work surrounding access to equitable healthcare. Ethan leads Thought Leadership for Booz Allen Hamilton's Health Account. He has two dogs, Ivy and Clover, who love playing fetch and collecting sticks.

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure Administrator Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure is the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where she will oversee programs including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the HealthCare.gov health insurance marketplace. A former policy official who played a key role in guiding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through passage and implementation, Brooks-LaSure has decades of experience in the federal government, on Capitol Hill, and in the private sector. Brooks-LaSure began her career as a program examiner and lead Medicaid analyst for the Office of Management and Budget, coordinating Medicaid policy development for the health financing branch.

Alexandra Bryden Technical Director CMS Office of Minority Health

Alexandra “Alex” Bryden (she/her), MPP, is a Technical Director within the Policy and Program Alignment Group in the CMS Office of Minority Health. She is responsible for working across CMS programs, policies, and operations to ensure the needs of underserved communities are met. Alex leads the CMS Health Equity Technical Assistance Program, supporting health care professionals as they embed health equity in their work. Alex brings decades of local and national experience with safety net providers and has been with CMS (and CMS OMH) since 2013, working to operationalize health equity within Medicare, the Marketplaces, Medicaid, CHIP, and innovative models.

Mr. Andy Burstein Chief Executive Officer Accessible Pharmacy Services

Andy Burstein is a co-founder and the CEO of Accessible Pharmacy Services, a national healthcare company supporting patients with a wide range of disabilities. Accessible Pharmacy Services is the only provider of its kind in the world and the largest blind-owned healthcare company in America. Their model merges healthcare and accessibility and empowers patients to live healthier lives while managing their medication and diabetes independently.

Tracy Carver Senior Director, Community Health Comagine Health

Tracy serves as Comagine Health’s Sr. Director, Community Health and Program Director/Principal Investigator for the CDC Scaling the National Diabetes Prevention Program in underserved areas Cooperative Agreement. Ms. Carver has been working in public health and social services for twenty years. She has over fifteen years of experience with developing and leading large scale, federal health initiatives. Ms. Carver is co-chair for the Civitas for Health SDOH and Interoperability Workgroup, a member of the Expert Advisory Panel for NACDD Advancing Arthritis Public Health Priorities and recently joined the CDC Lifestyle Change Implementation Research Network (LCIRN) launching in 2023.

Dr. Michael Cary, Jr. Associate Professor Duke University

Dr. Cary is an Associate Professor and Elizabeth C. Clipp Term Chair of Nursing in the Duke University School of Nursing. Dually trained as a health services researcher and applied data scientist, Dr. Cary uses AI and machine learning approaches to study health disparities related to aging and develop strategies to advance health equity and improve healthcare delivery to older adults in diverse populations. His research has been supported by the National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Nursing Research. Most recently, he was selected by Duke Health to be the inaugural AI Health Equity Scholar.

LCDR Nathan Caulk Lieutenant Commander USPHS, Senior Health Insurance Specialist CMS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight

LCDR Nathan Caulk is stationed at the CMS Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight where he advances essential health benefits policies including tele-behavioral health coverage. Prior to CMS, LCDR Caulk was stationed at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration where he focused on the quality of prescription drug labels and overall drug safety. He holds a master's degree in Regulatory Science & Health Safety and a BSN from Arizona State University. LCDR Caulk's nursing career spans fields in clinical, regulatory, administrative, and health policy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he deployed multiple times and experienced first-hand the challenges of implementing telehealth initiatives.

Dr. Natalia Chalmers Chief Dental Officer CMS Office of the Administrator

Dr. Natalia I. Chalmers is a pediatric dentist, oral health policy expert, and public health advocate. She currently serves as the Chief Dental Officer at CMS, leveraging her extensive 20+ years of background in clinical practice, research, industry, and regulation. Dr. Chalmers holds a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree and a Ph.D. in oral microbiology and has received advanced training in pediatric dentistry. Additionally, she possesses a master's degree in clinical research and a certificate in drug development and regulatory science. Throughout her career, Dr. Chalmers has been dedicated to translating scientific and healthcare data into actionable insights to promote equity, enhance care, and drive informed policy and funding decisions.

Meghana Chandra Research Scientist NORC at the University of Chicago

Meghana Chandra, MPP is a Research Scientist at NORC who contributes to a broad range of project activities for programmatic and policy research related to health care delivery including qualitative and quantitative aspects of health care research and program evaluation, such as research design and planning, key informant interviews, survey data collection and analysis, environmental scans and document review, dataset design and management, and synthesizing findings to contribute to reports and other dissemination efforrts. Previously, Chandra worked as an international trade lawyer and regularly drafted and reviewed policies and regulation. Chandra has her MPP from the University of Chicago.

Dr. Nancy Chiles Shaffer Technical Director CMS Office of Minority Health

Dr. Nancy Chiles Shaffer currently serves as a Technical Director in the CMS Office of Minority Health’s Data Analytics & Research Group. Previously, she served at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) as the evaluation lead for the Financial Alignment Initiative Model. Dr. Chiles Shaffer earned her MS in Epidemiology and PhD in Gerontology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Dr. Richard Cho Senior Advisor for Housing and Services U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Richard Cho serves as Senior Advisor to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge. In this role, he advises the Secretary and helps set HUD’s policy strategy for solving homelessness and coordinating health with housing. He also helps set policy strategy for meeting the housing needs of people with disabilities, older adults, and people involved in the criminal justice system. Richard brings to this role two decades of experience at the community, state, and federal levels. This experience includes building collaboration between the housing, health care, social services, and criminal justice sectors to address the housing and services needs of vulnerable Americans. He served as Deputy Director at the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness during the Obama Administration. He has held positions at the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, and the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. He has a doctorate in public administration from New York University. He holds a master’s degree in city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago.

Amber Christ Managing Director of Health Advocacy Justice in Aging

Amber Christ is the Managing Director of Health Advocacy at Justice in Aging and is based out of the Washington DC office. She develops and implements projects and initiatives to improve equitable access to health care and long-term services and supports for low-income older adults across the country. Amber is admitted to the California, Missouri, and Illinois bars and is a 2006 graduate of Washington University School of Law.

Dr. Melissa Clarke CEO BHE Group

Dr. Melissa E. Clarke, a seasoned Emergency Medicine Physician, is a pioneering leader in population health who has worked for Fortune 100 companies, health systems, and academia. Passionate about empowering individuals to be their own best health advocates, she has been a leading voice regarding health equity for vulnerable populations. Her company, The BHE Group, creates and deploys strategies to achieve health equity centered in addressing health literacy, patient and community engagement, and advocacy. She is a published author, advocate, media contributor and keynote speaker on matters of healthcare quality, payment reform and health literacy.

Kisha Coa, PhD Director, Division of Priority Populations Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Kisha Coa is the Director of the Division of Priority Populations in the Office of Extramural Research, Education, and Priority Populations at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Prior to joining AHRQ, Dr. Coa was a Program Officer at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) where she oversaw a portfolio of health disparities and health systems focused comparative clinical effectiveness research studies. Previously, she conducted research in the areas of digital health, cancer control, health behavior change, and health communications. Dr. Coa earned a BA in sociology from the University of Pittsburgh, an MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, and a PhD in social and behavioral sciences from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Mrs. Desiree Collins Bradley Patient Engagement Network Lead ATW Health Solutions

Desiree Collins-Bradley is a resident of Houston, Texas. Her passion is patient and family engagement in healthcare and ensuring that patients’ voices are represented at all levels of healthcare quality improvement. Her daughter’s medical journey has inspired Desiree to become an advocate for the medical community. Her goal is to spread the ideals of the importance of the patient’s voice not only being heard but included in the healthcare quality improvement process. She currently manages a very diverse patient network PPIC, Patient Partner Innovation Community. She aims to inspire patients to become active in their health systems.

Jacey Cooper Medicaid Director and Chief Deputy Director California Department of Health Care Services

Jacey Cooper serves as State Medicaid Director and Chief Deputy Director for Health Care Programs at the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Ms. Cooper is responsible for the overall leadership of Benefits, Eligibility, Delivery Systems, Financing, Behavioral Health, Quality, and Population Health. Prior to serving as State Medicaid Director, Jacey served in various roles at DHCS beginning in April 2016. Prior to her work at DHCS, Ms. Cooper was Vice President at Kern Medical Center, a public hospital and a health care consultant. Through that work, she gained more than 15 years’ experience in health care policy, operations, integrated delivery models, managed care, business development, and quality monitoring.

Kate Davidson Director, Learning and Diffusion Group CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation

Kate Davidson, LCSW is the Director of the Learning and Diffusion Group (LDG) at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In this role, Ms. Davidson leads the Innovation Center’s team focused on accelerating healthcare system transformation and person-centeredness by leveraging improvement science within and across models. She also executes on the Innovation Center’s strategy for multi-payer alignment though the Healthcare Payment Learning and Action Network (HCP-LAN) and patient-centered care. Prior to joining CMS, Ms. Davidson led Policy and Practice Improvement efforts at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, where she managed payment reform, quality improvement and workforce development initiatives in mental health and addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery organizations and provided training and technical assistance to healthcare and human services organizations, counties and states. Ms. Davidson began her career researching, testing and scaling interventions in healthcare and community-based settings. In this capacity she has provided clinical and administrative leadership in a broad range of settings testing innovative payment and care delivery models. Ms. Davidson has an MSW from Fordham University and a BA from Loyola College in Maryland.

Lillian Davis Senior Program Manager Wellness West

Dr. Daniel Dawes Executive Director of the Institute of Global Health Equity Meharry Medical College

Daniel E. Dawes, J.D., is a respected healthcare and public health leader who serves as Senior Vice President of Global Health Equity and Executive Director of the Institute of Global Health Equity at Meharry Medical College. He is the author of two groundbreaking health policy books, 150 Years of ObamaCare and The Political Determinants of Health. He serves as an advisor to The White House COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, an appointed member of the CDC’s Advisory Committee to the Director where he co-chairs the CDC’s health equity work, and the NIH’s National Advisory Council for Nursing Research.

Akin Demehin Senior Director, Quality and Patient Safety Policy American Hospital Association

Akin Demehin is senior director, quality and patient safety policy, at the American Hospital Association (AHA) in Washington, D.C. He leads public policy analysis, development and advocacy efforts related to quality and patient safety on behalf of the AHA’s nearly 5,000 member hospitals and health systems. Akin leads AHA’s regulatory policy work on national quality measurement and pay-for-performance programs afffecting hospitals, physicians and post-acute care providers. He also leads AHA’s regulatory policy development efforts related to the health care workforce and health equity. Before joining the AHA in 2012, Akin was administrative director of performance measures at the National Quality Forum (NQF). Prior to NQF, he worked at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, MA, first as an MGH administrative fellow, and then as the first administrative director of the Edward P. Lawrence Center for Quality and Safety. Akin holds a Master of Public Health in health policy and administration from Yale University, and a Bachelor of Arts cum laude in history and science from Harvard College.

Tess Donckels Director, Organized Customer Strategy Real Chemistry

Elizabeth (Tess) Donckels supports a variety of real-world evidence and quality strategy projects within Real Chemistry's Market Access team. Her background in heatlh policy and public health informs her research, which focuses on identifying gaps and disparities in care throughout the patient journey and the development of tactics to improve health equity and patient outcomes.

Dr. Jennifer Doyle Manager Deloitte

Dr. Jennifer Doyle is a subject-matter expert in behavioral health and integrated care. She provides project management, implementation, and technical assistance to Federal and State programs. For her doctoral research, Dr. Doyle implemented a social determinants of health screening pilot program at a local health department. This pilot program provided a mechanism to identify, track, and refer patients with SMI and unmet social needs to Community-Based Organizations (CBOs). She received a B.S in Psychology from Virginia Tech University, MHA in Health Management from George Mason University, and Doctorate in Behavioral Health from Arizona State University

Ms. Theresa L. Edelstein, MPH, LNHA Senior Vice President, Center for Partnerships Transforming Health New Jersey Hospital Association

Ms. Edelstein is Senior Vice President, Center for Partnerships Transforming Health at the New Jersey Hospital Association. She directs the policy, regulatory, education and advocacy work related to post-acute care, long term care and managed care/insurance issues. In addition, she oversees NJHA's emergency management team. Theresa is a part-time faculty member at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy, Rutgers University. She earned her Masters in Public Health at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University and has her Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University.

Laura Erickson Social Science Analyst HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

Katie Ettman Food and Agriculture Senior Policy Manager SPUR

Katie supports SPUR’s work to create a Bay Area where everyone has enough food to lead a healthy life and where we produce food in a way that supports both the environment and an equitable economy. In addition, she serves on both the Foodwise Education Committee and the SF Market Strategy Committee. Prior to joining SPUR, she worked with the Food Bank of the Rockies in Denver, Colorado managing the procurement of fruits and vegetables for 30 counties in Colorado and the state of Wyoming. Katie earned her Master’s of Public Administration from The University of Colorado Denver and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Communication and Community and International Development from The University of Vermont.

Carrie Field Policy Analyst National Indian Health Board

Carrie Field joined the National Indian Health Board (NIHB) as a Policy Analyst in the Federal Relations Department in 2021. She specializes in public health policy and leads the Tribal health equity project, bringing together hundreds of health leaders in Indian Country to examine health equity issues from a Tribal perspective. In March 2023, Ms. Field authored the first comprehensive national report on Tribal health equity, including recommendations for federal agencies to advance health equity for American Indians and Alaska Natives. Prior to coming to NIHB, Ms. Field served as the Public Information Officer and Regional Community Health Coordinator for a rural district health department in Michigan. Ms. Field completed her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Public Health Policy from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. She also holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Calvin University.

Dr. Clara Filice Deputy Chief Medical Officer MassHealth

Dr. Lee Fleisher Chief Medical Officer, CMS/Director, CCSQ CMS Center for Clinical Standards and Quality

Nora Fleming Senior Advisor CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation

Nora Fleming serves as a Senior Advisor in the CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Office of the Director. She provides technical consultation, guidance and advice on all areas of strategic planning involving CMMI IT operations, system modernization projects, budget, contracting approaches and data initiatives. Nora has been with CMS for 23 years, working across policy and operations for a variety of CMS programs. Nora earned an M.B.A. from the University of Baltimore and a B.A. in English from the College of Notre Dame of MD.

Ms. Lucia Flores Chicago Director Partners in Health US

Lucia Flores is the Chicago Director of Partners in Health US. In this role Lucia drives strategy and organizational goals and leads programmatic expansion for PIH-US's work in Chicago. As a bicultural, bilingual Latina raised on the southside of Chicago, creating equitable access to resources for BILPOC communities has been the north star in her work. Lucia enjoys fighting off critters and weeds in her garden, supporting Chicago breweries, and lazy afternoon concerts in the park.

Dr. Sarah Fogler Acting Director, Patient Care Models Group CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation

Sarah joined the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) in February 2021. She is currently serving as the Acting Director of the Patient Care Models Group (PCMG). The PCMG develops and implements episode-based payment initiatives, including the: Bundled Payments for Care Initiative – Advanced Model, Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model, Oncology Care Model, Enhancing Oncology Model, Independence at Home Demonstration, and the Intravenous Immunoglobulin Demonstration. Prior to joining CMMI, she served as the Senior Director of Population Health and Community Benefit at Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. In her role, Sarah led primary care transformation efforts, including implementation of a new behavioral Collaborative Care Program and Complex Care Clinic. She also previously held various leadership positions in the Center for Medicare, leading the policy development and implementation of the Medicare Shared Savings Program. In addition to Medicare fee-for-service payment policy, Sarah also has spent time working on Medicaid long-term care supports and services—namely supporting the Money-Follows-the-Person Grant program and the regulatory development of the Medicaid health homes. Sarah has an M.A. from Boston University and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Dr. Liz Fowler Deputy Administrator and Director CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation

Liz Fowler, PhD, JD, is Deputy Administrator and Director of the Innovation Center at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Liz previously served as Executive Vice President of programs at The Commonwealth Fund and Vice President for Global Health Policy at Johnson & Johnson. From 2008 to 2010, she was Chief Health Counsel to the US Senate Finance Committee, where she played a critical role drafting the Affordable Care Act. Liz has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Melissa Fox Chief Operating Officer Acenda Integrated Health

Melissa Fox has had a distinguished career of over 20 years leading innovations in healthcare operations including Federally Qualified Health Centers, Behavioral Health, Home Care and Hospice. Melissa has been featured as an expert speaker for her work within diverse healthcare environments and addressing the importance of utilizing innovations in community-based collaborations to reduce health disparities. In her current role, Fox oversees the operations for over 100 programs throughout 12 counties in New Jersey. Fox has served as an expert speaker for various national organizations, is a Board Member of several non-profits and also serves on the Healthy NJ 2030 Advisory Council.

Dr. Sarah Gaillot Deputy Director, Division of Consumer Assessment and Plan Performance CMS Center for Medicare

Sarah Gaillot is an experienced leader, program manager, and social scientist at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Her Division oversees the Medicare Part C Star Ratings as well as implementation, analysis, and reporting of numerous patient surveys. Previously Sarah worked at the RAND Corporation as an assistant policy analyst, supported the Institute of Medicine’s Board on the Health of Select Populations, and was a Fulbright grantee to South Korea. She has co-authored dozens of peer-reviewed articles and reports about healthcare quality and equity. Sarah holds a PhD in Policy Analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School.

Lindsey Galli Vice President of Programs PFCCpartners

Lindsey Galli is the Vice President of Programs at PFCCpartners with a mission is to facilitate equitable collaboration among healthcare stakeholders, including patients and family caregivers. Lindsey supports organizations, patients, and family caregivers to partner and collaborate authentically, promoting improvement in their organizations. In 2016, Lindsey uses her personal healthcare experience with a blood clotting disorder and passion to develop and implement programs supporting partnerships in healthcare. Lindsey works remotely in Sacramento, CA and enjoys going to her son’s soccer games, cooking healthy meals, practicing yoga, and traveling with her family.

Mrs. Pamela Gentry Acting Deputy Director CMS Office of Minority Health

Pamela J. Gentry is the Acting Deputy Director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Gentry works to support the needs of populations who experience health disparities. Prior to this role, she was the senior advisor to CMS OMH, her focus on agency policy and the development and execution of national education and outreach campaigns for underserved populations in CMS programs. Gentry returned to federal service in 2010 after eight years as senior manager in broadcast and online media for BET Networks. She became the networks' senior political analyst responsible for the daily coverage of the White House and legislative activity on Capitol Hill. Prior to BET she worked for and provided political commentary for various national and international news networks.

Adrienne Gerlach Vice President, Quality and Safety South Shore Health

Adrienne Gerlach is the Vice President of Quality and Safety at South Shore Health located in Weymouth, Massachusetts. She is responsible for leading work to advance quality, safety and patient experience for the system. Prior to this role, she served as the Executive Director of Value Based Operations managing the system’s accountable care organizations and value-based contracts. Outside of her career in healthcare, Adrienne spent many years working in local and state government in New York City and Boston. She most recently served the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under both Governors Patrick and Baker.

Alina Ghobadi Research Associate NORC at the University of Chicago

Ms. Ghobadi is a Research Associate at NORC, where she supports a number of projects focused on evaluating access to care interventions. She has supported several evidence reviews focusing on behavioral health topics, including depression, substance use-related treatment, stigma and overdose, and social factors contributing to perinatal care disparities, for CMS, ASPE and HRSA.

Darci Graves Technical Director CMS Office of Minority Health

Darci L. Graves, MPP, MA, MA, joined the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health in 2015. As part of her work, she assists in the coordination and implementation of priority Agency and office-wide programs, policies, and products. In addition, she provides subject matter expertise in areas such as culturally and linguistically appropriate services, rural health, cancer, health disparities, and health equity. Ms. Graves holds graduate degrees in Communications, Religion and Sociology, and Public Policy and has over 20 years of professional experience in the fields of cultural and linguistic competency and health education. Darci began her career as a faculty member at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, where she aided in the development, implementation, and management of diversity, spirituality, communications, and geriatrics curricula. Her life philosophy is that we can each enhance the quality of people’s lives through a commitment to respectful understanding, a lifetime of learning, and a profound sense of community.

Ms. Kamala Green Social Drivers of Health Program Manager National Government Services

Ms. Kamala Green is a native of Baltimore, MD and the proud graduate of Hood College and Bowie State University. She is a passionate Health Equty champion that serves at the Social Drivers of Health Program Manager of National Government Services Inc, a subsidary of Elevance Health that support Medicare Fee For Service Business. She also served the Director of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in the Office of Chronic Disease at the Baltimore City Health Department. She oversaw the Health Department’s efforts for Tobacco Prevention, Use, Cessation and Enforcement; Tobacco and Cancer Coalition; Diabetes Coalition; Baltimarket’s Virtual Supermarket and Nutrition Education. She also served at the American Cancer Society as a Health Systems Manager working with Federal Qualified Health Centers in Maryland and District of Columbia to increase cancer awareness through quality improvement efforts. She has over 20 years of public and mental health experience monitoring, health education/promotion, policy development and implementation and fiscal administration. She has raised and managed over 10 million dollars in program funds. She received her public health training through the American Cancer Society and the Institute of Health Care Improvement.

Angie Grover Cofounder and Chief Operating Officer Metopio

Angie Grover, cofounder and COO of Metopio, has held leadership positions over the past 30 years working with diverse teams and tackling some of healthcare’s thorniest issues always with the community in mind. Recognizing that data could be an equalizer in these important conversations, she wanted more people to be able access it to amplify their impact and make a difference. Enter Metopio. Angie also proudly serves on the New Moms Board, a social services agency focused on serving homeless teen moms in Chicago, wrangles two rambunctious boys and will earn her MBC from the University of Utah early next year.

Mrs. Whitney Haggerson VP, Health Equity and Medicaid Providence

Whitney Haggerson is VP of Health Equity and Medicaid at Providence. She works with leaders across Providence’s seven state footprint to eliminate health inequities and better care for the patients, health plan and community members entrusting us with their care. Prior to Providence, Whitney consulted with large employer groups and health plans on ways to leverage data to deliver personalized experiences and health behavior change. A champion for female empowerment, Whitney cofounded Providence’s Women’s Caregiver Resource Group. Outside of work, Whitney serves on the Board of Boyer Children’s Clinic, a Seattle based non-profit providing early intervention for children under three.

Erika Hanson Clinical Instructor Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School

Erika Hanson, J.D. is a Clinical Instructor and attorney at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School where she concentrates on policy to address the social determinants of health, improve health equity, and mitigate health disparities with a focus on the needs of low-income people living with chronic conditions. She has a particularly active portfolio dedicated to the integration of health-related social needs into health care delivery and financing at the state level.

Whitney Harris Manager of Clinical and Community Strategy NewYork-Presbyterian

Whitney C. Harris, MSN, RN, ACCNS-P, CPNP-PC, is the Manager of Community and Clinical Strategy for the NewYork-Presbyterian Dalio Center for Health Justice. In this role, she is responsible for the center’s strategic planning, development, and implementation of new and expanded clinical and community programs focused on the promotion of health equity and the elimination of health disparities. Whitney joined NYP in 2016 as a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Morgan Stanley’s Children’s Hospital (MSCH). In 2018, she then took on the role of Nurse Practitioner Program Director at MSCH. Whitney earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Hampton University, and then obtained her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of California Los Angeles as a dually certified Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and Pediatric Acute Care Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Arden Haselmann Manager Google

Arden Haselmann supports the Consumer Trust / Knowledge and Information team at Google where she focuses on building responsibility and trust in products for Google Search, News, Maps, and Assistant. Arden has experience working with intergovernmental organizations, research institutions, and NGO’s focused on advancing human rights, crisis response and equitable access. She earned her B.A. from Wheaton college (Norton, MA) and her M.A. from Georgetown University (Washington, DC).

Khalil Hayes Director, Network Operations and Support, Maimonides Department of Population Health Maimonides Health

Khalil Hayes is the Director of Network Operations and Support at Community Care of Brooklyn (CCB), a network of health and social service organizations which develops programs to better serve the health care needs of Brooklyn communities. CCB was formed in 2015 under the New York State Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment program, and receives administrative support from the Maimonides Department of Population Health. Employed at Maimonides since 2010, Khalil is responsible for leading front-line operations and support staff as well as overseeing the implementation of patient-facing programs, such as the CCB/NYLAG Legal Health Clinic and the CCB Navigator.

Andrea Hayes Dixon Dean Howard University College of Medicine

Dr. Andrea Hayes Dixon, FACS, is the Professor and Chair of Surgery at Howard University College of Medicine (HUCOM). She is also the Associate Director of the Cancer Center at Howard. In October 2022, she was appointed to the position of Dean of Howard University’s College of Medicine and Vice President of Clinical Affairs. Dr. Hayes Dixon is the first African American female pediatric surgeon in the USA and the first female Dean at the HUCOM. She is nationally and internationally known for her work pioneering Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor, DSRCT. Her patients request her services from around the world because she was the first to do hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, HIPEC, and cytoreductive surgery in a child. Dr. Hayes Dixon has a basic science laboratory that focuses on finding a cure for DSRCT. She has cared for the largest number of DSRCT, patients at any one hospital and by any one surgeon. Dr. Hayes Dixon was appointed by President Trump to the National Cancer Advisory Board. (The National Cancer Advisory Board reports to the Director of the National Cancer Institute and the Secretary of Health.) Dr. Hayes Dixon has published over 160 manuscripts and dozens of book chapters.

Ms. Sinsi Hernández-Cancio Vice President for Health Justice National Partnership for Women & Families

Sinsi Hernández-Cancio, Vice President for Health Justice at the National Partnership for Women & Families, is a national health equity thought leader dedicated to achieving equal opportunity for women and families of color and better healthcare access and quality for all. With experience working in government, labor, and non-profits, she believes that our shared prosperity depends on transforming our healthcare system to better serve our rapidly evolving nation. We need excellent, comprehensive, culturally-centered, and affordable care for all—which requires dismantling structural racism and other systemic inequities. Born in Puerto Rico, she earned a JD from NYU Law and an AB from Princeton University.

Mollie Hertel Senior Research Scientist NORC at the University of Chicago

Mollie Hertel is a senior research scientist with more than 15 years of experience conducting qualitative and quantitative research for federal and state government agencies and not-for-profit organizations. Mollie works with the CMS Office of Minority Health (OMH) to manage all the health equity technical assistance work for CMS OMH. This includes developing tools and resources for organizations—including Quality Innovation Networks and Organizations (QIN-QIOs) and Hospital Quality Improvement Contractors (HQICs)—to reduce disparities and embed health equity. She also leads work on identifying and reducing disparities in specific populations, such as sexual and gender minorities. In addition, Mollie directs the Minnesota 1115 substance use disorder (SUD) waiver evaluation work and directs a large multi-state qualitative research project annually for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). For the MedPAC study, she manages a team that plans and conducts beneficiary and provider focus groups and site visits in six different locations across the United States. Mollie also led the qualitative assessment work for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Nursing Home Coordinating Center project. She managed the qualitative data collection with over 250 respondents, including group interviews and individual in-dept interviews with academic medical centers and nursing homes related to their experience in the program.

Denise Hoffman Principal Researcher Mathematica

Denise Hoffman (Ph.D., Economics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) is a Principal Researcher at Mathematica with 12 years of experience conducting disability policy research. She currently leads work under the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation’s Equity Technical Assistance Center to develop trainings, peer learning groups, and tools for Department of Health and Human Services staff to enhance accessibility for people with disabilities, for people with limited English proficiency, and to enhance cultural accessibility.

Dr. Tiffany Hogan Director Center to Advance Consumer Partnership

Tiffany Hogan, PhD, is a Director at the Center to Advance Consumer Partnership. She has a background in consumer and market research with a special focus on health care. Her work focuses on effectively engaging consumers with complex chronic diseases in the design and delivery of health care services.

Michael Holtz Senior Communications and Marketing Specialist Oak Ridge Associated Universities

Michael Holtz, APR, MPRCA, is senior communications and marketing specialist for ORAU, where he hosts two company podcasts, Further Together and the ORISE Featurecast, and leads the organization's media relations and content development efforts. Holtz is an 11-year survivor of stage-3b rectal cancer and has been NED since 2013. Since his diagnosis, Holtz has been an active advocate for several organizations, especially the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, where he is a member of the National Ambassador Team. Holtz is passionate about achieving health equity for all, especially minority and LGBTQIA individuals.

Mrs. Shavana Howard Senior Advisor for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services U.S. Department of Agriculture

Shavana is an advocate for the country’s most vulnerable populations having more than 23 years of public service in the states of Washington and Louisiana. Shavana started her career with Washington’s Catholic Community Services and Commission on African American Affairs. She served as an enlisted Petty Officer in the United States Navy transitioning to countless positions within Washington’s DSHS, which included roles managing the state’s SNAP, determining eligibility for SNAP, TANF, Childcare, Medical, disability programs, case-management, and SNAP E&. She joined the Louisiana DCFS team in April 2020 as the Assistant Secretary of Family Support for the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. Shavana received her Bachelor’s degree from Washington State University.

Dr. Dora Hughes Chief Medical Officer CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation

Dora Hughes, M.D., M.P.H., is the Chief Medical Officer at the CMS Innovation Center at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She leads the Center’s work on health equity, provides clinical and policy advice on model development, and liaises with the Innovation Center’s stakeholder community. Prior to this role, Dr. Hughes was on faculty at The George Washington University in Washington DC. She has consulted in the life science industry and served in senior roles at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in the U.S. Senate.

Dr. Douglas Jacobs Chief Transformation Officer CMS Center for Medicare

Dr. Doug Jacobs is the Chief Transformation Officer in the Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). At CMS he is helping lead Medicare’s efforts to promote value-based care, advance health equity, and encourage delivery system transformation. Under his leadership, the Center for Medicare has finalized the most significant reforms to the Shared Savings Program since the program’s inception, policies to expand access to behavioral health and primary care, equity-focused policies that reward excellent care delivered to underserved populations, and the development of the Universal Foundation, a strategy to align quality metrics across CMS programs and activities. He most recently served as the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Innovation Officer for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, helping to oversee the state Medicaid and human services programs amidst the pandemic for the 16,000 person state agency. He was tapped by Governor Wolf to lead the state’s Whole Person Health Reform initiative, which included expanding value-based care, promoting health equity, and addressing the social determinants of health. Dr. Jacobs is a practicing board-certified internal medicine physician and is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. He is also an avid writer, having published pieces in the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, New York Times, and Washington Post. He trained in Internal Medicine Primary Care at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and served as Chief Resident at the West Roxbury VA hospital, received his MD at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, his MPH at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and his Bachelor’s in Sciences from Brown University.

Art Jones, MD Clinical Advisor Wellness West

Art Jones, M.D. was one of the founders and continues to serve as the Chief Medical Officer for Medical Home Network accountable care organization comprised of thirteen FQHCs and three health systems serving 180,000 Chicago area Medicaid recipients. MHN is completely delegated for care management and successfully operates under a global risk arrangement on total cost of care. Dr. Jones is also a principal at Health Management Associates. Dr. Jones is a graduate of the University of Illinois Medical School and completed internal medicine residency, chief residency, and a cardiology fellowship at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Susan Karol Chief Medical Officer CMS Division of Tribal Affairs

Susan Karol, MD, is the Chief Medical Officer for the Division of Tribal Affairs (DTA) in the Center of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). DTA serves as the point of contact on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) health policy and serves the CMS Tribal Technical Advisory Group (TTAG) regarding AI/AN issues for the agency. She is an enrolled member of the Tuscarora Indian Nation, the first American Indian woman general surgeon and former National Chief Medical Officer for the Indian Health Service (IHS) (2008-2017). Dr. Karol is a Captain in the United States Public Health Service deploying throughout the country to meet national healthcare needs such as IHS surgical care, Hurricane recovery, Border Patrol migrant care, and COVID-19 missions. She graduated from Dartmouth College and the Medical College of Wisconsin prior to her general surgical training at the University of Massachusetts. She is a Diplomat of the American Board of Surgery (DABS), Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and a member of the Association of American Indian Physicians. Dr. Karol is the Chairperson of the CMS American Indian and Alaska Native Employee Resource Group and is a member of the CMS Diversity, Inclusion and Equality Council. She is the Federal Co-Chairperson for the CMS Tribal Technical Advisory Group (TTAG) Health Equity and Behavioral Health Subcommittees.

Halelujha Ketema Research Associate NORC at the University of Chicago

Mrs. Vacheria Keys Director Policy & Regulatory Affairs National Association of Community Health Centers

Vacheria Keys is the Director of Policy & Regulatory Affairs at the National Association of Community Health Centers in Washington, DC. In her current role, she oversees federal policy, state policy, and regulatory affairs. Vacheria advocates and develops health policies that improve access for underserved patients and reimbursement for health centers across the nation. For nearly three years, Vacheria leads NACHC’s 340B policy work, Medicaid and Medicare policy, COVID-19 related policies, and more. Previously, Vacheria worked as a Regulatory Affairs Specialist at the American Society of Anesthesiologists and a Reproductive Rights and Health Legal Fellow at the National Women's Law Center. As a double HBCU grad, Vacheria takes great pride as a Spelman Alumna and graduate of Howard University’s School of Law.

Meagan Khau Director, Data Analytics & Research Group CMS Office of Minority Health

Kelly Kikuchi Executive Director, Financial Counseling & Financial Assistance Providence St. Joseph Health

Kelly Kikuchi resides in Arlington, WA with her family. Kelly’s shared passion for human dynamics and health equity prompted her to obtain a B.A. in Human Services and Social Work. Kelly has gained expertise in Revenue Cycle, State and Federal medical programs, and Charity law throughout her 20 years with Providence. Kelly is the Executive Director of Financial Counseling for Providence and it's family of organizations, leading operations across AK, CA, OR, MT, NM, TX, and WA in a way that delivers on our promise to know, care for, and ease the way of our patients and our community members.

Ms. Karyl Kopaskie, PhD Principal Vizient

Karyl Kopaskie, PhD is a healthcare strategy expert at Sg2, a division of Vizient, focused on to strategic prioritization, program development and projecting healthcare demand. Karyl's research is focused on service line strategic planning, health equity, and SDOH. Karyl helps health system members find future-focused and data-driven strategies in an uncertain and rapidly evolving landscape by developing models for health systems to reduce health disparities over the long term. Karyl earned her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Chicago. She is a recent graduate of the Disparities Leadership Program at the Disparities Solution Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Ms. Laura Kopp Account Executive Oak Ridge Associated Universities

Ms. Kopp holds a master’s degree in business administration and has over 20 years’ experience helping federal government clients navigate organizational change. She works closely with ORAU’s Research & University Partnerships Office to build teams from academia, government and industry focused on solving problems facing our public health and healthcare systems. Ms. Kopp leverages the power of the ORAU University Consortium, identifying the expertise and unique assets of member schools to help achieve agency goals.

Dr. Colleen Kraft Senior Medical Director, Clinical Adoption Cognoa, Inc.

Colleen A. Kraft, MD, MBA, FAAP is Professor of Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine/University of Southern California and Senior Medical Director of Clinical Adoption at Cognoa, Inc. She was the 2018 Past President of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Kraft received her undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech and her M.D. from Virginia Commonwealth University, and her MBA from the University of Cincinnati. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Kraft is known for her work in integrating care for child with developmental disabilities and behavioral health conditions into primary care pediatrics. Her interests include the study of technology and its role in addressing health disparities and unconscious bias in children.

ADM Rachel Levine Assistant Secretary for Health U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Admiral Rachel L. Levine serves as the 17th Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She fights every day to improve the health and well-being of all Americans. She’s working to help our nation overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and build a stronger foundation for a healthier future - one in which every American can attain their full health potential. ADM Levine’s storied career, first, as a physician in academic medicine focused on the intersection between mental and physical health, treating children, adolescents, and young adults. Then as Pennsylvania’s Physician General and later as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health, she addressed COVID-19, the opioid crisis, behavioral health and other public health challenges.

Dr. Kentrell Liddell Founder and Board President Test-Taking Solution Foundation

Dr. Kentrell Liddell is the Founder and Board President of the Test-Taking Solution Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charitable foundation dedicated to educating and empowering low-income, underresourced Mississippi communities with a special emphasis on helping to address healthcare disparities by enhancing literacy. One way the Foundation accomplishes its mission is by hosting a weekly radio show on a local public radio station and by providing free tutorial services to students who struggle academically in grades K-12. Dr. Liddell graduated from Noxubee County High School, Tougaloo College, The University of Iowa College of Medicine, and The University of Mississippi Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program. She also graduated from the Mississippi State University College of Business where she graduated summa cum laude with a master’s degree in business administration. A community leader, Dr. Liddell has served on numerous community, state, and national Advisory Boards and Boards of Directors, including the National Adult Day Services Association Board of Directors, the Mississippi Adult Day Services Association Board of Directors, the Crossroads Film Festival Society Board of Directors, the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians Foundation Board of Directors, the BankFirst Advisory Board, and the Hinds County School District Drop-out Prevention Committee. She currently serves on the Home Health & Hospice Health Equity Structural Composite Measure Technical Expert Panel (TEP); the TEP for Home & Community Based Services (HCBS); and on the National Association of Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) Rural Advisory Committee.

Jasmine Lusane Public Health Analyst, Division of Policy and Data HHS Office of Minority Health

Jasmine Lusane is a Public Health Analyst in the HHS Office of Minority Health Division of Policy and Data. Jasmine is a trained epidemiologist and is an inaugural Data Science Fellow graduate of Correlation One Data Science for All. Prior to joining OMH, she served as a Project Manager in the non-profit sector and Research Assistant at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on minority health equity, reproductive/sexual health, and maternal, perinatal and child health. Jasmine received her BS in Health Services Administration at Auburn University and her MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Florida A&M University.

Shannon MacKenzie Lead Director, Transformation PMO Aetna, A CVS Health Company

Shannon MacKenzie is a Lead Director for the Transformation Project Management Office (PMO) at Aetna, a CVS Health company. She leads the strategy, design, and implementation of clinical programs, community activities and data strategies to advance health equity for Aetna Medicare members. She has over 20 years of experience championing health equity in Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) and in the healthcare sector. Shannon was a steering committee member for the ALTAIR ACO, the Principal Clinical Operations Consultant for equity-advancing grants under the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD), The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Data Across Sectors for Health (DASH) initiative.

Haley Maier Director, Strategic Partnerships & Initiatives, Population Health Providence

Haley Maier is Director of Strategic Partnerships & Initiatives, Population Health at Providence. She works with leaders and teams across Providence's 7 state footprint to support population health improvement strategies to care well for populations with Medicaid coverage, with a focus on improving access to care, addressing health related social needs and advocating to protect and expand Medicaid programs at a state and national level. Additionally, she also oversees the development of Community Health Worker programs. Prior to Providence, Haley worked in public health research and evaluation at Washington University in St. Louis, Brown School Center for Public Health System Science and in social services, managing an energy assistance program in Washington state. With a background in Social Work and Public Health, Haley is passionate about systems change and addressing the structural determinants of health to advance equity.

Dr. Jess Maksut Technical Director CMS Office of Minority Health

Dr. Jessica Maksut is a social and behavioral health scientist with a PhD in human development from the University of Connecticut and postdoctoral training in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research agenda centers health and health care equity with attention to race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Dr. Maksut joined the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health in March 2020 and works as a Technical Director in its Data Analytics and Research Group.

Dr. Aditi Mallick Chief Medical Officer CMS Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services

Aditi Mallick, M.D. is the Chief Medical Officer for the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, where she leads the Center’s clinical strategy and cross-center work on health equity, social determinants of health, and innovation in whole-person care among other areas. Before joining CMCS, Dr. Mallick led COVID-19 response efforts in North Carolina, and prior to that, worked with leaders in government and the private sector on strategy, innovation, and data-driven change implementation. She previously served as a Senior Medical Advisor in the CMS Office of the Administrator. Dr. Mallick earned her A.B. from Harvard, her M.D. from Stanford, and trained in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Ebony Marcelle Director of Midwifery Community of Hope

Ebony Marcelle is the Director of Midwifery at Community of Hope that includes the Family Health and Birth Center. Formerly the Administrative Chief of Midwifery Service at Medstar Washington Hospital Center, she completed her nursing education at Georgetown University, Midwifery at Jefferson University and her Doctorate at Frontier University. In 2019 she was inducted as a Fellow into the American College of Nurse Midwives. In 2018, she completed Duke University and Johnson & Johnson Nursing Leadership Fellowship. She is adjunct faculty at Georgetown University and has been guest faculty at IHI (Institute of Health Improvement), focused on rebuilding systems to address racism and health equity. Her advocacy work has included multiple congressional briefings creating awareness around the need for policy changes to reduce maternity care disparities. Dr. Marcelle is known for her passion in midwifery and midwifery’s role in reproductive justice. She has built culturally aware clinical models of care specifically for under-resourced Black women. She currently serves on the boards of the National Association for the Advancement of Black Birth, March for Moms, and American Association of Birth Centers and is a collaborator with Black Mamas Matter Alliance. In 2019 she was appointed to the District’s Inaugural Maternal Mortality Review Committee and currently in her second term. She resides in Washington, DC, with her husband, step-son, and daughter.

Ms. Mackenzie Marshall Senior Federal Relations Associate Families USA

Mackenzie “Kenzie” Marshall is the Senior Federal Relations Associate at Families USA. She helps implement the organization’s work with federal policymakers and key national partners on all of Families USA’s program areas. Prior to joining Families USA, Marshall served as a Legislative Correspondent on Senator Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.)’s health policy team. Previously, she worked in Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)’s personal office, and interned for the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee. Before she started working on Capitol Hill, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines. Mackenzie holds a BA in International Political Economy from the University of Puget Sound and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health at George Washington University.

Jaclyn Martin Manager, Strategy and Implementation Medical Home Network

Jaclyn Martin is the Manager of Strategy and Implementation at Medical Home Network (MHN). In her role, she supported the launch of MHN REACH ACO, CMS' latest accountable care initiative for Traditional Medicare. Prior to MHN, Jaclyn worked at University of Chicago on a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded project called Advancing Health Equity. There she engaged teams across the US, comprised of state Medicaid agencies, payers, and frontline providers, to reduce healthcare disparities through care transformation and payment reform. Jaclyn received her MPH from the University of Michigan and is also an AmeriCorps alumna.

Ms. Ana Matiella Chief Storyteller Matiella Health Communications

Ana Consuelo Matiella, MA, is a bilingual and bicultural health communications expert, content creator, and social marketing consultant. She is the most experienced fotonovela producer in the United States and uses visual storytelling to educate and motivate people about health.

Dr. Jennifer T. May National Clinicians Scholar and Postdoc Fellow Duke University

Jennifer May, PhD, RN, ANP-BC is a fellow in the National Clinicians Scholars Program at Duke University, School of Nursing. Prior to attending Duke, Dr. May earned a PhD in Nursing, from the University of Arizona. Her research centers around LGBTQ+ older adult health disparities, inequities in LGBTQ+ data collection, and developing resources for healthcare workers in caring for LGBTQ+ older adults in skilled nursing facilities. She is actively using her research and expertise in LGBTQ+ older adult health to participate in work surrounding healthcare policy in older adults, LGBTQ+ populations, nursing workforce, and equity in data collection. Dr. May is actively involved in several professional organizations, including Gerontological Society of America and Health Professionals Advancing for LGBT Equity. She is an active volunteer with AARP National and AARP of North Carolina.

Dr. William Mayer Expert Consultant, CMS Fellow, Health Insurance Specialist CMS Federal Coordinated Health Care Office

William Mayer, MD, MPH, is an Expert Consultant at CMS, having served as program director at the National Cancer Institute; health care consulting co-lead at The Wyatt Company; EVP at Kellogg Company; medical director at IBA/PHP Health Plans; SVP, Managed Care and Community Health at Bronson Healthcare; and CEO of Affirmant Health Partners/Federation ACO. Mayer has also served on the faculty Western Michigan University Homer Stryker School of Medicine, and as lecturer at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His publications include Black/White differences in breast and bladder cancer, cancer prevention in primary care, and health care quality improvement.

LCDR Réna McClain, PharmD Lieutenant Commander USPHS, Senior Health Insurance Specialist CMS Office of Burden Reduction and Health Informatics

LCDR Réna McClain obtained her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy in New Jersey. Following graduation, she completed a one-year managed care residency at the former Medco Health Solutions. She then continued to work for the company in a number of capacities including Clinical Lead for their specialty care pharmacy (Accredo) and later as a Manager working with their Medicare Part D offering. Her career with the federal government and as a US Public Service Commissioned Corps Officer has spanned 10 years. She began her federal career with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) working in the Drug Formulary and Benefits office with Medicare Part D. Following that role, she transitioned to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), working in the Office of Generic Drugs as a member of the Orange Book team. After completing her time with FDA, she returned to CMS to work at the Center for Program Integrity, the Center for Medicaid's Division of Pharmacy, and now in her current role, she is a Senior Health Insurance Specialist within the Governance and Impact Analysis Group within the Office of Burden Reduction and Health Informatics (OBRHI). Her work focuses on burden reduction and health equity. As the lead on a number of surveys, her goal is to ensure that stakeholder voices are heard to ensure equity.

Dr. Brittany McGill Senior Social Science Analyst HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

Brittany McGill is a senior social science analyst in the Office of Human Services Policy at HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning & Evaluation (ASPE) where her portfolio centers around safety net program integration, economic mobility, and equity, including leading the evaluation and continuous improvement activities for the HHS Equity Technical Assistance Center (ETAC). Brittany holds an MPP in social policy from Georgetown University and a PhD in sociology from the University of Maryland.

Dr. LaShawn McIver Director CMS Office of Minority Health

Dr. LaShawn McIver, Director of the CMS Office of Minority Health, is a proven public health leader with experience in driving successful health initiatives and public policy efforts aimed at promoting health equity, improving health outcomes, increasing access to care, and promoting health system reform. Before joining CMS, Dr. McIver led government affairs and advocacy efforts at the American Diabetes Association where she provided strategic direction and oversight, focusing on adequate funding for research and programs, eliminating disparities, and improving access to care. Dr. McIver earned a Medical Degree in International Health & Medicine through the Medical School for International Health in Collaboration with Columbia University’s Medical Center and a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Alexa McKinley Regulatory Affairs Manager National Rural Health Association

Jamila McLean Senior Healthcare Policy Manager Benefits Data Trust

Jamila McLean is the Senior Healthcare Policy Manager at Benefits Data Trust. In this role she analyzes and promotes policy and practice innovations that streamline access to Medicaid and other healthcare-related benefits – providing technical assistance to state agencies and their partners. Additionally, she has developed the Medicaid Churn Toolkit to aid states in the design and implementation of policy and practice solutions that reduce Medicaid churn. Prior to joining BDT, Ms. McLean was a Program Officer at the Center for Health Care Strategies, where she supported efforts related to delivery system reform, children’s health and Medicaid leadership & capacity building – including the CDC’s 6|18 Initiative. She also conducted research at the Rutgers Institute for Health focused on understanding the role of race, ethnicity, and nativity status on the physical and mental health outcomes of African Americans and Black Caribbeans. Ms. McLean holds a Master of Public Health from the Rutgers School of Public Health.

Ms. Laura McWright Deputy Director, Seamless Care Models Group CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation

Laurie McWright is the Deputy Director for the Seamless Care Models Group in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Her group houses the integrated payment and care delivery models such as the Accountable Care Organization models, including the kidney models supporting vulnerable populations. Her group also includes the health plan innovation models for Medicare Parts C and D including the Value Based Insurance Design Model with the Hospice Benefit Component and the Part D Senior Savings Model. Her work includes overseeing the response to President Biden’s Executive Order 14087, “Lowering Prescription Drug Costs for Americans and developing drug pricing model concepts for Medicare Parts B and D as well as for states. Laurie has been in federal service for over 20 years serving in a number of leadership roles including serving as Director of the Medicare Parts C and D Legislative Analysis Group at the CMS Office of Legislation, the Director of the Payment Policy and Financial Management Group within the CMS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight and as a Division Director overseeing the National Health Service and Nurse Corps participants at the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Lauren Mercincavage Senior Study Director Westat

Ms. Lynn Mertz, PhD Senior Strategic Policy Advisor AARP

Lynn Mertz is a senior strategic policy advisor for the Global Thought Leadership team at AARP. Her portfolio addresses health disparities across the lifespan, in particular the 50+. Prior to joining this team, she was with the Center to Champion Nursing in America, an initiative of AARP Foundation, AARP, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to improve America’s health through nursing where she focused on nursing education, population health, and managing the Nursing Innovations Fund. She holds a bachelor’s degree (Drew University), a Master of Urban Planning degree (NYU’s Wagner School, and a PhD in higher education policy (Seton Hall University).

Dr. Vinitha Meyyur Deputy Division Director CMS Center for Clinical Standards and Quality

Dr. Meyyur is a healthcare researcher with more than 20 years of experience currently serving as the Deputy Division Director for the Division of Quality Measurement at CMS. She leads a team of public health professionals in clinical quality measures development, maintenance, and implementation for numerous CMS quality reporting/payment programs including dialysis facilities. Dr. Meyyur executes tasks in collaboration with leadership to address the National Quality Strategies and agency priorities such as health equity, maternal health, and patient safety across various hospital settings by driving quality improvement, prioritizing outcomes, and making information more broadly available to beneficiaries.

Kay Miller Temple, MD Physician Journalist and Health and Medical Writer University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences Center for Rural Health

Kay Miller Temple, MD MMC, boarded in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Hospice/Palliative Care and practiced clinical medicine for 30 years. After obtaining a Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication in 2017, she began writing for a national rural health information clearinghouse based at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences Center for Rural Health. She is a plain language/health literacy expert and serves as a writing mentor for health profession students writing health education articles for publication in North Dakota's rural newspapers. By the fortunate circumstances of her birth, she identifies as a South Dakota farmer.

Dr. Hirah Mir Chief Diversity Officer NYS Office for People With Developmental Disabilities

Hirah Mir serves as the Chief Diversity Officer and Director of OPWDD’s Executive Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). As Chief Diversity Officer, Dr. Mir will work to advance the policies and practices cultural and linguistic competence into all components of the OPWDD system of supports and services for people with developmental disabilities and their families. Dr. Mir has been with OPWDD for more than five years. As a research scientist in the OPWDD Division of Data Strategy and Management, she was responsible for agency-wide research agenda and served as the state coordinator of the National Core Indicators In-Person and State of the Workforce Surveys. Dr. Mir also helped oversee the Regional Centers for Workforce Transformation to build the competency and capacity of the direct support workforce, and helped launch the NYS Community of Practice on Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Developmental Disabilities.

Christine Monahan Assistant Research Professor Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy

Christine Monahan, J.D., is an assistant research professor and faculty member at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR) at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. At CHIR, Christine studies federal and state action relating to private health insurance, including state efforts to advance health equity among the commercially insured. Prior to joining CHIR, Christine served as Counsel for American Oversight, worked as an Associate at the law firm Mehri and Skalet, PLLC, and clerked for the Honorable Judith Rogers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She graduated from the Yale Law School in 2016.

Mrs. Autumn Montgomery-Hayes Community Health Manager, Office of Health Equity Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Autumn serves as a Community Health Manager in the Office of Health Equity where she collaborates with the Community Health Improvement Team on various health equity projects and initiatives including the VUMC Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Strategy. She is an alumna of Hampton University and Meharry Medical College School of Graduate Studies and Research where she earned her Master of Science in Public Health. While pursuing her MSPH, Autumn’s work within the community including her internship at the Tennessee Department of Health fueled her passion for health disparities elimination. These experiences led her to dedicate her efforts to bridging the gaps between minoritized and marginalized communities and their access to quality healthcare and other community assets. Outside of the office, Autumn enjoys exploring parks around Nashville with her dogs, traveling, and reading.

Jean Moody-Williams Deputy Director CMS Center for Clinical Standards and Quality

Jean D. Moody-Williams, RN, MPP, is the Deputy Director for the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) at the Centers for CMS. She currently is a part of a leadership team responsible for one of CMS’s Centers that has nearly 800 employees and a $3 billion annual budget. She is responsible for leading quality improvement, value-based purchasing, delivery system reform, and kidney health activities. She is also responsible for the execution of inspections for thousands of the nation’s healthcare providers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements for over 90 million people.

Andrea Moore Health Equity Specialist Quality Insights

Andrea Moore is a licensed master social worker and Health Equity Specialist at Quality Insights, serving ESRD Networks 3, 4, and 5. Prior to her role as Health Equity Specialist, she worked as a social worker in the dialysis and hospital setting and as a Quality Improvement Specialist leading efforts to prevent and slow the progression of kidney disease, support goal concordant care, and eliminate health disparities and inequities. Throughout her 14-year career in healthcare she has primarily worked to better the health outcomes of adults living with chronic illness. She is dedicated to forwarding the health equity agenda and championing the prioritization of thoughtful and strategic health equity activities.

Roslyn Moore Deputy Director for Programs HHS Office of Minority Health

Roslyn Holliday Moore, MS, is the Deputy Director for Programs in the Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Ms. Holliday Moore oversees all program development and implementation activities for OMH. Prior to joining OMH, Ms. Holliday Moore served as the Senior Public Health Analyst in the Office of Behavioral Health Equity in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. As senior staff, Ms. Holliday Moore guided and directed national policy, program and data initiatives that addressed health disparities and promoted health equity for underserved individuals and communities.

Dr. Kasey Morris Health Analytics Manager Accenture Federal Services

Teresa Nguyen Director Community Living Equity Center, Brandeis University

Teresa Nguyen is Director of the Community Living Equity Center within the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University. She identifies as an Asian American woman with a disability, and received her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus. Her work is focused on addressing gaps in inequities found in community living and participation experiences and outcomes faced by disabled people of color. Teresa has experience in both federal and state-level health programs and policy development, including previous service within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living. She is thrilled to continue molding programs and policies by contributing to disability research and engaging the disability community in all aspects of her work.

Mr. Sami Noor Doctoral Student Medical University of South Carolina

Sami is a first-gen Bangladeshi American raised in NYC in the heart of Flushing, Queens. After graduating from Clark University, he has been in the healthcare field in various capacities. He started his career as a Research Secretary at Memorial Sloan Kettering, working at the Mount Sinai Health System, and now VNS Health as a Project Manager. During this time, he completed his MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and is pursuing his Doctorate in Health Administration at the Medical University of South Carolina. His passion for research stems from his days at the Bronx High School of Science, where he worked in a research lab for three years developing nanoparticles. Sami merges his academic passions, professional experience, and research skills to explore various intersections within the healthcare space. From addressing health equity and its intersectionality with LGBT and immigrant care to creating care programs for marginalized communities, he believes in advocacy and equitable care for all. With this, he plans to help create a better tomorrow.

Ms. Alesia O'Daniel Manager, Outreach Northwestern Medicine

Alesia O'Daniel is an innovative healthcare professional with 12 years of experience at Northwestern Medicine. She has worked in various sectors of healthcare and in each of her roles, she has been heavily involved with employee engagement, patient engagement, protocol development and process/performance improvement. "I honestly cannot recall a period of time where I have not been 'knee-deep' in data, working frivolously to ensure that the pieces of a puzzle fit together in a way that yields a comprehensive picture. I believe that if you choose to work in this field, you must have a heart for service. I thrive on helping others, generating and building relationships, while discovering ways in which I can create a meaningful impact." As the current leader of the Northwestern Medicine Outreach team, Alesia is leading equity efforts focused on removing barriers to care by addressing social determinants of health.

Ms. Jeffannie O'Garro Master of Public Health Student Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Jeffannie O'Garro is a graduate student at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in the department of epidemiology. Since 2018, she has had the opportunity to do multiple internships with Brooklyn Communities Collaborative (BCC), where she has actively engaged in conducting health equity research within underserved neighborhoods in Brooklyn. This experience ignited her deep-rooted passion for the field of public health.Through her work, she has witnessed firsthand the disparities and inequities that exist in accessing healthcare and achieving equitable health outcomes. Inspired by these experiences, she plans to do future work furthering her advocacy efforts for underserved communities that are deprived of the essential resources required to attain equitable health outcomes.

Christian O'Keeffe Nurse Manager, Hospital at Home Oregon Health and Science University

Christian O’Keeffe, MSN, currently serves as the Nurse Manager of OHSU Hospital at Home and Continuous Video Monitoring. Christian has been a nurse since 2008. He has served in leadership positions since 2018. His work with the video monitoring program and technology allowed him to begin work in Portland with Hospital at Home. He helped build the OHSU program with Adventist Health before transitioning full time to OHSU last year.

Leandra Olson Policy Team Lead HHS Office of Minority Health

Leandra Olson is the Policy Team Lead for the HHS Office of Minority Health. Since 2015, she has served at HHS in a variety of policy roles dedicated to improving health equity and addressing health disparities, including for maternal and child health, language access, global health, and the health workforce. Previously, she worked in Florida evaluating a state maternal and child health program and in Minnesota working on obesity prevention and food security. She earned a Master of Public Health degree from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Minnesota.

Kate Paris Vice President, Policy & Advocacy UnitedHealthcare Community & State

Kate Paris is the Vice President of Policy & Advocacy at UnitedHealthcare Community & State. She is responsible for the development and implementation of advocacy strategies for programs serving individuals who are Medicaid-eligible. In addition to her roles within UnitedHealthcare Community & State, Kate brings experience in the public and non-profit sectors. Kate currently serves on the SNP Alliance Board of Directors and is Chair of the MHPA Policy Committee.

Dr. Vida Almario Passero Chief Medical Officer, National TeleOncology U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Dr. Passero is a board-certified medical oncologist and hematologist whose clinical practice is at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. As Chief Medical Officer of National TeleOncology (NTO), she is focused on building a national hematology and cancer care service delivery model to ensure all patients have access to specialized hematology/oncology care and treatment. Dr. Passero is working with the NTO team on providing across-the-nation specialized care through disease-specific teams comprised of physicians, advanced practice practitioners, care coordinator nurses, and oncology clinical pharmacy practitioners. To date, the NTO team of >70 clinicians and administrative staff located nationwide have served thousands of Veterans through partnerships with over 50 VA Medical Centers across the nation. In constructing these solutions, she is focused on working with frontline staff to rebuild “how we work” in healthcare delivery, how to redefine comprehensive hybrid remote/boots-on-the-ground care and how to simplify everyday health for patients and caregivers.

Mrs. Tenly Pau Biggs Deputy Director SAMHSA Office of Behavioral Health Equity

Tenly coordinates SAMHSA’s efforts to reduce disparities in mental and substance use disorders across racial, ethnic, LGBTQ+ and other underserved populations. She’s the lead for the disparity impact statement and strategy work pertaining to the access, service use, and behavioral health outcomes of SAMHSA grants. While at CMS OMH, Tenly provided technical assistance to health plans, systems, networks, and providers on achieving equity. She updated CMS’ Disparity Impact Statement for health plans and providers to develop an implementation plan to close disparities. Tenly is a licensed social worker and received her MSW at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Dr. Amber Paulus Assistant Professor Virginia Commonwealth University

Dr. Amber Paulus is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University. As a health services researcher and registered nurse, she integrates data-driven solutions that level up kidney care. By combining organizational and publicly available data assets, she fills critical data voids to create impactful, socially-minded medical solutions. Dr. Paulus investigates structural, process-oriented, and outcomes-focused issues within kidney care and the broader health system continuum. Her program of research, Designing Equitable Care for Kidneys (DECK), focuses on screening for unmet social needs and kidney disease risk factors to address individual, community, and system-level factors.

Amanda Pears Kelly Executive Director Association of Clinicians for the Underserved

A fierce advocate for health equity, Amanda is the Executive Director of the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU). In this role, she leads organization vision and strategy and manages all aspects of the Association, providing overall leadership and management services to the board of directors and membership. Amanda oversees ACU fundraising, advocacy, communications, membership as well as organization projects and programs. She brings extensive experience to her role, including campaign development, communications strategy development, crisis management, leadership, team development and training, consulting, logistics, and policy/regulatory analysis. Additionally, Amanda has a proven record of dynamic, resourceful, and agile leadership with noted expertise launching grassroots advocacy initiatives and healthcare policy issues to lead advocates and define initiatives that positively impact tens of millions of patients living in underserved communities across the United States.

Ms. Rebecca Perry Program Manager, Community Health and Implementation Research Program RTI International

Rebecca Perry is a Program Manager in RTI International’s Community Health and Implementation Research Program. Ms. Perry works on a range of projects focused on improving and evaluating health care access and health equity including Monitoring Medicaid FFS Access to Care, and National Evaluation of Urban Indian Organization Grantees. Before joining RTI, Ms. Perry worked for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as a health policy analyst for the Medicaid program and as Chief of Government Affairs for the Maryland Health Care Commission. In both roles, Ms. Perry worked on health care access-focused projects.

Dr. Hoangmai H. Pham President and CEO Institute for Exceptional Care

Hoangmai (Mai) H. Pham, MD MPH, President and CEO of Institute for Exceptional Care, is a general internist and national health policy leaderand mother to two beautiful young men, one of whom is autistic. Dr. Pham was previously Vice President, Provider Alignment Solutions at Anthem, Inc., responsible for value-based care initiatives at the country’s second largest health insurance company. Prior to Anthem, she served as Chief Innovation Officer at the CMS Innovation Center, where she was the architect of foundational programs on ACOs and primary care. She has published extensively in the medical literature on payment policy and its intersection with health disparities, care coordination, quality performance, and market trends. Dr. Pham serves on the boards of Atlantic Health Systems and the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, and the National Advisory Council for the Agency on Healthcare Research and Quality. She earned her A.B. from Harvard, her M.D. from Temple University, and her M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins where she was also a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar.

Charlene Phelps Program Manager Trenton Health Team

Charlene Phelps is a Program Manager of Community Engagement at Trenton Health Team (Trenton, NJ). She is also co-chair of her organization's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Charlene recently obtained an MBA in Organizational Leadership from Eastern University (Philadelphia, PA) and is considered among the many community leaders in the Trenton community. Her desire is to continue to magnify the voices of those who are not always heard in urban cities. In her spare time, Charlene enjoys hanging out with family and friends and going to dinner with her twin sister.

Aaron Plotke Senior Policy Analyst Families USA

Aaron Plotke provides policy and data analysis on key issues such as health care value, prescription drug prices, and health equity for the policy team. Prior to joining Families USA, Plotke worked as a social science research analyst at the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services in New York. While there, he conducted national evaluations of Medicare, Medicaid and public health and human service programs. Before that, he was a public health advisor with the Columbia Law School Health Justice Advocacy Clinic, researching lead poisoning in public and publicly assisted housing and creating content to effectively advocate for public health policy change in Congress. Plotke holds a BS and a BA from the University of Connecticut in nutritional sciences and health policy, and a MPH from Columbia University in sociomedical science and health policy.

Kimberly Proctor, PhD Chief Data Officer, Data and Systems Group CMS Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services

Kimberly Proctor, PhD is the Chief Data Officer for the Data and Systems Group in CMCS and is responsible for leading the Center’s analytic vision for Medicaid and CHIP data. With an extensive background in analytics, she has led projects relating to the T-MSIS Analytic Files (TAF), Medicaid DQ Atlas, geocoding Medicaid and CHIP beneficiary addresses, improving the quality of race and ethnicity data in the TAF, examining the impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency on Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries, and releasing publicly available data files across a series of Medicaid and CHIP topics. Previously, she led research in the CMS Office of Minority Health relating to the quality of administrative data across topics such as race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, and gender identity, including work that was published in peer-review journals, such as Transgender Health and Health Equity. She holds a PhD from the University of New Mexico.

Mrs. Christine Ramey Deputy Director HRSA Office of Health Equity

Christine Ramey currently serves as a Deputy Director of the Office of Health Equity at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); she has been in this role since May 2014. Christine is a registered nurse with over 20 years of experience. During her time at HRSA, she has served as a co-author on several publications including the HRSA 2017 and 2019-2020 Health Equity Report. Prior to joining HRSA, Christine worked at Peace Corps Headquarters in Washington D.C. between 2008-2014 serving as the Healthcare Resources Program Manager within the Office of Medical Services.

Dr. Kalpana Ramiah Vice President of Innovation America’s Essential Hospitals

Kalpana Ramiah, DrPH, MSc, Vice President of Innovation and Director, Essential Hospitals Institute, joined America’s Essential Hospitals in 2015 to lead the research and analytics portfolio of Essential Hospitals Institute, the association’s quality and research arm. She has a well-established career in public health and health services research that spans two decades. Ramiah has extensive experience conducting research and managing federally and privately funded technical assistance projects and research programs. She is highly skilled in health equity, population health, patient and family engagement, and ESG. Before joining America’s Essential Hospitals, Ramiah was a principal researcher at the American Institute for Research and an assistant research professor in the department of health policy at The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. She managed several major projects, with responsibility for ensuring quality and consistency of data collection, supervising staff, and developing strong client relationships. Before her academic research work, Ramiah held leadership roles with the Association of Schools of Public Health and West Virginia Smoking Cessation and Reduction in Pregnancy Treatment Dissemination, serving as a manager and deputy director, respectively.

Dr. Erica Reaves Senior Consultant Health Management Associates

For over a decade, Erica L. Reaves has focused her career on expanding access to Medicaid long-term services and supports (LTSS) and addressing drivers of health inequities. She is a public health practitioner who collaborates with beneficiaries, advocates, researchers, policymakers, and providers to promote person-centered policies and programs for older adults, people with disabilities, and family caregivers. A qualitative researcher and social entrepreneur, Erica provides policy analysis and program evaluation support to state Medicaid programs, health plans, community-based organizations, and professional associations. Erica is an alumna of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (Public Policy) and Harvard University (Public Health).

Samantha Richardson Director, Governance and Impact Analysis Group CMS Office of Burden Reduction & Health Informatics

Ms. Richardson is the Director of the Governance and Impact Analysis Group in CMS OBRHI. She and her team are focused on unifying CMS's efforts to reduce regulatory and administrative burdens for beneficiaries and the medical community. She is responsible for leading enterprise-wide efforts and supports cross-agency projects to eliminate overly burdensome and unnecessary regulations. Ms. Richardson directs initiatives to: measure impact of CMS regulations; innovate tools to reduce redundancy in CMS policy via AI; develop and launch RFIs that reach the patient, provider, and payer; create strategic communications to engage external stakeholders; her team also develops databases and data analytic protocols to assist the agency as policy is developed. Ms. Richardson has served in various leadership positions within CMS focused on Program Integrity, Quality Improvement, and National Coverage Determinations. Prior to joining CMS, she was a health care consultant.

David Rickless Lead Technologist Booz Allen Hamilton

David Rickless, MS, PMP, is a geospatial technologist at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he leads data analytics and research projects in the health sector. With a background in geography, he is excited about the potential of geospatial data science in the public health field.

Lauren Riplinger Chief Public Policy and Impact Officer American Health Information Management Association

Lauren serves as AHIMA’s Chief Public Policy and Impact Officer. In this capacity, she is responsible for providing strategic and operational oversight over AHIMA’s advocacy and programmatic strategy to demonstrate mission impact. With two decades of healthcare policy experience, Lauren previously worked on Capitol Hill where she served many roles including Chief of Staff. Lauren received her JD from American University Washington College of Law and undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University. She is admitted to practice law in New York.

Shonalie Roberts System Director, Health Equity Main Line Health

Shonalie Roberts serves as the System Director for Health Equity at Main Line Health, where she works closely with the quality, data, clinical, community and other teams to identify and research opportunities for improving access to care, eliminating healthcare disparities and addressing needs related to social determinants of health. She oversees MLH’s community health worker program and the team of volunteer medical student advocates assisting patients and community members to address social barriers to health. Shonalie began her MLH career as a graduate intern through MLH’s Summer Enrichment Program with AHA's Institute for Diversity and Health Equity. She received a BA from UNC Chapel Hill, an MHA degree from UNC Charlotte and holds an associate in risk management designation. She is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and holds a DEI certificate from USF. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Shonalie enjoys traveling and experiencing different cultures and food.

Ms. Kristine Rochotte Manager, Ambulatory Care Coordination Northwestern Medicine

With more than 16 years of nursing experience and leadership, Kristine Rochotte started her career as an ED nurse. Rochotte earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University and obtained her Associate's degree in Nursing from Elgin Community College many years later. She most recently obtained her MBA from National Louis University in April 2022. Rochotte has been employed at Northwestern Medicine for the last 7 years, where she previously was the practice manager for multiple immediate care centers before transitioning to the Manager of Ambulatory Care in September 2022. She has a passion for helping our complex patient population by reducing barriers and supporting high quality care.

Noemi Rudolph Group Director, Research & Rapid Cycle Evaluation CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation

Noemi Rudolph is the Group Director for the Research and Rapid Cycle Evaluation Group (RREG), at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). She has been with CMS for 27 years. In this role, she leads a team that conducts statutorily mandated evaluations of Medicare and Medicaid payment and service delivery model tests and demonstrations and oversees research with policy relevance to CMS. Ms. Rudolph has an MPH in Community Health Sciences and a BS in Psychobiology, both from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Euijung Ryu Lead Biostatistician, HOUSES Program Mayo Clinic

Dr. Euijung Ryu is an Associate Professor of Biostatistics in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and the Lead Biostatistician of the HOUSES program within Population Precision Science Lab at Mayo Clinic. One of Dr. Ryu's research interests focuses on assessing health disparities in various health outcomes, especially using the HOUSES index that is an individual-level socioeconomic status measure. She has been utilizing the HOUSES index to demonstrate differential disease burden by SES in both acute and chronic health conditions, to develop risk prediction models for asthma outcomes, and to assess SES bias in machine learning models.

Autumn Saffore Health Literacy Fellow CommunicateHealth, Inc.

Autumn Saffore is a dual graduate from The University of Alabama. She received a bachelor’s degree in human environmental sciences with a minor in food and nutrition and her master's degree in public health with a concentration on health education and promotion. Her current role as health literacy fellow allows her to bring her interest in epidemiology, environmental exposures and health, and environmental justice to the the health literacy realm. Here, she is seeking to fill the communication gap in environmental health and injustices within the rural Black/African American communities of North Carolina.

Ms. Amatallah Saulawa Student Auburn University

Amatallah Saulawa is a student at Auburn University studying International Studies (Africa and the Middle East) and public health. She is interested in promoting health equity at the state level and crafting policy to end health disparities.

Michelle Schaur Health Education Specialist Oak Ridge Associated Universities

Michelle Schaur, MPH, is a Health Education Specialist at Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). She has over 20 years of experience supporting and managing health communication, formative research, community engagement, and capacity building projects for government agencies, academic entities, and community-based and non-profit organizations. She also assists with the design, development, and dissemination of traditional and digital health communication materials that are evidence-based and community-informed. From 2020-2022, Michelle worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) to build the pandemic communication capacity of organizations serving communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Dr. David Schmitz, MD Professor and Chair University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences

David Schmitz, MD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at University of the North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He earned his medical doctorate from the State University of New York at Buffalo and completed residency training at Family Medicine Residency of Idaho. He has extensive research expertise in training and retaining physicians in rural and underserved areas. He has served as the president of the National Rural Health Association and with several national organizations and agencies including the NAC National Health Service Corps and NAC Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Dr. Meena Seshamani Deputy Administrator and Director CMS Center for Medicare

Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD is an accomplished, strategic leader with a deep understanding of health economics and a heart-felt commitment to outstanding patient care. Her diverse background as a health care executive, health economist, physician and health policy expert has given her a unique perspective on how health policy impacts the real lives of patients. She most recently served as Vice President of Clinical Care Transformation at MedStar Health, where she conceptualized, designed, and implemented population health and value-based care initiatives and served on the senior leadership of the 10 hospital, 300+ outpatient care site health system. The care models and service lines under her leadership, including community health, geriatrics, and palliative care, have been nationally recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and others. She also cared for patients as an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Seshamani also brings decades of policy experience to her role, including recently serving on the leadership of the Biden-Harris Transition HHS Agency Review Team. Prior to MedStar Health, she was Director of the Office of Health Reform at the US Department of Health and Human Services, where she drove strategy and led implementation of the Affordable Care Act across the Department, including coverage policy, delivery system reform, and public health policy. She received her B.A. with Honors in Business Economics from Brown University, her M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and her Ph.D. in Health Economics from the University of Oxford, where she was a Marshall Scholar. She completed her residency training in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and practiced as a head and neck surgeon at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco.

Dr. Paul Shattuck Senior Fellow Mathematica Policy Research

Dr. Shattuck (Ph.D., Social Welfare, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is a Senior Fellow leading strategic development of new research opportunities to inform policies and practices aimed at the intersection of climate change and health equity. He has experience in conducting, translating, and disseminating research to improve community-based services and inform national policies.

Dr. Madeleine Shea Principal Health Management Associates

Dr. Madeleine Shea has 35 years of state, local and national experience in assessing the nonmedical drivers of health inequities and building partnerships between healthcare, public health, and social service organizations to address the root causes of health disparities. She is a nationally sought-after expert in collective impact frameworks, and social risk screening and navigation to address social needs—nutrition, social isolation, housing stability and safety, transportation, jobs, poverty, and violence. She couples this with expertise in equity-focused quality measurement and improvement. As Deputy Director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Office of Minority Health, Dr. Shea identified regulatory, payment and policy levers to improve equity in Medicare, Medicaid, the Marketplace, and Demonstration projects. She was part of the Technical Expert Panel that developed the Accountable Health Community model social risk screening tool, change package, and technical assistance strategy. She provided direct technical assistance to CMMI grantees, quality improvement organizations, and ACOs on selecting and adapting evidence-based interventions to improve performance and quality ratings and developed mapping tools to identify disparities in healthcare access, utilization and costs linked to social risk measures. Prior to CMS, Dr. Shea served as the Director of the Maryland Department of Health Office of Population Health Improvement where she led Maryland’s state health improvement process for health care reform, which included multi-sector coalition building and community engagement to address social determinants of health and support collective action on local health improvement goals. This framework is driving health equity action across the state today. Dr. Shea served in the US Peace Corps in Liberia and has a bachelor’s in economics from Trinity Washington University, a master’s in management from the Johns Hopkins University and a doctorate in Public Policy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Dr. Alex Sheen Fellow CMS Office of the Administrator

Alex Sheen is a pediatric dentist and serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at New York University College of Dentistry. He obtained his Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and his Master in Public Health from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. He did is Pediatric Dentistry training at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He currently serves as a Pediatric Dentistry Policy Fellow working under the Chief Dental Officer. His research interests include the role of health policy in increasing access to oral health care for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Carla Shoff Senior Advisor to the Chief Dental Officer CMS Office of the Administrator

Dr. Carla Shoff is the Senior Advisor to the Chief Dental Officer in the Office of the Administrator at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Before this role, Carla was a Social Science Research Analyst at CMS for 9 years. She began her career as a Research Associate at the Population Research Institute at Penn State University (PSU). Carla holds a dual-title Ph.D. in Rural Sociology and Demography and a graduate certificate in Survey Methodology from PSU. Carla has devoted her career to using data to identify disparities in population health, health-related behaviors, and access to health care.

Leslie Short Integrated Services Administrator Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System

Leslie Short holds a Master of Public Health from New York University. She has fifteen years’ experience working in the public health sector implementing health care initiatives for diverse populations from New York City to rural and border communities in Arizona. Leslie is passionate about public health and creating and promoting innovative strategies to build healthier communities. She currently serves as the Integrated Services Administrator in the Division of Fee-for-Service Management at Arizona’s Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), working to create and support care coordination opportunities within the tribal health care delivery system for the American Indian population in Arizona.

Dr. Gary Sing Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives MassHealth

Gary Sing is the Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at MassHealth, Massachusetts’ Medicaid agency. He is a member of the Innovation Team at MassHealth and oversees various delivery system investment programs, including numerous healthcare workforce development efforts. Gary also works to advance integration of health-related social services such as nutrition and housing supports into MassHealth coverage. Additionally, Gary leads efforts to further strengthen MassHealth’s commitment to health equity through management and coordination of various health equity initiatives at the agency. Prior to joining MassHealth, Gary worked as a strategy consultant in the life sciences industry, earned a PhD from Harvard University in Engineering Sciences with a focus on computational neuroscience, and earned dual B.S.E.’s from Duke University in Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering.

Regina Rodriguez Sisneros Director of Equity Initiatives and System Innovations National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services

Regina Rodriguez Sisneros spent 14 years with the Colorado Department of Human Services as the Contract Manager and Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Manager for MINDSOURCE Brain Injury Network. She is a graduate of Georgetown University’s Leadership Institute for Cultural Diversity & Cultural and Linguistic Competence. Her undergraduate work is from University of Colorado with a focus in Ethnic Studies and a minor in Human Development. Regina is also an alum of the Colorado JFK LEND Program. Her experience related to disability started personally because of individuals with disabilities within her family, and her professional experience related to disability began in 2008 when she became a Certified Brain Injury Specialist. Regina began a journey of working with the community to develop policies and procedures that are person-centered, culturally inclusive with a focus of health equity for all families accessing disability support services. Regina sits on the Colorado’s Domestic Violence Advisory Board, and Community of Practice on Cultural & Linguistic Competence in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Advisory Committee and is a council member of the Multi-Cultural Committee of (AUCD). Regina is committed to her work creating systems changes that enhance and support the needs of all.

Lisa Sloane CEO More Inclusive Healthcare

Lisa R. Sloane, MHA is the Founder and CEO of More Inclusive Healthcare (MIH). The company is a recognized leader in training and education solutions designed to accelerate the collection of demographic data to aid in health system disparities resolution efforts. Sloane is a decades-long advocate for the collection and use of race, ethnicity, and language (REAL) as well as other demographic data used to identify health disparities populations. Sloane developed the eLearning course Ask Every Patient: REAL (fourth edition) in 2015. Today, it includes a suite of live and eLearning sessions used in hundreds of hospitals and practices to train thousands of registration staff and managers. Sloane is a faculty member and health equity coach for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. She is also serving her second term on the Board of Directors for CliniSync, Ohio’s statewide data warehousing and exchange organization. Sloane obtained a Master of Healthcare Administration degree from the Health Services Management and Policy (HSMP) Program, College of Public Health at The Ohio State University. She serves the College as Adjunct Assistant Professor where she lectures on various healthcare equity topics.

Dr. Brian Smedley Equity Scholar Urban Institute

Brian D. Smedley is an Equity Scholar at the Urban Institute, where he conducts research and policy analysis to address structural and institutional forms of racism that impact the health and well-being of people of color. Formerly, Dr. Smedley has held leadership positions at the American Psychological Association (APA), National Collaborative for Health Equity, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leadership National Program Center, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, and the Institute of Medicine. Among his awards and distinctions, Smedley has been honored by the American Public Health Association, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and the APA.

Mr. Benjamin Smith Deputy Director Indian Health Service

Benjamin Smith, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, is the deputy director for the Indian Health Service. The IHS, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for American Indians and Alaska Natives. As deputy director, Smith leads IHS operations to ensure the delivery of quality comprehensive health services and that IHS services are integrated across all levels of the agency. The IHS deputy director facilitates collaboration between IHS and tribes to increase access to quality health programs, and assists with the development of standardized metrics and monitoring progress of goals to ensure that quality standards are being achieved throughout the Indian health system. Smith also ensures IHS services are integrated across all levels of the agency and engaged with other operating divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services and external partners, including states and national organizations.

Dr. Gretchen Susi Assistant Vice President of Community Development Maimonides Medical Center

Gretchen Susi’s work is dedicated to the SDOH, community wealth-building, and PAR. Susi previously served as Project Director for Wellness-Based Development at MIT Community Innovators Lab where she helped form the collaboration that has become BCC. She was Director of The Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change, developing and implementing racial equity-promoting strategies with partners across the US. Her research has focused on the effects of stress on human development, social movements, resident activism in public housing, cross-sector alliances, and methods for dismantling structural racism. She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Psychology from the City University of New York.

Ms. Melanie Tan Vice President of Strategy and Growth Medical Home Network

Melanie Tan serves as the Vice President of Strategy & Growth at Medical Home Network, a nationally recognized non-profit dedicated to transforming care in the safety net and building healthier communities. In her role, she is responsible for MHN’s strategic growth, partnerships and value-based care programs with Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC). Since 2019, Melanie has played a key role in MHN’s growth as the organization has expanded its mission and impact to serve more than 300K Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured patients in eight states and most recently, launched MHN’s ACO REACH participation. Prior to MHN, Melanie worked in health systems administration and at Deloitte Consulting. She received her MHSA from the University of Michigan and serves on the Board of Directors for Esperanza Health Centers, an FQHC based in Southwest Chicago.

Dr. Albert Taylor, II Medical Informatics Officer HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

Dr. Taylor served 24 years in the US Army as an OB/Gyn and later as a clinical informaticist until he retired in 2014. He came to ONC as a Clinical Informatics Fellow focusing on developing electronic clinical quality measures before transferring to the Office of Technology working on health IT standards and becoming the technical lead for USCDI in 2019. While USCDI has been his focus, he also helped establish ONC’s role in developing interoperability of SDOH data.

Tequila Terry Director, State & Population Health Group CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation

Tequila Terry serves as the director of the CMS Innovation Center’s state innovation and population health portfolio where she leads teams responsible for the design, implementation, and management of national healthcare payment reform and delivery models across Medicare and Medicaid. In this role, Ms. Terry partners with states on innovative models designed to transform healthcare delivery systems, improve health outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs. She also leads prevention and population health models related to chronic disease prevention, behavioral health, opioid use disorder, and social determinants of health. Ms. Terry earned a Master of Business Administration from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Towson University.

Lauren Trifunovich Health Equity Officer DHR Health

Lauren Trifunovich is a healthcare professional committed to promoting health equity in underserved communities. With a Master's in Clinical Mental Health from Northwestern University, she works in South Texas to increase health equity in the Rio Grande Valley and DHR Health system. Lauren's work focuses on developing and implementing programs that address the unique health needs of the region's diverse population.

Molly Turco Senior Advisor CMS Center for Medicare

Molly T. Turco is a Senior Advisor to the Director of Medicare, Dr. Meena Seshamani, at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS), with a focus on Medicare Advantage. Molly has more than a decade of experience focused on Medicare Advantage policy in DC, including leading Medicare policy at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Better Medicare Alliance, as well as working as an investor consultant and as an academic researcher. She received a BA from Middlebury College and MPH from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice.

Alex Waad Health Equity Program Manager ChristianaCare

Dr. Yashika Watkins Associate Professor Chicago State University

Dr. Daniel Weinberg Vice President Westat

Dr. Daniel Weinberg is a Vice President and health economist with 15 years of health services research experience. He has expertise in healthcare payment policy, alternative payment models, and delivery systems and financing. Recently, he led alternative payment model operations, implementation, and monitoring projects for CMS's Innovation Center. Dr. Weinberg has applied rigorous quasi-experimental approaches to evaluating the impact of payment system and care delivery reforms on quality, cost, and patient outcomes.

Dr. Ellen-Marie Whelan Chief Population Health Officer CMS Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services

Mr. James S. Williams, Jr. Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion University of Chicago Medicine, Urban Health Initiative

James S. Williams Jr. serves as the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Chicago Medicine (UCM). James is responsible for advancing equity and creating an inclusive organization supporting improvements in workforce, patient quality and community health metrics. James has 30+ years’ experience across revenue cycle, transplant, patient access, supply chain and business diversity. UCM’s equity work has been published in Academic Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. James is a life-long resident of Chicago and earned his master’s degree in leadership with a focus on Equitable Organizational Change from DePaul University.

Naomi Williams Patient Family Engagement Specialist PFCCpartners

Naomi D. Williams serves as a Patient and Family Engagement Specialist. Over 20 years of educational and professional experiences served her well, and in 2009, Naomi’s disability advocacy along with community and organization education efforts were enhanced when she became the parent to a 26 week micro-preemie and began the journey of raising a child with complex health and medical needs. Naomi is the author of And God Remembered Noah: A mother’s heart-opening journey through 22 weeks in the NICU (2018). When not advocating for her family or others, you can find Naomi getting lost exploring nature or taking a deep breath on her yoga mat.

Lisa Wilson Senior Advisor CMS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight

Dr. Shondelle Wilson-Frederick Chief Engagement Officer NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Shondelle Wilson-Frederick, Ph.D. serves as the Chief Engagement Officer of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. She works across the Institute to create an engagement strategy for effectively connecting with the needs of the multiple stakeholders on topics where uptake of scientific findings has greatest impact on public health. Dr. Wilson-Frederick spent 10 years at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) serving as a subject matter expert for sickle cell disease (SCD), overseeing stakeholder engagement and leading national health disparities and chronic disease initiatives that supported the White House and HHS strategic priorities.

Mr. Jeff Wu Deputy Director CMS Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight

Jeff Wu leads the center’s work promulgating policy and regulations for many of the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance reforms, including the Health Insurance Exchanges, the premium stabilization programs, advance payments of the premium tax credit and cost-sharing reductions, the CO-OP program, regulation of qualified health plans, and eligibility and enrollment standards. He oversees the center’s communications, stakeholder outreach, and data analysis work, and serves as a member of the center’s senior leadership team. He previously served in various policy positions at CCIIO, as an attorney at the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP, and as a management consultant with Oliver, Wyman & Company. He received an A.B. in economics from Harvard College, a J.D. from Stanford Law School, and an M.B.A. from Stanford Business School.

Dr. Jing Wu Director, Pharmacy Data Strategy and Innovation American Society of Consultant Pharmacists

Dr. Jing Wu, PharmD, MPH is the Director of Pharmacy Data Strategy and Innovation at the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP). Her responsibilities include providing data and analytics expertise that inform decision-making, communication, research, grants, and collaboration efforts both internally and externally to the Society. With her background as a Wisconsin-licensed pharmacist, well-versed in public health, patient advocacy, association management, and geographic information systems (GIS), she consults and teaches in her various areas of expertise.

Madalene Zale Health Equity Program Manager ChristianaCare

Madalene B. Zale, MPH, is a dedicated public health professional with over ten years’ experience working in healthcare. She currently serves as a Health Equity Program Manager at ChristianaCare where she implements and evaluates initiatives focused on improving health outcomes through an equitable and culturally competent lens. Throughout her career, Zale has led and participated in several innovative research endeavors, including, women’s health and endometriosis, substance use disorder, infectious disease, geriatric cancer, veteran health, and disabilities. She has a robust dissemination history and has presented her research over the years at national conferences and has publications in national journals.