Speaking Faculty

Alan Abramson is HealthPartners Senior Vice President for Information Services & Technology and Chief Information Officer.

Mr. Abramson is active as an advisor or board member to numerous regional and national organizations including: Normandale Community College, The Health Care Executive Group, University of St. Thomas Graduate Programs in Software, and BethelBiz mentorship program.

He currently co-chairs the Minnesota eHealth Advisory Committee and has chaired numerous eHealth Workgroups.

Throughout her career, Ms. Allen’s primary passion has been on serving the needs of those most at risk in our communities. She has served in a number of capacities in the nonprofit, education and workforce development arenas, and has worked across the generations to ensure vulnerable and at-risk individuals have access to the resources and services they need to thrive.

Ms. Allen began her career as a special education teacher and school administrator on Andros Island, Bahamas, and later accepted positions with AARP Foundation’s Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) as Project Director and Assistant National Director. She then served as Director, Workforce Programs, for AARP before being named Vice President, Income Security, for AARP Foundation in 2011.

In 2016, Ms. Allen was named Senior Vice President, Programs, and now leads a team of Foundation innovators and social entrepreneurs to develop effective solutions that address the social determinants of health and help vulnerable, low-income older adults secure the essentials. In this role, she oversees AARP Foundation’s longstanding national programs like SCSEP, Tax-Aide and Experience Corps, as well as new innovations designed to increase economic opportunity and social connections that help prevent and reduce senior poverty.

Ms. Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Westminster College and a master’s degree in human and organizational learning from The George Washington University.

Gina Altieri is Enterprise Senior Vice President and Chief of Strategy Integration, responsible for Nemours’ strategic planning process and corporate services which includes information technology, enterprise intelligence, corporate information security, project management, and responsibility for Nemours’ websites, online patient access and video communications. Her latest endeavor is the launch of the Nemours’ Center for Healthcare Delivery and Innovation — a consumer digital health strategy including telemedicine and web-based patient education and related services.

Nemours was an early adopter of the electronic health record and today, under her leadership, Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Nemours Children’s Hospital in Florida and Nemours ambulatory locations in five states have all achieved the prestigious HIMMS Stage 7 top ranking. In addition to her Strategy Integration responsibilities, Gina also leads Nemours Corporate Services Division and serves as an executive champion for Strategic Planning Support, Associate Satisfaction and Engagement and Brand Management.

She is also responsible for The Nemours Mansion and Gardens, an estate museum owned by Alfred I. duPont, Nemours’ benefactor, and inspired by Versailles’ Petit Trianon with stunning gardens. The estate museum is open to visitors and gives travelers a peek into the long-lost world of splendor and beauty that is the hallmark of the Brandywine Valley.

She joined Nemours in 1996 as Practice Administrator of Nemours duPont Pediatrics (formerly Nemours Children's Clinic) in Wilmington, Delaware. Prior to joining Nemours full time, she worked at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children (N/AIDHC) on a consulting basis while she was an employee for the Thomas Jefferson University. As a consultant, she helped N/AIDHC formulate a central billing operation to bill for professional services performed by the employed medical staff.

Gina is a member of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and American Medical Group Association (AMGA). She has also been recognized as a Woman of Distinction by the Philadelphia Business Journal, a Woman in Business by Delaware Today, Connected World Magazine’s Woman of M2M and the Internet of Things (IOT), and by the Balanced Score Card Hall of Fame.

Gina Altieri was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She earned a BS in accounting from Drexel University and achieved the CPA designation in 1988. She lives in West Berlin, New Jersey with her husband Augustine (Gus) and their daughter Bria. They all love spending time at their beach house in Ocean City, NJ.

Scott Anders, M.D., FAAFP, CPE, serves as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Tenet Physician Resources, supporting physician recruitment and retention, company and market growth, clinical and quality strategies, technology integration and improving the patient experience.

Dr. Anders works closely with Tenet’s CMO to enhance the organization’s position as a provider of holistic, high value care that meets the needs of patients across the care continuum. He is responsible for patient experience, clinical and quality strategies, including MACRA performance, employee and patient safety, virtual visits and clinical technology integration.

Dr. Anders has more than 15 years as a senior physician executive and his passion in healthcare is improving the physician work experience, enhancing the patient experience, and managing Tenet’s population health strategy. Prior to joining TPR, Dr. Anders was a division medical director for the Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA), where he helped drive dynamic growth from 100 to 180+ employed multispecialty physicians.

A physician by training, Dr. Anders is board certified in family medicine and is a licensed specialist in hypertension certified by the American Society of Hypertension. He has patient practice experience across many avenues, including emergency room, hospital, ICU, ambulatory and geriatrics.

Dr. Anders has an executive MBA from the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business and received certification as a physician executive from the American College of Physician Executives. He graduated summa cum laude in aerospace engineering and mechanics from the University of Minnesota.

Robert E. Andrews currently serves as the CEO of the Health Transformation Alliance (HTA).

As CEO of the HTA, Andrews oversees the strategic direction of 45+ major corporations who have come together in an alliance to do one thing: fix our broken healthcare system. Formed by 4 founding members in September 2015, the HTA has grown to include more than 45 of our nation’s leading employers, who collectively are responsible for more than 7 million employees, dependents and retirees and an annual health care spend of $26 billion. Through Andrews’ leadership, the HTA has launched value-driven solutions specifically designed to improve patient care and economic value through world class data & analytics, pathbreaking pharmaceutical solutions, high quality medical networks and robust consumer engagement initiatives.

Andrews previously led the Government Affairs practice at Dilworth Paxson law firm for two years before joining the HTA. Prior to private practice, Andrews served as a Member of the United States House of Representatives for nearly 24 years. Upon his departure from the Congress, President Barack Obama praised Andrews’ service as “an original author of the Affordable Care Act...and a vital partner in its passage and implementation,” and cited his “tenacity and skill” in representing the people of New Jersey. Andrews is married to Camille Spinello Andrews, an Associate Dean at Rutgers Law School and former Dilworth partner, and they have two daughters, Jacquelyn and Josie.

During his time in the U.S. House, Andrews was a Member of the House of Democratic Leadership as Co-Chairman of the Steering Policy Committee; Senior Democratic Member and former Chairman of the Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce; Senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, with responsibility for all national defense matters; Senior Democratic member and the former Chairman of the Defense Committee Panel on Defense Procurement Reform; Senior Democratic member and former Chairman of the Defense Committee Panel on Audit of the Pentagon; Participant, White House Summit on Health Care Reforms (2009 and 2010); One of the Original Authors of the Affordable Care Act; One of the original authors of the Defense Procurement Reform Law (2009); and he holds the record for the highest number of votes ever received by a U.S. House candidate in the history of the state of New Jersey. Andrews’ professional and community activities include his time as former Director of Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Andrews has been a keynote speaker at charitable, educational and governmental events for 30 years, including: Bucknell University commencement; Rutgers Law School commencement; and Rutgers Camden commencement. He is a frequent guest on CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and CNBC.

Education:

J.D., magna cum laude, Cornell Law School, 1982 • Cornell Law Review • Order of the Coif B.A., summa cum laude with honors, Bucknell University, 1979 • Phi Beta Kappa

Deborah Ault is well known and respected in the healthcare industry and has been the builder of successful medical management programs since 1996. Deborah has pioneered the “proactive,” “day-one, dollar-one,” and “progressive patient-centric” models of medical management. Most recently the creation of P3CM™ (patent pending) tops her resume. Deborah combines her proven success in the industry with her proven organizational leadership.

A registered nurse for 13 years, Deborah Ault has a diverse background in health care management and in all facets of nursing care. She worked in major hospitals, and acquired business development, management and marketing expertise at several prominent managed care organizations. Most recently, as vice president of care management for a national firm, she successfully utilized care management best practices to integrate two separate business operations into one company, while containing major health care costs.

Deborah began her nursing career upon graduation from Marion Technical College, and studied at several colleges and universities before earning her BBA degree and then MBA. Her leadership, multi-tasking and organizational skills, coupled with her advanced studies in mathematics and statistics, have proven invaluable in helping clients realize savings from medical management interventions.

John Birkmeyer, MD is Chief Clinical Officer at Sound Physicians, a national physician organization specializing in acute care medicine and performance management. It comprises over 3,500 physicians and APPs practicing at more than 300 hospitals nationwide. In this role, he is responsible for clinical and financial performance and helping hospital partners succeed under value-based payment models. Before joining Sound in 2017, he was Executive Vice President of Integrated Delivery Systems and Chief Academic Officer at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, responsible for clinical operations and academic affairs.

Dr. Birkmeyer is a graduate of Boston College and Harvard Medical School, and completed his general surgery residency and medical informatics fellowship at Dartmouth. He later moved to the University of Michigan, serving as Director of the Center for Healthcare Outcomes & Policy and founding Director of the Michigan Value Collaborative, a payer-funded improvement collaborative involving over 50 hospitals across Michigan. In 2011, he founded ArborMetrix, an analytics company focused on helping hospitals and providers succeed under new payment models.

Elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2006, Dr. Birkmeyer is a nationally recognized health services researcher with expertise in understanding variation in hospital and provider performance, scalable strategies for quality improvement, and value-based reimbursement. Many of his 250+ peer-reviewed studies have appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and Health Affairs. Dr. Birkmeyer was a member of the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care Working Group and co-author on its watershed report, “The Quality of Medicare Care in the United States: A Report on the Medicare Program.”

As Senior Vice President of Health Services, Garrett Black develops strategies and programs to make health care easier to use and more affordable. In this role, Black leads innovation in payment for medical services; collaborates with medical providers to create new and transformative care models; and addresses the sustainability of healthcare costs.

In his Enterprise Solutions role, Mr. Black leads information technology, operating platforms and data/analytics.

Black joined Blue Cross in 2010 as Vice President of Network Management. In this role, he led Blue Cross’ provider relationship and payment strategies. In 2012, Black was promoted to Senior Vice President of Health Management, leading medical management and health analytics. In 2014, he began a new role focused on developing collaborative partnerships between Blue Cross and medical providers.

Immediately prior to Blue Cross, Black served as Chief Strategy Officer for Children’s Hospitals & Clinics of Minnesota. Before his work at Children’s, Black was System Director for Strategic Development at Allina Health. Black’s experience also includes seven years as a national consultant, advising hospitals, physicians and integrated care systems across the country on strategy, business development, mergers and acquisitions, and long-term financial planning.

Black earned his Bachelor's degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee and subsequent Master's degrees in business and healthcare administration from the University of Minnesota.

Lauren Brueggen is a Principal at the Heritage Group, a healthcare-focused private equity fund backed by strategic investors including healthcare systems, payers and other healthcare service providers. Prior to joining Heritage Group, Lauren was a Principal for the growth equity fund of Spring Mountain Capital, a New York-based alternative asset management firm with $1 billion of assets under management. Lauren spent seven years at Spring Mountain Capital focused on making growth equity investments in healthcare and technology businesses. From 2007 – 2011, she was an Associate at The Wicks Group, a private equity firm with over $1 billion under management. Prior to Wicks, she was in the Restructuring and Mergers & Acquisitions Group of Jefferies & Company, a middle market-focused investment bank. In 2017, she was named to GrowthCap’s Top 40 Under 40 list of growth equity investors.

Lauren graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Economics and currently serves on the regional Board of the Northwestern University Leadership Circle. She resides in Nashville with her husband and three sons.

As the EntrepreNURSE-in-Residence at REshape Innovation Center at Radboud University Medical Center and part of the Exponential Medicine team at Singularity University, Shawna brings the clinical, practical, and human sensibilities of a nurse to work with early-stage ventures, large-scale enterprises, and emerging and converging technologies. She listens, learns, finds, and activates the mavericks and projects with a serious chance of delivering better health outcomes and making society stronger.

At Exponential Medicine, the focus is on the opportunities presented by robotics, AI, VR, machine learning, supercomputing, genetic sequencing, blockchain, 3D printing, drones, crowd + cloud solutions, and other technology advances; convene the community experimenting with them; and accelerate the distribution of adoption and impact.

Projects Shawna has shaped and launched include the EntrepreNURSE-in-Residence role in the Netherlands, an enterprise-wide digital radiology solution, an international emergency medicine training rotation between a US medical school and a New Zealand hospital system, and the Cancer XPRIZE focused on early detection.

She serves as an advisor to a variety of local, national, and global initiatives including Food+City, End Well, Dutch Health Innovation School, SXSW Accelerator, MassChallenge Texas, Impact Pediatric Health, Nursing Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Northeastern University, and Austin Chamber Music Center.

Her clinical nursing experience includes emergency, cardiac, critical care, international medical flight transport, and workplace wellness. Her talent is scanning the horizon for game-changing patterns and identifying + connecting the thought leaders provoking them. Shawna brings sharp wit, common sense, and deep caring to projects worth doing and ideas worth spreading.

Mark Caron is the Chief Executive Officer of Geneia and Executive Vice-President of Business Platforms and Systems at Capital BlueCross. He has more than 30 years of business and technology expertise with more than 25 years in health care traversing both health care delivery systems and health insurers.

His experience also includes senior leadership roles as the CIO of the Collaborative Care division of OptumHealth, Senior Vice President & CIO at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin, Senior Vice President & CIO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Chief Technology Officer at Catholic Health Initiatives (a 78 hospital system), and Vice President of Information Systems at Healthsource.

He earned a bachelor‘s degree in Computer Science from Franklin Pierce College and has a MBA and a master’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Southern New Hampshire University. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE), certified as a Healthcare Chief Information Officer through the College of Healthcare Information Executives, and is a member of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and of the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS).

Dr. Bill Cassidy is a United States Senator for Louisiana.

Bill is married to Dr. Laura Cassidy and they have three children. They attend church at the Chapel on the Campus.

Bill grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and attended Louisiana State University (LSU) for undergraduate and Medical School.

For nearly three decades, Bill has provided care for uninsured and underinsured patients in Louisiana’s charity hospital system.

During this time, he co-founded the Greater Baton Rouge Community Clinic, a clinic providing free dental and health care to the working uninsured. Bill also created a private-public partnership to vaccinate 36,000 greater Baton Rouge area children against Hepatitis B at no cost to the schools or parents. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Bill led a group of health care volunteers to convert an abandoned K-Mart building into an emergency health care facility, providing basic health care to hurricane evacuees.

In 1990, Bill joined LSU Medical School following his tenure at Earl K. Long hospital, where he taught medical students and residents while treating the uninsured. Bill was elected to the Louisiana State Senate in 2006.

In 2008, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives to represent Louisiana’s Sixth Congressional District. In the US House, Bill served on the Energy and Commerce Committee and supported a conservative agenda.

Bill was elected to the United States Senate in December, 2014. He serves on the Energy and Natural Resources, Health Education Labor & Pensions (HELP), Finance, Veterans’ Affairs and Joint Economic Committees.

Norman H. Chenven, M.D., is the Founding Chief Executive Officer of Austin Regional Clinic (ARC), a 325 physician multi-specialty medical group that serves the greater Austin metropolitan area with 25 clinical locations. ARC provides care to approximately 470,000 Central Texans in ten cities and three counties.

He is also President and Chief Executive Officer of Covenant Management Systems (CMS), an Austin-based practice management company, third party administrator and medical management organization that provides technical support and services to hospitals, medical groups, provider networks and governmental and employer based health plans.

Dr. Chenven is a Board Member of a number of national medical organizations such as the American Medical Group Association (AMGA), America’s Physicians Groups (APG) and the Council of Accountable Physician Practices (CAPP). He also is the Vice Chairman of the Austin Healthcare Council. Dr. Chenven has been recognized as Physician of the Year, Travis County Medical Society; Physician Emeritus, Texas Academy of Family Physicians and Executive Leadership Award from the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Clough is responsible for defining the strategy for user and customer engagement initiatives and for the technology and data science product enhancements. Like her fellow ArmadaHealth® leaders, she is committed to improving healthcare delivery through innovation.

Suzanne is especially passionate about programs that deliver human-centric, evidence-based clinical and behavioral support to those touched by chronic disease. She was the co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of WellDoc, a rapidly growing pioneer in the digital health technology company. WellDoc’s FDA-cleared app BlueStar® was the first in a novel class of therapy, called Mobile Prescription Therapy, for people with type 2 diabetes. At WellDoc, Clough led the clinical and behavioral algorithm design and development efforts of the WellDoc platform. She also played a key business development role, leading the launch of several commercially successful digital health products within the healthcare ecosystem.

Dr. Clough continues to be very involved in the digital health community, serving as an advisor to other digital health companies, including CanSurround, a personalized web/mobile technology for people living with cancer as well as serving as the Chief Medical Officer of AmalgamRx.

Her zeal for pursuing innovative, evidence-based solutions for chronic disease management was triggered by her medical background in endocrinology. Clough completed her training in internal medicine and a fellowship in endocrinology at the University of Maryland Medical Systems. She served as an assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology as well as Medical Director and Founder of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Medical Systems. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from James Madison University in Virginia.

Jeffrey Conklin Vice President, Payer & Network Strategies President, Adventist Health Managed Care President/CEO, Adventist Health Plan, Inc. Jeff Conklin joined Adventist Health as a corporate vice president and president, Adventist Health Managed Care in 2008. In 2012, Conklin transitioned into a new role with responsibility for advancing Adventist Health’s payer and network strategies. Additionally, in 2014 he became president/CEO of Adventist Health Plan, Inc., a newly formed KnoxKeene Plan. His background includes more than 30 years of leadership in managed care and in developing/managing physician organizations. A health care executive with extensive experience in senior leadership roles for health care systems, hospitals, IPAs/Medical Groups and management services organizations, Conklin possesses expertise in managed care strategy and contracting, accountable care, Independent Physician Association (IPA) development and administration, medical group management, and business development.

Since July 2014, Michael J. Consuelos, MD, MBA, has served as the senior vice president for clinical integration at the Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP). Dr. Consuelos works with member hospital and health system leaders, as well as other stakeholders, to promote innovative ways of improving health care delivery.

Dr. Consuelos leads HAP’s physician leadership initiative. Through this, he engages physician leaders, supports hospital and health system leadership in developing new payment models, works to improve the quality of clinical care, and supports integration of care across the continuum. Dr. Consuelos also encourages the sharing of best practices and the involvement of thought leadership to strengthen the hospital-physician relationship.

Dr. Consuelos has held multiple physician leadership positions, encompassing physician practices and pediatric service lines since 1997. He has extensive experience leading health system capital planning, strategic business ventures, physician compensation plans, and community pandemic response. Dr. Consuelos has also coached physician leaders and lectured on a variety of leadership competencies.

Dr. Consuelos received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his pediatric training at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He received his Executive MBA from the Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Business and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

David Contorno is Founder of E Powered Benefits. As a native of New York, David began his career in the insurance industry at the age of 14, and has since become a leading expert in the realm of employee benefits over the last 21 years. The Hilb Group continues to grow organically by ensuring all management is handled locally, providing top notch solutions and supports, and through strategic acquisitions.

Among his many accolades, David received a Broker Spotlight in 2004 and was recognized as an outstanding Broker of Service in 2005 through 2014 by Blue Cross Blue Shield. He has continually received the Echelon Award by United Healthcare since 2003, reserved for the top 1% of agents nationally, and was a 2015 "40 Under 40" Award Winner presented by Charlotte Business Journal. Most recently, David was Benefits Selling Magazine's 2015 Broker of the Year and, in March 2016, Forbes deemed him "One of America's Most Innovative Benefits Leaders."

David is a member of the Board of Directors for both the Charlotte Association of Health Underwriters and Healthreach Community Clinic. He served on the NC Insurance Commissioners Life and Health Agent Advisory Committee, as well as participated in the Technical Advisory Group that helped with the Market Reforms required under the Affordable Care Act in North Carolina. He is a long-time member of the Lake Norman and South Iredell Chambers of Commerce as well as the National, North Carolina, New York and Long Island Associations of Health Underwriters. David contributes to numerous publications, including Forbes, Benefits Selling Magazine, Business Leader Magazine and Insurance Thought Leadership.

David is committed to giving back to his community and actively participates in the membership drive for the United Way, assisting the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and supporting The Dove House Child Advocacy Center. When he is not working, he enjoys boating, traveling, and being with his wife, Heather, and their two children, Hannah and Ethan.

Vicki Cunningham is a graduate of the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy. She has practiced pharmacy for the past thirty-nine years, working in hospital and community pharmacies, as a consultant for long-term care facilities, and an instructor of pharmacology in the University of Charleston, School of Nursing. Before coming to the Bureau for Medical Services, she practiced at West Virginia Health Right, a free clinic for the under- and uninsured, both dispensing and working on formulary development and access issues. She continues to serve there as a volunteer pharmacist.

Vicki joined the West Virginia Bureau for Medical Services in 2001 where she served as the Drug Utilization Review Coordinator for 14 years and the Director of Pharmacy Services for the past five years. Her responsibilities include retrospective and prospective drug utilization review and special projects involving disease management. Vicki coordinated and served on the West Virginia Team selected to participate in the National Governor’s Association Policy Academy on Chronic Disease, served as project manager for West Virginia’s Medicaid Transformation Program, Mountain Health Choices and the Enhanced Medication Management Program for implementation of an automated prior authorization system, a clinical web portal and e-prescribing.

As the president and CEO of Northwest Permanente (NWP), Imelda Dacones, MD, leads more than 1,700 physicians, clinicians, and administrators at the largest independent, physician-led, and multi-specialty professional corporation in Oregon and SW Washington. Together they serve the more than 580,000 members of Kaiser Permanente’s Northwest Region in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

During her time with Northwest Permanente, she’s received its once-in-a-career-time NWP Distinguished Physician Award in 2012. Her colleagues have also nominated and won her the distinction of a “Top Doc” for 2013, 2014, and 2016 in Portland Monthly magazine.

Dr. Dacones joined NWP in 1999 as a primary care physician in internal medicine and became a hospitalist full time in 2002. After five years as the lead hospitalist for the West Service Area, she became in 2011 the physician leader for the planning and opening of Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro, Oregon. She became the chief of Staff and chief medical officer when the facility opened in 2013. In 2014, Dr. Dacones transitioned into regional leadership as NWP’s regional chief medical officer and director of Hospital Operations. In 2015 she was named CEO and president – the second woman to hold this position since the organization’s founding in 1942.

Dr. Dacones received her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Chicago, where she also completed her internship and residency training.

She currently sits on the foundation board of Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, whose mission is to surmount social barriers to provide high-quality, comprehensive, and culturally appropriate primary health care to all community members of Washington and Yamhill Counties. This commitment stems from her passion to ensure than everyone has access to affordable and quality health care regardless of economic or residency status. Dr. Dacones also is committed to innovation in medical education and nurturing the future generation of physicians. She sits on the board of directors for the inaugural Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, planned to open in Pasadena, Calif.

For some of her written and opinion pieces, plus updates on Dr. Dacones’ most recent activities you can follow her on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Eric Decker, senior vice president, information technology, chief information officer, is responsible for planning, organizing and overseeing Independent Health’s information services activities to ensure our technology capabilities support business strategies. Decker also represents Independent Health when interfacing with clinical, community, vendor and regulatory organizations to create and maintain technical solutions that align with our business processes.

Decker has served as lead of IT since October 2014 and vice president, enterprise architecture (EA) and technology implementation since February 2012. He has been accountable for establishing and implementing the vision for Independent Health’s EA, which includes working with IT, eBusiness, Information Competency Center, Business Process Center of Excellence, and security/privacy representatives. Decker has led the IT organization through significant change, including construction of a new primary data center, migration of our core administrative platform (CAP) to HealthRules, creation of new enterprise data warehouse, and implementation of new analytical and integration capabilities.

In his previous role as director, technology implementation, Decker led the business analysts, quality analyst team, and IT project managers. Decker brought great changes, including significant improvements in business requirements and test automation. He also took on leadership of the EA team, which is a key role in managing our future architecture direction.

Decker was previously employed with Meritain Health, Inc. In his most recent position at Meritain, as vice president, IT Application Services, he was responsible foroverseeing the IT Application Services organization, which included numerous departments.

Prior to Meritain, Decker worked at Independent Health as an enterprise architect, IT Architecture/Engineering. In this position, he performed a variety of duties, including leading Independent Health’s product development and clinician teams through a market evaluation of consumer-driven health plan administration systems and online tools in support of this membership, including health assessment, provider transparency, and treatment cost estimator tools.

Decker received his bachelor’s degree in computer science and his master’s degree in computer science and engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo

Susan Dentzer is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the NEHI, the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization composed of more than 100 stakeholder organizations from across all key sectors of health and health care. NEHI’s mission is to advance innovations that improve health, enhance the quality of health care, and achieve greater value for the money spent. With offices in Washington, DC, and Boston, Massachusetts, NEHI conducts independent, objective research and thought leadership to accelerate these innovations and bring about changes within health care and public policy.

One of the nation's most respected health and health policy thought leaders and journalists, and a frequent speaker and commentator on television and radio, including NPR, Dentzer previously served as senior policy adviser to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Prior to that, she was editor-in-chief of the journal Health Affairs, and from 1998 to 2008, she served as the on-air Health Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour.

Dentzer is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Rescue Committee, a leading humanitarian organization; a member of the board of directors of Research!America, which works to advance research to improve health; and a member of the board of directors of the Public Health Institute. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Social Insurance and the Hasting Center, an institution dedicated to bioethics and the public interest. She previously served as a public member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. She serves on multiple advisory boards, including those of the Duke-Margolis Center; the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California-San Francisco; and the March of Dimes public policy advisory group.

A graduate of Dartmouth, Dentzer formerly chaired the Dartmouth Board of Trustees, and is a member of the Board of Advisors of Dartmouth Medical School. She and her husband, Charles Alston, have three grown children.

Dr. Sanjay Doddamani is the Chief Medical Officer of Geisinger at Home, a home-based model of care for Geisinger’s population of medically complex patients. He leads a large clinical team across the primary service area in Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania. He also serves as Chief Medical Officer of the Keystone ACO, and is a Senior Director in Population Health. In this capacity, he works with the executive leadership to accelerate improvement of performance metrics across the system, working closely with the service line, hospital and community healthcare and operational leadership, to improve integration of population health initiatives.

His clinical background as a practicing heart failure cardiologist has helped provide deep insights in to chronic conditions and the struggles faced by patients and their caregivers. Dr. Doddamani is board certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiology, as well as in heart failure and cardiac transplant. He has served on numerous panels and committees and presented on diverse topics both nationally and abroad.

Tom is the founder and president of Cypress Benefit Administrators, a Third Party Administrator and a member of the Lucent Health family of companies; CEO of Argus Claim Review, a claim auditing and negotiation organization; and Principal of Armada Business Services, a TPA consulting and Business Process Outsourcing service company. He has as his responsibilities overall direction of business development, sales, marketing, strategic planning, stop-loss market development and managed care relationships at each company.

Tom brings over 30 years of management experience in Third Party Administration, health insurance, consulting and managed care to Cypress. He has been at the senior level of several health care businesses, including TPA, HMO, PPO and insurance entities as CEO, Vice President and Director. Prior to founding Cypress in 2000, Tom spent several years as Director of Marketing and Provider Relations for one of the largest TPAs in the country and has successfully developed managed care networks throughout the nation.

Tom has served as the Chairman of the Board of the Society of Professional Benefit Administrators based in Washington, DC and is a member of the Health Care Administrators Association, Self Insurance Administrators Association and the National Association of Health Underwriters. His undergraduate degree is from the State University of New York College of Arts and Sciences at Geneseo, NY and his post-graduate work was done at Gannon College in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Patty Fennell has over 30 years of nursing experience with expertise in clinical quality, performance improvement, case management, safety, and administrative areas. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Florida State University, a Master of Business Degree in Healthcare Management, and a Master of Science Degree in Nursing. Ms. Fennell is certified in Lean, healthcare quality (CPHQ), quality assurance and utilization review (CHCQM), healthcare compliance (CHC) and is a licensed healthcare risk manager (LHRM).

Patty has worked for Adventist Health System (AHS) for over 10 years and most recently accepted a new position as the Executive Director of Service Line Bundles. In her new role, Patty will be responsible for both CMS bundled payment models and commercial payer bundles. Prior to her new role, Patty was the Corporate Director of Clinical Quality Improvement and was responsible for the System level quality initiatives, leading the Clinical Regulatory Committee, and was the Operational Lead for the CMS Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) bundle.

Current Responsibilities
Mary currently serves as the senior vice president of business development for Advocate Aurora Health. In this capacity, she is responsible for system-wide growth development, planning and implementation with financial responsibility for annual revenue growth targets for the system’s business units including hospitals, medical groups, Post-Acute Care, Children’s Health, Behavioral Health and pharmacy. Mary also serves on the system and regional operations leadership teams providing operational oversight of the system’s business units. She leads Advocate Aurora’s partnership and new growth strategies, creating a foundation for future system growth. She also leads the system’s strategic capital planning process for large-scale growth initiatives. Mary is responsible for the department management of Aurora’s Enterprise Business Group, the department responsible for business strategy, growth, strategic partnerships, managed care strategy and contracting.

Prior Experience
Starting with Aurora 29 years ago in media relations, Mary served in numerous leadership roles throughout the years of rapid growth of Aurora as an integrated delivery system. She has extensive experience in developing and implementing growth strategies with system revenue accountability. She has also served on numerous operational leadership teams and boards for Aurora’s hospitals and medical groups.

Education, Awards and Professional Affiliations
Mary is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and is a graduate of the Administrative Fellowship Program with the Health Management Academy.

Keith J. Figlioli is a General Partner at LRVHealth, a Boston-based venture fund focused on finding, investing in, and building disruptive new digital health, medical device, and diagnostic companies. LRVHealth’s core investor base includes both healthcare providers and payers and represents a network of approximately 200 hospitals, 2,000 points of care, and 25,000 clinicians covering 23 states and touching a population of 45 million people.

Before joining LRVHealth, Keith was most recently Premier, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: PINC) Senior Vice President of healthcare informatics. In this role, he led the company’s enterprise healthcare technology business unit and helped the company raise $820M in its IPO. Prior to Premier, Keith was with Eclipsys (acquired by Allscripts NASDAQ: MDRX) as its Senior Vice President of Enterprise Solutions, where he was responsible for all go-to-market activities, market planning, and solution strategic direction across clinical, financial, and operational product offerings. He is a board member at Censinet, Sansoro Health, and IntelyCare, a board observer for Cyft, Upfront Healthcare and Diameter Health, and member of the Board of Trustees at Wheaton College. He has previously served on the Health IT Standards Committee for the Office of the National Coordinator and the board of directors for Global Healthcare Exchange (GHX), Activate Networks, Good Sports, and MassBike.

Keith earned a B.A from Wheaton College and an M.B.A. from Boston University.

Joy currently serves as Lilly’s Chief Diversity Officer. In that role, she partners with the company’s CEO and senior leaders to attract top talent, develop future leaders, and ensure that all employees can thrive in an inclusive environment that is as diverse as the communities of patients we serve.

Joy has more than 20 years of leadership experience in both for-profit and nonprofit organizations in various industries. As a dynamic speaker and strategic thought partner, she has presented keynote speeches and workshops in more than 20 countries on five continents. She was recently published in Harvard Business Review. She is a highly sought-after executive coach, helping leaders fulfill their aspirations. She has served on boards for several organizations and was named by Diversity Journal as a Woman Worth Watching, by Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association as a Rising Star, and by Black Enterprise as a Top Executive in Corporate Diversity.

As Director of Operations, Tom is responsible for expanding the SkyMedicus network of healthcare providers and facilities internationally, as well as developing a domestic network. Additionally he is working with healthcare brokers, third party administrators, major corporations and employer coalitions to enable their clients to take advantage of the high quality, cost efficient healthcare services on a global scale.

His career began, at Grady Memorial Hospital, a 1,000 bed tertiary teaching hospital affiliated with Emory University School of Medicine, where he served 14 years as its Associate Executive Director. Following Grady, he was Executive Director at R.T. Jones Medical Center in Canton, GA, a rural hospital that was struggling financially. He successfully moved the hospital to a sound financial footing, completed an eight million dollar renovation/expansion of the facility, and recruited needed physicians to the community; he left the facility well funded and respected in the community.

He was recruited by Blue Cross Blue Shield Georgia to develop HMO Georgia, a for profit, managed care subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield Georgia, serving as its Chief Operating Officer, he secured the Certificate of Authority, developed the provider network throughout Georgia and established the marketing/sales plan. HMO Georgia ramped up rapidly and moved to a profitable status over a short number of years. He went on after this to develop and operate other managed care organizations in Georgia.

He was also a Partner and CEO of Prime Living, Inc., a real estate development company, developing and managing assisted living communities in Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee.

Tom holds a degree in Business Administration from Georgia Southern College and a Masters in Health Administration from Georgia State University. Tom served his administrative residency at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, in Chicago, Illinois.

Dan is a Principal at Flare Capital Partners. Prior to joining Flare Capital, Dan served as a Medical Director at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Plan, leading Population Health Analytics, Value Based Purchasing, and General Strategy. Dan is a practicing Internal Medicine Physician on the Faculty of the Massachusetts General Hospital, and has an appointment as an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. Previously, Dan spent time as an entrepreneur and operator in the Health IT Industry, cofounding and managing two separate businesses in the Electronic Health Records and Online Medical Education industries. Dan’s other interests include Healthcare Policy and Global Health. He has served as a Senior Health Policy Advisor for the Campaigns of Governor Charlie Baker and Congressman Joseph Kennedy III. He has worked to expand healthcare infrastructure in the developing world, serving as a consultant for the Clinton Foundation Health Access Initiative (CHAI) in Ethiopia. Dan currently sits on Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s Board of Nursing Home Administrators. Dan earned a B.S. with honors from the University of California, San Diego, an M.D. Summa Cum Laude from the Morehouse School of Medicine, and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. Dan completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Sunnie Giles is President of Quantum Leadership Group. She is the author of The New Science of Radical Innovation (2018). She catalyzes leaders to produce radical innovation and redefine the game as individuals and organizations. She is a TEDx speaker on radical innovation.

She is an advisor at the Stanford Business School Institute of Innovation in Developing Economies. Her recent research on global leadership for innovation has been published by Harvard Business Review. She is a regular contributor on Forbes, and has been published on INC., World Financial Review, the Leadership Network, Training Industry, the Korea Times, and Management Matters Network.

Dr. Sunnie received her MBA degree from the University of Chicago Booth school of Business and a PhD in systemic psychology from Brigham Young University.

Garth Graham, M.D., MPH, is a leading authority on social determinants of health. President of the Aetna Foundation and Vice President of Community Health for Aetna, Inc., Garth is also a cardiologist and public health expert.

He oversees the community health initiatives for the Foundation and Aetna, Inc., bringing his experience as a former deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Obama and Bush administrations where he also ran the Office of Minority Health. He directed the development of the federal government’s first National Health Disparities Plan released under the Obama administration.

He has been a contributor to The Hill, The Chicago Tribune, Fortune, Quartz, and Health Affairs and has been featured in CNN and The New York Times among others. His original research has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, American Journal of Public Health, Health Affairs and other publications. Along with his role at the Aetna Foundation, Garth is a clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut.

Prior to joining the Foundation, in his role as the assistant dean for health policy at the University Of Florida School Of Medicine, Garth led several research initiatives looking at how to improve outcomes and readmission rates in cardiac patients in underserved populations. He contributes to several boards including being named by the President to the U.S. Federal Coordinating Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research, the Institute of Medicine Board on Population Health, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Associational National Quality Oversight Committee, the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Data Standards and many others

Dr. Graham holds a medical degree from Yale School of Medicine, a master’s in public health from Yale School of Public Health and a bachelor of science in biology from Florida International University in Miami. He completed clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Johns Hopkins where he trained in cardiology and interventional cardiology. He holds three board certifications including internal medicine, cardiology and interventional cardiology.

Mr. Grahe is the Chief Executive Officer of the Trivergent Health Alliance MSO, a $220 million organization with 850 employees serving Frederick Memorial Hospital, Western Maryland Health System, and Meritus Medical Center. He also serves as the CEO of Advanced Health Collaborative, LLC which is comprised of 4 major independent Maryland based health systems with a combined total of 10 hospitals. Mr. Grahe is the treasurer for the Kids of Malawi USA organization. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants and a fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Formerly, he was the Senior Vice President – Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Meritus Medical Center, Inc. and was responsible for all financial services of Meritus Health Inc. He joined the administrative staff of Washington County Hospital (now known as Meritus Health) in 1979. Mr. Grahe is the past Chairman of the Board of Directors of Maryland Physicians Care, a Medicaid HMO with 215,000 members statewide. He is also a past member of The Columbia Bank Board, chairman of the Colonial Regional Alliance Board of Managers, and Treasurer of the TriState Health Partners Inc. Board of Directors. Mr. Grahe has been a member of various committees of the Maryland Hospital Association for many years, largely on the finance committee and the rate negotiation committees. Mr. Grahe received a B.S. from the University of Maryland and an M.B.A. from Loyola College.

Mary Grealy is president of the Healthcare Leadership Council, a coalition of chief executives of the nation’s leading health care companies and organizations.  The HLC advocates consumer-centered health care reform, emphasizing the value of private sector innovation.  It is the only health policy advocacy group that represents all sectors of the health care industry.  She was appointed to the position in August 1999.

Ms. Grealy has an extensive background in health care policy.  She has led important initiatives on the uninsured, Medicare reform, improving patient safety and quality, protecting the privacy of patient medical information and reforming the medical liability laws.  She testifies frequently before Congress and federal regulatory agencies.

From 1995 until she began her tenure at HLC, she served as Chief Washington Counsel for the American Hospital Association, a national organization representing all types of hospitals, health systems and health care networks.  In her position, she was responsible for the organization’s legal advocacy before Congress, as well as executive and judicial branches of government.

From 1979 to 1995, Ms. Grealy was Chief Operating Officer and Executive Counsel for the Federation of American Hospitals, a trade association representing 1,700 investor-owned and managed hospitals and health systems.  She coordinated legislative and regulatory policies as well as lobbying activities for the Federation.

Ms. Grealy has a bachelor degree from Michigan State University and a law degree from Duquesne University.  She served on the Board of Directors of TEAMHealth, one of the largest providers of outsourced physician staffing solutions for hospitals in the United States, and the Board of Directors of Duquesne University.  She is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association.  She also serves on the advisory boards of the David A. Winston Health Policy Fellowship, Women Business Leaders in Health and the March of Dimes Public Policy Council.  She is a frequent public speaker on health issues and has been ranked many times by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare and has been named to Modern Healthcare’s list of the Top 25 Women in Healthcare.

Nelson Griswold has been called “visionary” by Art Dammers of Anthem, “an authority on voluntary benefits and consultative selling” by Employee Benefit Adviser magazine and “a well-recognized industry thought leader” by Ron Leopold of MetLife.

Nelson has been honored by the Voluntary Benefits Association with their prestigious Industry Leadership Award, for his “professional accomplishments that drive the voluntary benefits industry forward.” A nationally-known agency reinvention and growth expert, he is the author of DO or DIE: Reinventing Your Benefits Agency for Post-Reform Success, the industry bestseller that has been hailed as the only comprehensive blueprint for agency leaders to reinvent their firm to survive and grow in the post-ACA era. As a practice management and agency growth consultant, Nelson works with leading agencies across the country to grow their top- and bottom-line revenue.

Nelson serves as Managing Director of the Agency Growth Mastermind Partnership, a national executive peer-exchange network for non-competing benefits agency owners who collaborate and cooperate to identify best practices and proven growth strategies to remain relevant, profitable, independent & growing.

Nelson is also a leading strategic consultant to carriers and other industry vendors on broker distribution & activation, voluntary benefits, and next-generation engagement & enrollment strategies. Nelson writes a monthly column for Employee Benefit Adviser magazine, has written for Benefits Selling, Producers eSource and other leading industry publications, and writes a blog for Zywave. He is an in-demand keynote speaker and presenter at industry conferences. He is a board member and serves on the executive committee of both the Workplace Benefits Association and the Voluntary Benefits Association

Darcy Gruttadaro is the director of the Center for Workplace Mental Health. As director, she works with her team in developing and implementing the Center’s strategic direction in providing employers high impact tools and programs to support the mental health of employees and their families. The Center works with organizations of all sizes from Fortune 100 companies to small family owned businesses in creating effective approaches to improving the mental health and well-being of the workforce.

Before joining the Center, Ms. Gruttadaro served in senior level positions with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Ms. Gruttadaro has expertise in expanding evidence-based practices, improving early intervention, designing insurance coverage for mental health services and building an array of effective services and supports that promote resiliency and recovery. Ms. Gruttadaro has also worked with national organizations representing managed care organizations and practiced law with the Harris Beach law firm, concentrating her legal practice on health care and mental health issues. She served as a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of NY. Ms. Gruttadaro earned a BS degree from Clarkson University and a JD from Western New England University School of Law.

Kimberly Hauge is Director for Employee Wellness at Kent State University. Kent State University has more than 214,000 alumni worldwide, 41,000 students enrolled in an eight-campus system supported by 6,800 full and part-time faculty and staff.

Kim received her M.Ed from Kent State University and is currently working on her PhD in Public Health. She has worked at Kent State for the past 18 years in benefits administration, communication and project management, talent acquisition, and employee wellness and health promotion. She is certified by the Society for Human Resource Management as a Professional in Human Resources and by the National Wellness Institute as a Certified Wellness Practitioner. Her current responsibilities include the strategic planning and management of a comprehensive employee wellness program and executive member of the Kent State healthy campus initiative.

Over 15 years of health benefits and health policy experience in corporate,consulting and public policy creating arenas. Proven leadership capability and relationship building skills within a corporate environment and external organizations. Co-founder and President of the Maine Health Management Coalition, President of Care Focused Purchasing, Leapfrog Board Member, Executive Advisory Board for Express Scripts, Aetna, Definity Health and JNJ. Secretary of the Center for Health Value Innovation. Demonstrated innovation in developing strategies to improve the quality of care while achieving flat, multiple year medical cost trends. National presence in health care strategy and innovation. Frequent national keynote speaker. Recipient of national awards such as the NBGH Platinum Award for Health Promotion.

Specialties: Value Based Health Benefit Design, Medical Tourism, Minimally Invasive Procedures, Health Promotion and Wellness Programs, Incentives, Provider Tiering, Community Health Models, Provider Reimbursement Models, Innovative Strategies

Paul Heldman has written about health policy for investors for 25 years – for eight years as a reporter for Bloomberg News and then as an analyst for institutional investors for firms that included Citigroup and Schwab Washington Research Group.

During that time, he has covered and written for investors about the failed Clinton effort to overhaul health care, the 1997 Balanced Budget Law, the creation of the Medicare Part D drug benefit and the enactment of and later efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Paul is currently managing partner of Heldman Simpson Partners, which provides analysis for institutional investors and private equity firms on health legislative and regulatory issues. His coverage includes government policy on drug pricing and government insurance reimbursement and coverage issues concerning hospitals and post-acute, dialysis and other providers of health services.

Paul holds a BA from Clark University.

Bev Helkey is Executive Director of the Employers Healthcare Coalition and the Tri-State Purchasing Coalition. She has 30+ years’ experience in healthcare cost management strategies and employee benefits. She joined the coalitions in 2002. She provides management and oversight of two non-profit organizations. Employers Healthcare Coalition provides health education, health literacy, and healthcare cost and outcome resources to the community, and the Tri-State Health Care Purchasing Coalition which group purchases services to their members and the community.

With her extensive experience in healthcare cost management strategies, she has served the organizations through the design, development and implementation of their robust cost saving programs – including education-focused on health literacy, healthcare cost, outcomes and the patient experience.

Ms. Helkey’s career in healthcare cost strategies spans more than 30-years. Helkey holds a bachelor’s degree in Business. She is board member of Leadership Illinois, The Quincy Family YMCA, CDC - The National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health (NLAPH) and the Association for Corporate Risk Management (ACHRM).

Jean Hippert joined PNC Healthcare in 2007, and currently is the south region treasury management director. As a member of the healthcare leadership team, she helps develop and implement strategy and tactics to expand the bank’s brand and presence, and is responsible for the bank’s healthcare treasury management sales staff in the south.

She is co-sponsor of the PNC Healthcare Advisory Board, and helps develop and direct strategic research and healthcare thought leadership for the bank. Jean represents PNC at national events and on the speaker circuit, and supports regional business development activities, sales teams and clients. Additional past responsibilities have included management of all treasury management client advisory boards, sales force administration and effectiveness, and data analytics.

Prior to joining the bank, Jean spent nearly 10 years with Premier, Inc., a strategic alliance of not-for-profit hospitals and healthcare systems. At Premier, she was responsible for relationship management with shareholder organizations, specializing in integrated delivery networks, academic medical institutions and faith-based healthcare systems. She also helped manage national business development and participated in the corporate Baldrige team. Before joining Premier, she was a healthcare consultant at Hyatt, Imler, Ott & Blount specializing in clinical resource management and operational productivity improvement

Jean holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Economics from Mary Washington University and is a participating member of the Association of Financial Professionals, Healthcare Financial Management Association, and Women Business Leaders of Healthcare Foundation.

Drew joined Blue Cross of Idaho in April 2017 as the Vice President of Provider Partner and Payment Innovation where he led Blue Cross’ provider network functions including efforts to shift from a fee-for-service provider payment model to value-based payments. After demonstrating success in this role, he was promoted to the Sr. Vice President of Healthcare Economics and tasked with one of Blue Cross of Idaho’s top strategic priorities: make healthcare more affordable for clients and members. In his new role, he will lead the Healthcare Economics Division focusing on identifying, implementing and monitoring healthcare affordability initiatives.

Drew came to Blue Cross of Idaho from WellCare Health Plans, Inc., in Tampa, Fla., where he served in numerous roles, most recently as Vice President, Medicaid Network Management, where he was responsible for the national Medicaid network strategy. Drew received his Bachelor of Science in Business Process Management from Indiana University

Amy Holcomb has a multi-faceted, entrepreneurial track record in the public and private sectors. She is a high energy, fiscally conscious and goal driven healthcare technology executive that approaches each new business challenge with her intrinsic flair for innovation, creative problem solving and measured risk taking to drive consistent bottom line improvements and shareholder returns.

Amy began her career working for the US Government while obtaining masters degrees in Strategic International Management and Healthcare Administration. Her passion was to compliment her natural tech savvy background with a strong foundation in healthcare and international business. During her 7 year tenure with the Department of Treasury, she worked on the team that created the first e-file & tax CRM systems, managed multi-state training initiatives, and approved clearances for tax software developers yearly including Intuit and H&R Block. Amy was primarily responsible for managing and implementing all new technological advancements to rapidly grow the Department of Treasury’s product offerings. Through this work environment, she realized the importance of a proprietary CRM platform for both the private and public business sector success in the healthcare technology arena.

Recognized as a high potential executive by the US Government in 2004, Amy’s career took a leap out of the public sector in 2005 and into the private sector to focusing her skill on developing international health care initiatives through the medical tourism industry. Her broad depth of knowledge quickly led her to be known as the international expert in this field. Her ability to develop on a business to business level, as well as a customer to business model has landed her multiple awards and international recognition.

Her expertise has been instrumental in strategic planning and implementation of operations for many large medical organizations and international hospital chains over the last decade. She has consulted with world powers such as China and 60 other countries to implement medical tourism initiatives. She currently serves as an advisor to the Chinese, Indian and El Salvadorean governments to build a framework for government revenue through medical tourism.

There is a relatively small segment of leaders in the business world who are able to build relationships, trust and rapport with almost anyone and are able to broker the relationships and make connections between people to create partnerships, alliances and motivation for forward momentum. Amy consistently proves her ability to lead through diverse and challenging situations and has a track record of accomplishments that include turning around chaotic and struggling operations, launching startups, managing new healthcare facilities, creating and launching new and improved educational, clinical and operational programs, as well as supporting continued organization growth and expansion of mature, established operations.

As a media expert appearing on all major news networks across the country, as well as internationally, her expertise is in demand to educate on the cost saving solutions, benefits and expansion options of medical tourism. She brings a broad scope of experience in health care, internet commerce, and inter-cultural development to her business breadth. She was recognized as a top female Entrepreneur in several states by several organizations for her work since 2008.

Amy Holcomb's is the founder and CEO of SkyMedicus Inc., the world’s leading provider of Medical Tourism resources and information, having helped more than 50,000 clients to save money and access medical treatments not available in their local area. SkyMedicus encourages Domestic and International Medical Tourism. Her vision is to impact the healthcare industry, by providing healthcare information, alternatives and cost savings to make quality healthcare affordable to all, via an accessible platform.

Moses Ike is Director of Investments and M&A at Blue Shield of California. He is responsible for accelerating growth through investment and acquisition, as well as managing Blue Shield CA’s $50 million venture fund. Moses also provides oversight to external venture funds that Blue Shield CA participates in, and makes direct investments of up to $5 million in early stage digital health companies.

Moses has previously worked with Dignity Health, PwC, and RAND Institute, where he advised and supported early-stage digital health companies with customer acquisition, patient adoption, and fundraising. He is also a national speaker in the health tech investment space, and an advocate for improving the cost and quality of healthcare through digital health.

Ms. Jenkins is the chief administrative and operating officer of UPMC Health Plan and the UPMC Insurance Services Division— the largest medical insurer in western Pennsylvania.

Ms. Jenkins oversees Service Operations, Claims Administration, Configuration, Ancillary Product(s), Third Party Administration, the Organizational Performance and Project Management Office, and Consumer Innovation. Her responsibilities include coordinating fiscal management, administration, and operations for multiple departments; managing budgeting and resource allocation with senior leadership, finance, and Human Resources; and providing matrix reporting oversight across the organization in support of multiple lines of business.

In addition, she translates strategic initiatives into business objectives to support the organization’s continued growth. Ms. Jenkins has driven operational efficiencies at UPMC Health Plan for more than 20 years, helping the company maintain low administrative costs and high customer satisfaction. She is a strong supporter of the Health Plan’s process improvement efforts and has a Green Belt certification in Six Sigma.

Ms. Jenkins serves on the board of directors for several nonprofit organizations and privately held companies and is recognized nationally as an expert on service excellence and claims optimization.

Teresa Johnson joined CDPHP in 1999 and currently serves as senior vice president of consumer experience solutions. She plays a lead role in the development and execution of the consumer engagement strategy, which includes direct responsibility for areas such as product innovation; marketing informatics and research; employer, community, and consumer engagement; sales and marketing technology solutions; and eligibility and enrollment functions. Throughout her tenure, Teresa has held various management positions in the sales, marketing, and corporate administration divisions. Teresa’s extensive experience and leadership at CDPHP have contributed greatly toward the development and success of the company’s strong product portfolio and strategic business initiatives. Her expertise helps CDPHP continuously engage employers and consumers by bringing innovative products to market that promote quality care, ease of use, healthy behaviors, and affordability.

Teresa holds a Master of Science in organization management from Sage Graduate School in Troy, NY, and a Bachelor of Science in marketing and management from Siena College in Loudonville, NY. Teresa is a graduating fellow from the America’s Health Insurance Plan (AHIP) Executive Leadership Program, earning the Certified Healthcare Insurance Executive (CHIE) designation. In addition, she is a certified project management professional (PMP) and has also received an executive scholar designation from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Taylor Justice is Co-founder & President of Unite Us and a U.S. Army Veteran. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army as an Infantry Officer and received an honorable medical discharge from active duty. In 2013, he co-founded Unite Us, an outcome-focused technology company that extends traditional healthcare delivery by powering networks of clinical and social service providers.

Unite Us helps systems and communities integrate physical, behavioral, and social services into care delivery. Their platform supports organizations along the continuum to collaborate in real-time, track the entire patient journey and report on outcomes together. Through their work with over 40 communities across the country, they have emerged as a leader in cross-sector collaboration. They have recently been recognized as an Amazon Web Services’ city on a cloud innovation award winner, a New York State Social Determinants of Health Call for Innovations Initiative Finalist, the New York State DSRIP Health Innovation Pitch Winner, as well as a Gartner Cool Vendor for health value delivery.

Taylor holds academic allegiance to both the United States Military Academy at West Point and Columbia Business School. He lives in New York City with his wife, Meghan.

Brian Klepper, PhD is Principal of Worksite Health Advisors and a nationally prominent health care analyst and commentator. He writes and speaks extensively about the structural dynamics of the US health care cost crisis, primary care clinics, high performance health care and the management of full continuum clinical and financial risk.

Jim Knutson has been Risk Manager and Human Resources Director of Aircraft Gear Corporation in Rockford, Illinois, a manufacturer of components for the aviation and auto industries, since 1989. He is responsible for all corporate risk management, compensation and benefit programs. Jim is a member of Catalyst For Payment Reform, the Business Advisory Group to the Joint Commission For the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, a member of The Midwest Business Group on Health and served on its Board, a member of the Winnebago County, Illinois Crime Commission and a board member and treasurer of The Healthcare Incentives Improvement Institute. Jim received his bachelors degree from Marquette University and his law degree from Northern Illinois University.

Jim has been a member of the Advisory Council of Emcap, Berkley’s rent-a-captive program domiciled in Bermuda. He has also been on the State of Illinois Insurance Commission Working Group to revise the standard application for medical insurance and a member of the steering committee of The Illinois State Chamber of Commerce Health Council. He has testified before the joint state legislative committee on exchanges and presented before diverse groups including The Institute of Medicine, Captive Live conferences, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation sponsored events.

Marilyn Schlein Kramer is Senior Vice President of Customer Experience at HDMS. She has first-line responsibilty for all customer-facing activities.

Prior to joining HDMS, Marilyn was Deputy Executive Director of the Massachusetts Center for Information and Analysis where she was responsible for the use of the Massachusetts All Payer Claims Database by state agencies and academic researchers. Earlier in her career, she served as CEO/President of DxCG (now Verscend). She helped transform DxCG from an academic consulting firm to a leading health care analytics firm serving more than 250 health plan, provider and employer customers. Marilyn also served as Chair of the National Association of Health Data Organizations (NAHDO) and was founding Executive Director of the Partnership for Healthcare Excellence.

Marilyn received her MBA from the Booth School of Business of the University of Chicago and her BA magna cum laude in Economics from Harvard University where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Sue Laski has over 30 years of nursing experience with expertise in both pediatric and managed care clinical operations. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Lewis University, and a Master of Science Degree in Nursing from Benedictine University. She is certified as a Chronic Care Professional (CCP) and a Certified Case Manager (CCM), and is a licensed registered nurse.

Sue has worked at the University of Chicago for ten years with specialty in Pediatric Intensive Care operations. Afterwards, she spent several years in Home Health and managing school operations for special needs children. Sue has worked at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois in managed care for the past 12 years, focusing on custom clinical operations and advocacy. Her current role is Divisional Vice President of Clinical Operations for Health Advocacy Solutions. She has successfully implemented numerous custom clinical teams that perform both Utilization and Case Management, and presently has oversight of an advocacy model of care management. Social Determinants of Care is one of several efforts of focus of this model.

Joyce C. Liu, MD is a practicing pediatrician and the Medicaid Medical Director at Northwest Permanente P.C. Her responsibilities include developing new policies, strategies, and working with community partners to better care for Medicaid patients and to reduce disparities. One of her current projects is developing a pediatric health complexity model that identifies at-risk youth early by looking at both chronic medical conditions and social determinants of health. She is also creating a program that helps these high-risk children and their families to develop skills needed to better navigate both the medical system and community programs to build support, coping, and resiliency skills.

She has been awarded a Distinguish Physician Award at Northwest Permanente and continues to practice pediatrics in an out-patient clinic. Additionally, Dr. Liu continues to take care of some of the region's sickest children while serving as an adjunct assistant professor at Doernbecher Children's Hospital. She has been active in administration having served two terms as the Chief of Pediatrics for Northwest Permanente.

Rebecca Love, RN, MSN, ANP is the Managing Director of US Markets for Ryalto International. Rebecca was the first Director of Nurse Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the United States at Northeastern School of Nursing– the first initiative in the Country designed to empower nurses as innovators and entrepreneurs, where she founded the First Nurse Hackathon, which has led to transformational change in the Nursing Profession. Rebecca is an experienced Nurse Entrepreneur, founding HireNurses.com in 2013 which was acquired in 2018. Rebecca is passionate about empowering nurses and creating communities to help nurses innovate, create and collaborate to start businesses to transform healthcare.

Rebecca holds a M.S. in Nursing from Northeastern University, B.A. in International Relations/Spanish from Boston University, and is currently Faculty at Norwich University, sits on the board of NextGen Ventures & the Host Committee for the Massachusetts ACLU. She currently lives in Marblehead Massachusetts with her husband and 3 children.

Luther joined Yelp in 2008 as an account executive on the company’s sales team and a year later moved into the role of Manager of Business Outreach, where he built a department that educates small business owners about the importance of Yelp. Since 2011, Luther has led public policy at the company. As Vice President of Public Policy, he manages and directs the company’s global outreach to policy makers about the vital role Yelp plays in driving economic activity to local businesses while serving as a platform to empower and protect consumers. Previously, Luther worked as a Special Assistant to retired four-star General Wesley Clark. He holds a B.A. in government from The College of William & Mary.

Sally has been employed at Hallmark’s corporate headquarters in Kansas City, MO for nearly 35 years. She assumed her current role in 2009 in an effort to strengthen the wellness program and promote a culture of wellness for Hallmark employees.

Hallmark’s wellness program, Hallmark Health, was recognized for its excellence in the corporate wellness industry with a Leadership Award by Corporate Wellness Magazine in 2012 and as a 2016 Healthy KC Gold Level Wellness Program by the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Sally was recognized in 2016 by the Corporate Health and Wellness Association as an Outstanding Well Being Partner and Academic Advisor. She is a frequent speaker and facilitator at wellness conferences.

Sally holds a BS degree in Home Economics-Food Systems Management from the University of Missouri-Columbia and an MBA in Management from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri. She has served on many industry advisory boards and currently serves as a board member for two non-profit organizations supporting causes that are very important to her:

• Rose Brooks Center, the Midwest’s largest domestic violence program that seeks to break the cycle of domestic violence and keep women and children safe.
• After the Harvest, a produce rescue program that prevents hunger by acquiring fresh produce that would otherwise go to waste and distributing it to agencies serving hungry people in Kansas and Missouri.

As a founding member of the Division of Community Health, Ms. Lyn was instrumental in designing its community-based clinical, care management, educational, and research initiatives. Clinical initiatives include neighborhood clinics; school-based health centers; and the Just for Us Program, which cares for chronically ill seniors in their homes. Care management services include a North Carolina Community Care Network, Northern Piedmont Community Care (NPCC) covering six NC counties linking primary care practices, hospital systems, and local departments of social services, health and mental health serving approximately 80,000 Medicaid beneficiaries; and the Local Access to Coordinated Healthcare Program (LATCH) which provides care management services for uninsured individuals in Durham County.

Recently, Ms. Lyn worked with Duke Health leadership to create the Population Health Management Office (PHMO) to unify and centralize ambulatory care management and services provided by NPCC, LATCH, and DukeWELL under one Duke University Health System entity. Ms. Lyn serves as Lead for Community Health Initiatives and Strategy for the PHMO. The PHMO will guide clinical care transformation initiatives as Duke Health transitions to value-based care.

In addition to her work in the Division and PHMO, Ms. Lyn serves as Co-Director of the Center for Community and Population Health Improvement (CCPHI) at Duke’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute. A multi-disciplinary center, CCPHI leverages academic, health system, and community partnerships to improve community and population health. As Co-Director, Ms. Lyn focuses on identifying opportunities to create new evidence-based cross-sectoral models to improve health and inform policy.

Political scientist, with a specialization in International Relations and Diplomacy. Born and raised in Italy, he resides in Costa Rica since 2004.

He has worked in the Organizing Committee for the Summit of Heads of State and Government of 2004, was Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica from 2005 to 2006, Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry 2006 to 2007 and Chief of Staff of the Minister of Competitiveness from 2007 to 2010.

Since 2006 he has participated in the structuring of the Medical Tourism Cluster and the Retirement Living Cluster in Costa Rica. Since 2010 serves as Executive Director of both PROMED (the Costa Rican Healthcare Chamber, previously Council for International Promotion of Costa Rica Medicine) and PRORETIRE (the Council for the Retirement Living Industry)

He is an international consultant to the Inter-American Development Bank IDB and has developed projects in countries like Belize.

Specialist in public-private partnership, cluster structuring, governmental relations.

Jayme Mayo, Physician Assistant, is the in-house medical provider and wellness director at Nabholz Construction where she has successfully lead efforts over the past 9 years. Nabholz Construction is a multi-service contractor offering a full range of construction, industrial, civil, and environmental services across the U.S. Headquartered in Arkansas, the company has 1000 employees with 1700 covered lives on their health insurance plan. Nabholz has a nationally recognized outcomes based wellness program addressing the five categories that drive their health insurance claims: blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, nicotine use and obesity. Each category is tied to a monetary incentive, encouraging employees and spouses to take responsibility for their own health.

Due to the wellness program innovation, Jayme was recently named “Worksite Wellness Healthcare Hero” in Arkansas and awarded the prestigious Gary Bird Horizon Award in Las Vegas, NV. She was featured in HBO’s documentary on obesity titled “Weight of the Nation”. She has also worked with the Department of Defense, Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, and the Clinton Foundation on their “Health Matters Initiative” along with numerous businesses across the country to help implement successful worksite wellness programs. She speaks regularly in the region from conferences to coalitions. She is a 7x Ironman triathlon and ultra-marathon finisher.

Jo Ellen is the National Director of Housing Partnerships for the myConnections Housing team of United Healthcare. Led by Dr. Jeffery Brenner, former CEO of the Camden Coalition in Camden, New Jersey, myConnections is a national specialty work group within United Healthcare focusing on the Social Determinants of Health. Jo Ellen works to build relationships and collaborative efforts to identify housing opportunities for United Healthcare members who are homeless, medically vulnerable, and disconnected from community and family resources. Jo Ellen joined United Healthcare in July of 2016, and immediately began building partnerships across the country representing over 200 units of housing and intensive wrap around services. This investment is aimed at successfully reducing healthcare spend by more than 50% and improving healthcare outcomes for community members with a collective healthcare spend of over $18 Million dollars a year. Jo Ellen provides expertise around Non-Profit Management and Non-Profit Housing partnerships (financing, operations, and leadership structure), HUD financing and initiatives, Fair Housing, and Business Analytics.

Prior to her work with United Healthcare, Jo Ellen spent more than 20 years in community development and affordable housing work. Her work has included the role of Executive Director of a community development corporation within a hospital and Executive Director of a CDC in partnership with a Hospital. Both CDCs included services and programs targeting the single family development and rehab of housing and the social determinant of health needs of the communities surrounding them.

Additionally, Jo Ellen also served as the Operations Director for a transitional housing and drop in center for homeless youth and providing leadership for building community relationships, project support, and financing opportunities for affordable housing development and operations - including Senior Housing, Family Housing, LIHTC, Section 202, and Housing First.

Prior to her time in Phoenix, Jo Ellen worked for the City of Cleveland. Her roles included providing management and distribution of over $1 Million annually of HUD and local investment funds, development of Community Development and Community Economic Development strategies for the downtown and inner-ring neighborhoods, and working closely with small businesses and 13 local Community Development Corporations to address issues related to neighborhood safety, downtown development, resident services, housing and infrastructure, homeless services and facilities, and opportunities for private-public partnerships.

Jo Ellen also remains active in volunteerism supporting issues of affordable housing, homelessness, and disabilities. She is a board member of Family Promise of Greater Phoenix, Member of the Legislative Committee of Arizona Autism Coalistion, and a past member and Chair for the City of Tempe Neighborhoods Advisory Commission.

Tom Meier is responsible for the development and management of market-leading products and services, consumer and member engagement and marketing communications for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans in Illinois, Montana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Prior to joining the company in 2010, Tom served in a number of roles at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, where he focused on the development of national consumer-directed health plan products and services across the Blue Cross and Blue Shield system, as well as product and consumer tool development efforts for the Federal Employee Program.

Tom is a member of the board of directors for the Institute on Health Care Costs and Solutions, which was established by the National Business Group on Health. Tom also serves on the advisory board of the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. He earned a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and theatre from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo.

Dr. Jennifer H. Mieres is a leading expert in the fields of nuclear cardiology, cardiovascular disease in women and patient-centered healthcare advocacy. As Senior Vice President of Northwell Health’s, Center for Equity of Care, She has oversight of the Katz Institute for Women’s Health, as well as all diversity and health equity initiatives and serves as the health system’s first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Dr. Mieres is also the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and a professor of cardiology, at The Zucker School of Medicine.

A graduate of Bennington College and Boston University School of Medicine; she is a Fellow of The American Heart Association (AHA), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and Master of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) and served as the first female President of the ASNC.

Dr. Mieres’ clinical focus and research are centered on the elimination of health and gender disparities and her current research is focused on cardiovascular disease in women. She is a leading advocate for patient-centered healthcare and medical education reform and has authored/co-authored over 60 scientific publications, including as lead author of the 2005 and 2014 AHA cardiac imaging guidelines for women. As an international speaker, she has presented her research as distinguished faculty at over 100 forums and conferences; both nationally and internationally including scientific sessions of the ACC, AHA, ASNC, the International Conference of Nuclear Cardiology and IHI/BMJ International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare. A true patient and community advocate; Dr. Mieres is actively involved in service. She serves as a national spokesperson for AHA’s Go Red For Women movement and has served as chair of several national AHA committees as well as the Scientific Advisory Board for WomenHeart.

A prolific communicator; Mieres recently co-authored Heart Smart for Women: Six S.T.E.P.S IN Six Weeks to Heart-Healthy Living, published in October 2017. Her previous book Heart Smart for Black Women and Latinas: A Five Week Program for Living a Heart- Healthy Lifestyle was published in 2008. Following her Emmy-nominated documentary A Woman’s Heart, (2001); her creative ingenuity has evolved as an executive producer of a two part documentary series Rx: The Quiet Revolution and Doctors of Tomorrow, (2015). The films have forged a change in narrative while garnering placement on national TV network PBS and in educational institutions. Dr. Mieres is routinely called upon by national and local media for expert commentary and has been designated as a most-credible voice in the healthcare industry.

A recipient of several prestigious awards; Dr. Mieres has been recognized as a tireless force; fostering diversity in medical education as well as eliminating disparities in the delivery of healthcare to the community. The Association of Black Cardiologists recognized her work with the Walter M. Booker Sr. Health Promotion Award in 2015. The American Heart Association has also presented her with a number of awards, such as the Chairman’s Award; the Louis B. Russell, Jr., Memorial Award; the Award for Outstanding Service as President and the William Groom Award for Volunteer of the Year. Dr. Mieres has also received the National ACC’s Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award; the Woman’s Day Red Dress Award; the WomenHeart Wenger Award for Healthcare and the New York State Governor’s Award of Excellence.

Jason W. Mitchell, MD, is the Chief Medical and Clinical Transformation Officer for Presbyterian Healthcare Services, a not-for-profit health care system, integrating New Mexico’s largest health care provider and health plan. Dr. Mitchell leads a team of 1,000 employed providers spanning 50 ambulatory clinics and eight hospital campuses in addition to medical staff operations and provider clinical quality in a mixed medical staff model. Dr. Mitchell oversees $600 million in fully capitated delivery system risk arrangements, delivery system care and case management, clinical informatics and enterprise Population Health Services.

Dr. Mitchell focuses on re-designing clinical practice at the system level and is transforming the role of the physician executive to better serve clinicians and patients during a time of rapid healthcare change. He is a key leader in developing enterprise strategy across care delivery, the health plan and Presbyterian’s Fluent Health – a leader in partnering with delivery systems to start or strengthen their own provider-led health plans.

Under Dr. Mitchell’s leadership, Presbyterian has deployed new care models, processes and technology to help connect the care continuum, payers, providers and patients in a way never before possible and enabled intense evidence-based care design, process improvement, value-based care, health plan integration and standardization. Ultimately, the changes have yielded significant gains in disease management and overall management of population health.

Dr. Mitchell is passionate about the quadruple aim and continues to see patients as a family practice physician. He earned his medical degree from the University of New Mexico, where he also completed his residency in family medicine. Dr. Mitchell is board-certified in both family medicine and clinical informatics. He has been with Presbyterian since 2006.

Myeta Moon is the Director of Health at United Way Worldwide, one of the three impact focus areas for United Ways around the world. In this role she directs and supports the development and implementation of health impact strategies for mobilizing communities.

Previously, Myeta was the Director of City Initiatives at KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to ensuring that all kids have the balanced and active play needed to thrive. In this capacity, she oversaw efforts to encourage cities to utilize play to address urban challenges with program, policy, and infrastructure interventions. As part of her work, she managed the Playful City USA, a national program that recognizes the efforts of cities working to increase play access in their communities.

Prior to joining KaBOOM!, she was the Associate Vice President of Health for the United Way of New York City. While there she was instrumental in developing and implementing program to policy initiatives that addressed issues of food and nutrition in low income New York City communities. In 2012, she took a brief leave of absence from United Way to work as a Field Organizer for Organizing for America in Durham, North Carolina. In this role, she recruited, trained and managed community based teams of volunteers to register, persuade and motivate voters to re-elect President Barack Obama.

Before United Way of NYC, Myeta was an Assistant Legislative Representative for the New York City Mayor’s Office. She advocated on behalf of the City’s Health and Human Services agencies to the New York State Legislature, Governor’s Office, and New York State agencies.

Myeta holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and a Masters of Public Health from Columbia University.

Dr. Vincent Mor is Professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice and the Florence Pirce Grant University Health in the Brown University School of Public Health. He served as Chair of the Department of Community Health from 1996 until 2010. Dr. Mor has been Principal Investigator of over 30 NIH funded grants focusing on the organizational and health care delivery system factors associated with variation in use of health services and the outcomes frail and chronically ill persons experience. Dr. Mor was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2015. In 2011 he was given the Distinguished Investigator Award From AcademyHealth, the premier health services research organization in the country. He has published over 400 peer reviewed articles and numerous books and book chapters on hospice, physical functioning, long term care and cancer treatment patterns among the elderly as well as the organization of AIDS health services.

Dr. Mor was one of the authors of the Congressionally mandated Minimum Data Set (MDS) for Nursing Home Resident Assessment and evaluated its implementation, focusing particularly on the manner it was implemented. Dr. Mor has developed several summary measures based upon MDS data to characterize residents' physical, cognitive and psycho-social functioning, all of which have been used in resident and facility level analyses of the quality of nursing home care in US and international populations. Dr. Mor was part of a team of researchers that developed and validate risk adjusted quality indicators for nursing homes, versions of which are currently being used in public reporting throughout the country.

He held a MERIT award from NIA for his research on organizational factors related to nursing home quality and residents' outcomes for 10 years and was a recipient of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Investigator award to examine the influence of managed care and integrated delivery systems on the strategic decisions of nursing homes and their quality consequences for residents. He examined the effect of state policies on the quality of care provided nursing home residents, including hospitalization, merging primary and secondary data from all nursing facilities throughout the United States.

Dr. Morris graduated from Hamilton College in 1996 with honors in Cellular Biology and started work at the MIT/Whitehead Center for Genomic Research as Director of Automation and Development for the Human Genome Project. During his tenure, Dr. Morris co-patented a DNA isolation process that was the foundation for Agencourt Bioscience Corporation, acquired by Beckman Coulter in 2005. Dr. Morris subsequently obtained his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine and completed training in Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School. In 2006 he joined the staff in the Section of Hospital Medicine of Cleveland Clinic.

He was named Director of Clinical Informatics in 2007, with an area of focus on implementation, optimization and innovation for healthcare related Information Technology and promoted to Vice Chairman of Clinical Systems in 2010. In 2008 Dr. Morris was named Innovator of the year for his work in implementing physician order entry for Cleveland Clinic and also received Innovator awards in 2010 and 2011 for work around development of a novel medical record. He is active on numerous Hospital advisory committees include medical-legal, quality and safely committees and several operational aspects within the health system. In addition, Dr. Morris sits on the Board of Directors and Leadership Council for eHealth Initiative. He continues his clinical role as a Hospitalist within the Medicine Institute as well as a Clinical Assistant Professor of the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.

Hiyam M. Nadel is the Nurse Director of OB/GYN Ambulatory Division at Massachusetts General Hospital located in Boston, Waltham and Danvers. She is also the Innovation Specialist within the Patient Care Services Innovation Center.

Along with the re-opening of the Obstetrics Department after a 40-year hiatus, Hiyam implemented different nurse-care models and a “Medical Home” for the Obstetrics Division. She has had opportunities to design IT programs such as the “Ambulatory Patient Tracking System” and co-authored the design of the “OB EMR”, an electronic medical record, subsequently sold to Hewitt Packard.

Since graduating from Babson with an MBA in 2013, she has been mentoring students and nurses with developing their healthcare ideas. She has been involved in the Northeastern University Nursing Hackathons, IBM Watson Healthcare Hacks and Ruderman Foundation Disability Hackathons.

Her passion about mentoring has led to seats as both a Mentor and Judge on the MassChallenge panel created by the Governor of Massachusetts. MassChallenge inspires and invites digital start-up companies to Massachusetts from around the globe to solve healthcare problems.

In 2015, Patient Care Services under the leadership of the Chief Nurse, Deborah Burke at Massachusetts General Hospital, developed two yearly, $5,000 innovation grants. Hiyam, in addition to being on the Executive Committee, mentors the awardees allowing their ideas to become reality. Currently, there are 5 prototypes developed with one provisional patent filed.

While acting as the awardees’ accelerator, not only are real problems being solved throughout the hospital but an infrastructure is being created to facilitate intrapreneurship.

Andy Neary is a healthcare strategist with The Olson Group. He has more than 15 years of experience in helping employers affect the rising cost of healthcare through innovative strategies. He works with his clients to move them from the benefits status quo with innovative and creative strategies that provide savings for employers and a rich benefit plan array for employees.

He recently was named to the “Boulder 40 Under 40” list, recognizing his professional and charitable contributions to that Colorado community. He was a former pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

As a former professional athlete, Neary understands the hard work and daily grind needed to perform at the highest level. His personal motto is, “It’s the work done when no one is watching that generates success”. He takes the same approach with his clients creating truly elite benefit programs.

Dr. Robert Pearl is the former CEO of The Permanente Medical Group (1999-2017), the nation’s largest medical group, and former president of The Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (2009-2017). In these roles he led 10,000 physicians, 38,000 staff and was responsible for the nationally recognized medical care of 5 million Kaiser Permanente members on the west and east coasts. Recently named one of Modern Healthcare’s 50 most influential physician leaders, Pearl is an advocate for the power of integrated, prepaid, technologically advanced and physician-led healthcare delivery.

He serves as a clinical professor of plastic surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and is on the faculty of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he teaches courses on strategy and leadership, and lectures on information technology and health care policy.

In 2017 he authored “Mistreated: Why We think We’re Getting Good Healthcare—And Why We’re Usually Wrong” a Washington Post bestseller that offers a roadmap for transforming American healthcare. All proceeds from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.

As a regular contributor to Forbes, Pearl covers the business of healthcare and the culture of medicine. He’s the host of a new podcast called “Fixing Healthcare,” which debuted in the iTunes top 100 list of science and medicine programs. He has been featured on CBS This Morning, CNBC, NPR, and in TIME, USA Today and Bloomberg News. He has published more than 100 articles in various medical journals and contributed to numerous books. He is a frequent keynote speaker at healthcare and medical technology conferences. Pearl has addressed the Commonwealth Club, the World Healthcare Congress, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s National Quality Forum.

Board certified in plastic and reconstructive surgery, Pearl received his medical degree from the Yale University School of Medicine, followed by a residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Stanford University. From 2012 to 2017, Pearl served as chairman of the Council of Accountable Physician Practices (CAPP), which includes the nation’s largest and best multispecialty medical groups, and participated in the Bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Delivery System Reform and Health IT in Washington, D.C.

Connect with Dr. Robert Pearl on Twitter >@RobertPearlMD, LinkedIn and at his website robertpearlmd.com.

Pamela Peele, Ph.D., is the Chief Analytics Officer at UPMC Insurance Services Division and UPMC Enterprises Dr. Peele brings 13 years of direct patient care experience along with 12 years of academic research experience to her position as a leader of health care analytics at UPMC. She is responsible for creating innovative analytics that drive financial and clinical performance including economic modeling, predictive modeling, statistical analysis and machine learning. Prior to joining the UPMC in 2006, Dr. Peele was the Vice Chair of the Department of Health Policy & Management at the University Of Pittsburgh Graduate School Of Public Health. She currently holds faculty appointments in the Graduate School of Public Health and the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She is core faculty at the Center for Research on Health Care at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and an elected fellow of the Centre for Interuniversity Research and Analysis on Organizations in Montreal, Canada. She has numerous published articles and book chapters. She was the first person chosen by IBM as an IBM Big Data Hero and was voted the 2014 IT News Men & Women of the Year as a top innovator in health care analytics.

Dr. Peele has a BA in economics from Roanoke College in Salem, VA, and a MA and a PhD in economics from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA.

Tamyra has nearly 19 years of experience working on the design, implementation and oversight of Medicaid programs and initiatives in many states, including Alabama, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Indiana, Mississippi, Texas, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Kansas, Ohio, Iowa, Illinois and Georgia.

Her experience provides clients with subject matter expertise to interpret legislation, develop administrative service codes, conform to various other Federal requirements and opportunities.

She regularly directs and supports the development of procurement and re-procurement tools, including state code development, RFPs, proposal evaluation resources and contracts for her clients. She provides support with a focus on ongoing operations and oversight incorporating principles of value-based purchasing.

Marcia Proto is a skilled leader, facilitator and fundraiser within the healthcare industry. She is currently the Executive Director for the Connecticut League for Nursing and the Connecticut Center for Nursing Workforce.

Marcia is passionate about the need to educate those in CT about the positive impact of highly skilled nurses on improving the health of Connecticut residents. She continues to inform non-nursing stakeholders the importance of maintaining and expanding the capacity of our schools & programs of nursing to meet the emerging employment needs across the continuum of care. She is proud that CLN is championing initiatives and programs to address creating a diverse and sustainable nursing workforce in Connecticut.

She has positioned the CLN as a leader in offering online education on a statewide and national basis in the areas of:

• RN Re-entry into Practice, and
• The Devlopment of Adjunct Clinical Faculty and

Marcia embraces the “Servant-Leadership” Philosophy. Servant-Leadership is a practical philosophy which supports people who choose to serve first, and then lead as a way of expanding service to individuals and institutions. Servant-leadership encourages collaboration, trust, foresight, listening, and the ethical use of power and empowerment.

Marcia serves on the:

• Advisory Council for the Connecticut Nursing Collaborative- Action Coalition;
• Served on the Board of Directors at MidState Medical Center for 8 years, two as Vice president & was the chairperson of the Patient Care Quality and Safety Committee of the Board; and
• Represented MidState Medical Center at the Hartford Health Care System level on the System Wide Quality Committee and Information Technology Workgroup.

She lives in Wallingford, CT with her husband and has two adult sons.

As the Principal and Managing Partner of Axial Benefits Group, Mr. Rodgers brings his extensive background in health and welfare plans to Axial's clients.

He has been pioneering Healthcare Purchasing Coalitions since 2009 specializing in assisting medium and large corporations, many of whom have multi-state locations, with the development of effective health care programs. Specifically, he has designed, implemented and managed 5 successful healthcare purchasing coalitions helping hundreds of companies lower costs and stabilized renewals.

Prior to co-founding Axial Benefits Group, Mr. Rodgers founded its predecessor company, Atlantic Benefits, in 2003. He also founded The Staffing Exchange (TSE) in 2012, a successful healthcare purchasing coalition dedicated specifically to the Staffing industry. He has had over 22 years of experience and held senior consulting positions at Hays Companies, William Gallagher Associates, and Marsh & McLennan. Mr. Rodgers is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts School of Engineering. He is a former Massachusetts high school wrestling state champion and collegiate wrestler. He is an avid national speaker on the Affordable Care Act and has become known as one of the nation's experts on the topic of its compliance. He is the former Chairman of the Boston Board of Directors for the March of Dimes and has been involved with the development of corporate programs for the both Friends of Boston's Homeless charity and various local Habitat for Humanity Chapters. He lives in Concord, MA with his wife and family, where he is also a town meeting member.

Dr. Ryan originally trained as an emergency physician at the University of Cincinnati and simultaneously obtained his MBA while completing his residency. For over 10 years, Dr. Ryan has practiced in the Greater Cincinnati area, and for part of that time, he functioned as a hospital administrator. During this time, he became acutely aware of the issue of heroin/opioid abuse in the region and for the past 6 years has been working tirelessly to make a difference in his community. Dr. Ryan serves on many regional, state, and national committees/workgroups focused on turning the tide of this epidemic. He is the president of the Ohio Society of Addiction Medicine and the Chair of Payer Relations for ASAM. Dr. Ryan is very excited to continue to work in the field of addiction medicine and to have the opportunity to substantially impact the treatment needs of patients with substance use disorder.

Curriculum Vitae

Michael Sanders, M.D., F.A.A.F.P
Updated Sep, 18 2018

Personal Data
Born: 28 Oct 1946, Lexington, Kentucky
Married: since 1968, Wife Maryanne Joan Sanders
Children: Michele Anne (1969)
Hobbies: Golf, Computers, Hiking, Cello
Citizenship: U.S.A.

Education
1964        Graduate, Owen County High School, Owenton, Ky.
1977        B.S. Chemistry (with Distinction), George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
1981        M.D., George Washington University Medical School, Wash, D.C.

Postgraduate Training
1981-82   Family Practice Intern, Malcolm Grow Medical Center, Andrews AFB,            Washington, D.C.
1982-84   Family Practice Resident, Malcolm Grow Medical Center, Andrews AFB, Wash, D.C.
1984        Chief Resident, Malcolm Grow Medical Center, Andrews AFB, Wash, D.C.
1985        Duke University Medical School, Fellowship of Teachers of Family Med.

Military Service
1967-69   Tomb Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
1969-70    Mobile Advisory Team 21, MACV, Republic of Vietnam, Infantry, US Army
1977-81    HPSP Medical School Scholarship, US Air Force
1981-84    Family Practice Resident, Malcolm Grow Medical Center, Andrews AFB
1984-88    Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, USUHS,
Bethesda, Maryland (F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine)

Hospital Affiliations
Flagler Hospital Retired Medical Staff, Department of Family Practice
2011-Present   Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Flagler Hospital

Business Experience
1970-72           Assistant Treasurer, American Security & Trust Co., Washington, D.C.
Director of Operations, Installment Loan Department
1972-77           Chief, Communications Systems Design & Programming, Amtrak, Washington, D.C.
1977-2011       President and CEO, The Program Workshop, Inc. Developed multi-user
medical office management program for the micro computer.
1988-2011       Private Practice Family Physician, St. Augustine, Florida

Honors
1981-82           Most Outstanding Intern, Malcolm Grow Medical Center, Andrews AFB
1982-83           Most Outstanding Resident, Malcolm Grow Medical Center
1984                Outstanding Resident Teacher Award, Society of Teachers of Family

Medicine
Board Certification  1984 American Board of Family Practice - Diplomat (initial Certification)
1986  Fellow, American Academy of Family Physicians
1991  American Board of Family Practice - Re-certified
1998  American Board of Family Practice - Re-certified
2005  American Board of Family Practice - Re-certified

Faculty Positions Held
1984-88           Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine, Uniformed Services
University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md.

Hospital Positions Held
1983-84           Chief Resident, Malcolm Grow Medical Center, Andrews AFB, Md.
1983-84           Member, Interns & Residents Committee, Malcolm Grow Med Center
1983-84           Member, Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, Malcolm Grow Med Center.
1988-91           Chief, Department of Family Practice, Flagler Hospital, St. Augustine, Fl.
1989-2010       Member, Flagler Hospital ICU Committee
1989-2000       Chairman, Flagler Hospital Committee on Cardiac Rehabilitation
1991-91           Flagler Hospital Executive Committee Member At Large
1992-93           President Flagler Hospital Medical Staff
1992-93           Chairman, Flagler Hospital Executive Committee
1992-2007       Member, Flagler Hospital Board of Directors
1993-1994       Chief of Staff, Flagler Hospital
1994-present  Flagler Hospital Investment & Finance Committee
2004-2011       Chairman, Flagler Hospital Ethics Committee

Organizations
1975-77           Alpha Epsilon Delta, National Pre-Medical Honor Society
1977-2011       AMA
1977-present  American Academy of Family Physicians
1988-present  Florida Medical Association 
1988-present  St. Johns County Medical Society
1991-present  Member of Board of Directors, Buckingham-Smith Foundation

Presentations
1985 May        Sulfite Induced Bronchospasm
Myofascial Pain Syndrome and Treatment
7th Medical Command Annual Med-Surg Meeting,
Garmish West Germany
1985 Sep         Myofascial Pain Syndromes
Computer Networks for CME
Annual Family Practice Meeting,
Heidelberg, West Germany

1985 Oct         Computers in Medical Office Practice
Hershey Medical School,
Hershey, Pa.
1986 Apr         Evaluation of the Febrile Child
Osteoporosis : An Update
Evaluation of Suspected Ectopic Pregnancy
Lloyd Noland Seminars,
University of Alabama, Hilton Head, S.C.
1986 Sep         Evaluation of the Febrile Child
Osteoporosis : An Update
7th Medical Command, Annual Family Practice Meeting,
Bad Kissengen,West Germany

Publications
1985                “Meta-Languages : The Key to Custom Software Future”, M.Sanders,
Professional Solutions, Vol 4, No.2 1985 {Apple Computer}
1986                “Fever : Understanding Its Value”. M. Sanders, Family Medicine Digest,
Vol 1 No 1, Jan 1987

Ashley Schmidt is the President and Founder of the national non-profit professional organization, Women In Healthcare, Inc. In this capacity she oversees the startup and growth of chapters of the organization all over the country. Ashley believes in empowering woman and helping them to climb the corporate ladder. After spending nearly a decade serving on organizational boards and in the healthcare industry, Ashley knew there was a gap in education and mentorship offered to females in healthcare, and knew a platform needed to be developed to encourage and empower women to rise to the top

In addition to Women In Healthcare, Ashley also serves as an Associate and Director of Business Development at the architecture firm, SmithGroup. In this role she develops strategic business plans for the firm and implements client relations strategy for healthcare clients up and down the east coast.

Ashley has a certification in Evidence Based Design for Healthcare (EDAC) as well as a Certified Professional Service Marketer (CPSM) certification. Ashley has presented regionally at conference on topics such as developing a business development strategy and networking. Ashley was recently published in USA today, Women in Business Issue, regarding “Can Selfishness Break the Glass Ceiling”.

Ashley has a BA in Communications and Business from Loyola University in Baltimore and is pursuing her Masters in Healthcare Management at Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business.

James Schuster, MD, MBA is the Chief Medical Officer for Behavioral and Medicaid Services and Vice President of Behavioral Integration for the UPMC Insurance Division.

In his role at the Insurance Division, Dr. Schuster provides medical leadership to both physical and behavioral health Medicaid products and has spearheaded development of multiple programs designed to address wellness and physical health concerns for individuals with serious mental illness and other disabilities. He leads a team that has secured 3 awards from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PRORI) to evaluate activities focused on health integration and shared decision making. Dr. Schuster is board certified in psychiatry and in the subspecialties of geriatric and addiction psychiatry. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Louisville and completed his psychiatric residency at the University of Pittsburgh. He also received an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He is currently a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and has published numerous articles and book chapters.

David Schwartz joined Cigna in its Washington, DC office as the Head of Global Policy in August 2014. In that role, David provides executive leadership with strategic counsel about global legislative and regulatory trends and translating those trends into actionable business strategies. He drives the company’s global positioning as a thought leader on policy issues, assuring consistency in the application of Cigna's public policy tenets across borders, and he manages development of U.S. public policy positioning.

Prior to joining Cigna, David spent 15 years in public service. For ten years, he served on the Democratic Staff of the Senate Finance Committee, including five years as the Chief Health and Human Services Counsel. In that position, he was responsible for all health and human services issues in the Finance Committee’s jurisdiction, including health reform and implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and child welfare programs.

Before that, David served in various capacities with the Social Security Administration (SSA) during his five-year tenure.

David has a Bachelor of Arts from the University at Albany, State University of New York, and a Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School.

Sheila Shapiro is senior vice president of National Strategic Partnerships for UnitedHealthcare Clinical Services. Sheila is responsible for the development, advancement and implementation of industry-leading models that will standardize how new types of data can be captured and used to improve people’s health outcomes, with an emphasis on connecting individuals to community and social services through local and national strategic partnerships.

Sheila joined UnitedHealthcare in 2009 as chief operations officer for the Community Plan of Arizona. She has also served as health plan president for the State of Washington Community Plan as well as national vice president of the myConnections program, a Medicaid program that builds new capabilities around transportation, housing and other social support services for UnitedHealthcare’s most vulnerable populations.

Sheila has more than 30 years of experience in the health care industry. Prior to joining UnitedHealthcare, she held executive positions with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, Molina and Premera Blue Cross. She has held leadership roles across a broad range of operations and strategic positions, including claims, customer service and financial operations.

Sheila holds a master’s degree in management from the University of Phoenix, a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and a financial management certificate from the Wharton School of Business. She is an Arizona Women in Business honoree and has served as vice chair on the board of directors for the March of Dimes.

Alexander Shekhdar is in-charge of Federal and State policy for the Medicaid Health Plans of America (MHPA). In this role, Mr. Shekhdar is responsible for assisting in the promulgation of the association’s policy positions, as well as analyzing and responding to regulatory matters governing and implicating Medicaid managed care plans.

Mr. Shekhdar has 15 years of business and policy experience in the government payor space with various providers including multiple managed care plans and pharmacy benefits management companies.

In the managed care space, Mr. Shekhdar has been responsible for business development for both Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care plans. In addition, he has worked on product development for various specialty health business including behavioral health and consumer healthcare companies.

Mr. Shekhdar has also been both a federal and state lobbyist, as well as, a subject matter expert engaged by multiple healthcare trade associations. Finally, Mr. Shekhdar is a professional lecturer and adjunct faculty associated with The George Washington University, The University of Baltimore, and The University of Maryland-University College and has presented on issues related to health policy at numerous industry trade meetings, gatherings of state health plan associations, and audiences of financial analysts.

Mr. Shekhdar holds his undergraduate and graduate degrees in public health from The Johns Hopkins University and his juris doctorate from the Seton Hall University School of Law.

Bruce Sherman, MD, FCCP, FACOEM, is the Chief Medical Officer for the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, where he provides guidance for clinically-related organizational activities. He also serves as Medical Director, Population Health Management for the RightOpt private exchange offering at Conduent HR Services. His primary area of responsibility is health/well-being strategy, with the goal of implementing integrated, data-driven approaches to optimize workforce health, and performance for employer clients. Dr. Sherman has research interests in the areas of employer health benefits strategies and the business value of workforce health. Previously, he served as the consulting corporate medical director for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Whirlpool Corporation, and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

A frequent speaker, Dr. Sherman has presented on a broad array of population health management and human resources practice-related topics to diverse audiences, and has published numerous related articles. He received his MD from NYU School of Medicine, his MA from Harvard and his ScB from Brown, and is a member of the clinical faculty at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

David A. Shore is a leading authority on innovation and managing change initiatives to gain competitive advantage.  Throughout his career he has worked to combine research, teaching, consulting and writing to build constructive links between theory and practice.

Shore has been on the faculty of Harvard University for more than two decades. He is also Distinguished Professor of Innovation and Change at Tianjin University of Finance and Economics (China) and Adjunct Professor of Organizational Development and Change at the School of Business, University of Monterrey (Mexico).  Shore is a faculty member of The Governance Institute and Executive-in-Residence at Enable East (United Kingdom).  He has held visiting professorships including in Amsterdam, Santiago, and Shanghai and consulted on six continents.  Shore offers executive education seminars and facilitates strategic planning and guided implementation retreats.  He has delivered hundreds of keynote addresses and workshops across multiple industries.

Previously, Shore spent two decades at the Harvard School of Public Health, where he served as associate dean.  He founded and directed the School's flagship programs:  Forces of Change; The Trust Initiative; and the Certificate Program on Launching and Leading Successful Change Initiatives.

He has served on and chaired numerous boards and committees, and currently is a founding member of McKinsey & Company's External Implementation Advisory Board which has a primary focus on operationalizing strategy for transformational change.   He also sits on the Board of Directors of the Marshfield Clinic Health System, as well as several editorial boards.  Among his honors is the Doctorate Fellow from the Academy of Multi-Skills (United Kingdom).  Along with innovation and change, Shore's body of work focuses on creating higher performing organizations including building and rebuilding trust; reimaging and reengineering meetings; and, strategic marketing and branding.

His most recent books include Launching and Leading Successful Change Initiatives in Health Care Organizations: (Jossey-Bass, 2014); Forces of Change:  New Strategies for the Evolving Health Care Marketplace (Jossey-Bass, 2012); and High Stakes:  The Critical Role of Stakeholders in Health Care, with E. Kupferberg (Oxford University Press, 2011).  He has also written a book on trust and edited a second.

Professor Shore has been recognized as a Top Thought Leader in Trust by Trust Across America – Trust Around the World.   He is also a multiple recipient of Harvard's Letter of Commendation for Distinguished Teaching Performance, including in 2017 and 2018; and was chosen to deliver a 2015 and 2016 Harvard Lecture That Lasts (Harvard's version of a TED Talk) and a TEDx Talk. 

Never known to simply :admire the problem," beyond intellectually stimulating, Shore provides executable advice, inspiring leaders and organizations to gain a unique and adaptable competitive advantage.

Charles W. Sorenson, MD, FACS, is President and CEO Emeritus of Intermountain Healthcare and the Founding Director of the Intermountain Healthcare Leadership Institute, a position he assumed in late 2016. Opening in October 2018, the Institute will offer a variety of leadership development courses, including a program designed for selected high potential health system leaders from the US and abroad. Staffed by a faculty of content experts from Intermountain and other distinguished health systems and academic institutions, this program will focus on principle-based decision making and leading at the critical juncture of clinical and administrative expertise.

Dr. Sorenson served as President and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare from January 2009 until his retirement from this position in October 2016. Prior to that, he served for eleven years as Intermountain’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Dr. Sorenson, a graduate of the University of Utah (BA Biology) and Weill Cornell Medical College at Cornell University (MD), is a board-certified Urologic Surgeon and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He served as Chair of the Committee on Young Surgeons for the American College of Surgeons, as President of the Utah Urologic Society and as Speaker of the House of Delegates of the Utah Medical Association. He is an Adjunct Professor of Surgery at the University of Utah.

Dr. Sorenson has a long-standing interest in clinical process improvement and in the development of Intermountain’s integrated delivery system. He was the Founding Board Chair of the Intermountain Medical Group, an integrated practice now comprised of approximately 1,600 physicians and advanced practice clinicians employed by Intermountain.

Under Dr. Sorenson’s leadership as Chief Operating Officer and as Chief Executive Officer, Intermountain Healthcare implemented a disciplined and system-wide focus on best clinical and operational practices aimed at producing measurably better outcomes for patients at costs that are sustainable to the communities Intermountain serves.

In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Dr. Sorenson has continued to be involved in the practice of urologic surgery at the Intermountain Medical Center, with a primary focus on urologic oncology. Dr. Sorenson and his wife, Sharee, are the parents of four adult children.

Lisa Suennen has spent 30 years in healthcare as entrepreneur, advisor and venture capitalist. Today she leads Manatt Phelps & Phillips digital and technology businesses and the firm’s venture capital fund. Her role spans technology across all sectors, although she also works closely with Manatt Health, engaging with payers, health systems and companies to provide strategic advice on innovation, digital strategy and growth.

Additionally, Lisa is co-founder of CSweetener, which matches women in and nearing the healthcare C-Suite with mentors. Lisa is also on faculty at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business where she teaches the annual class on healthcare venture capital.

Lisa spent the last 20 years in venture capital, most recently leading the healthcare fund at GE Ventures and previously as a partner with Psilos Group. Prior to that, she was part of the leadership team that built Merit Behavioral Care, an $800mm behavioral healthcare company, through its successful IPO and exit. She previously worked in product management and marketing roles in the technology field.

Lisa serves on several private company boards and chairs the advisory board of the NASA -funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health. She is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Aspen Institute’s Health Innovators Fellowship.

She also writes the Venture Valkyrie blog and co-hosts the Tech Tonics podcast.

RE Sutton & Associates, a division of Brown & Brown of Indiana, LLC

As an independent broker/consultant, Richard works with a variety of small and large employers and specializes in working with school systems, libraries and other public employers. Richard is a graduate of Ball State University where he majored in Public Relations and Political Science. While at Ball State, Richard was active as President of his Fraternity and President of the Student Center Governing Board.

Prior to founding RE Sutton & Associates, LLC in July, 2001, Richard was a partner at the firm of D.B. Englehart & Associates. Before his consultant work, Richard worked ten years at Blue Cross/Blue Shield and The Acordia Companies, where he received numerous awards for new sales and service to existing clients.

RE Sutton & Associates was named as one of the Top 25 Largest Indianapolis-Area Independent Insurance Agencies/Brokerage firms by the Indianapolis Business Journal for five years. In 2008, RE Sutton & Associates merged with Brown & Brown of Indiana creating the Largest Indianapolis-Area Independent Insurance Agency in the Indianapolis area and the firm has remained at the top of that list.

Richard contributed to a book series “Inside the Minds: Employee Benefit Best Practices”. The book, written by leading executives across the country, is an authoritative perspective on key strategies for offering secure, affordable coverage, while continuing to attract, retain and award employees. Richard’s chapter is entitled: “A Transparent Effort for Servicing Clients in the Employee Benefits Industry.

Richard is a graduate of Leadership Hendricks County. Through that program he was instrumental in instituting the Summer Lunch Bunch for Kids in Brownsburg. This program brings lunch, activities and entertainment to the children of Brownsburg during the summer months. Richard serves on the advisory board for several insurance and health related corporations.

Richard was included in the 2011 Indianapolis Business Journal list “Who’s Who in Health Care and Benefits.” This list includes administrators, benefits experts, insurance executives, and doctors doing groundbreaking work, attorneys, CPAs and policymakers.

Michael Thompson is the President and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions (National Alliance), an association of approximately 50 regional coalitions collectively supporting over 12,000 healthcare purchasers providing health coverage to more than 45 million Americans. The National Alliance helps to lead improvements in health, wellbeing and value for our companies and communities across the country.

Prior to joining the National Alliance, Mike was a Principal at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for 20 years. Thompson is a nationally recognized thought leader for business health strategies and health system reform. He has worked with major employers and other stakeholders on sustainable cost reduction, integrated health, wellness and consumerism, retiree health, private health exchanges and health reform. Known for developing and promoting collaborative cross-sector health industry initiatives, Mike participated on the steering board of the World Economic Forum’s “Working towards Wellness” initiative and co-founded the Private Exchange Evaluation Collaborative (PEEC). Prior to PwC, Mike served as an executive with diverse roles with Prudential Healthcare for over 17 years.

Mike is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, serving on the Health Practice Council, and chairs the Medicare Sub-Committee of the American Academy of Actuaries (AAA). He is also widely recognized as a leading national advocate for mental health and wellbeing and was Past President of the New York City chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI). Mike previously was an active member of the board of the Northeast Business Group on Health for 11 years.

Tim Thull is Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. He is responsible for developing and directing the strategy and delivery of information technology to support Medica's business goals and objectives.

Tim joined the organization in 2001 and has served in various leadership roles within Information Technology. He has over 25 years of Information Technology and Healthcare industry experience in technology consulting and with McKesson Corporation and Fiserv, Inc. He is the executive representative to Medica’s Technology Committee of the Board of Directors. He is a current board member Genesys Works Twin Cities and participates and serves in various roles for industry-related organizations including the Healthcare Executive Group, ThinkIT, Minnesota High Tech Association, Evanta CIO Summit and the MN IT Symposium. He is a former board member of the Medica Research Institute and the Minnesota Health Information Exchange.

Paul J. Tirjan, a seasoned and accomplished health care executive and entrepreneur, is president of AllSpire Health Partners and provides strategic leadership, start-up expertise and operational project oversight.

Prior to joining AllSpire Health Partners in August 2016, Tirjan served three years as vice president of ambulatory care at Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS), a Fortune 500 health services company located in King of Prussia, Pa. In his position at UHS, Tirjan was responsible for the overall ambulatory care strategy, development, growth and profitability for the hospital management company. UHS’ ambulatory portfolio under Tirjan’s direction included free-standing emergency departments, urgent care centers, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, radiation oncology, rehabilitation, wound care, retail pharmacy, home health, and telemedicine, as well as data, technology, infrastructure and programs to support population health management.

During his career, Tirjan has served in a variety of executive management positions with a diversified range of companies pioneering “state-of-the-art“ diagnostic cardiology and patient monitoring systems, and growing companies from small start-up operations to profitable publicly traded companies.

Immediately prior to UHS, Tirjan was chief executive officer at WirelessDx, where he launched a multinational diagnostic company from concept through acquisition. Previously, as vice president at CardioNet, he helped turn a $7 million revenue diagnostic service company into a $40 million revenue company ready for its IPO in just two years.

Earlier in his career he co-founded and led diversified healthcare provider Quaker Health Services as president for eight years and served as director of Venture Investments at San Francisco based life-science venture capital fund Burrill & Company.

Tirjan earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Brett Trusko is the Founder of the IAOIP. Driven by a desire to enable innovative solutions to the complex problems of the world, he formed the organization in 2013.

Brett has worked in industry, academia and consulting at various organizations and levels. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Innovation Science and Author of the Global Handbook of Innovation Science.

In addition to his responsibilities to the Association, he is full time faculty at Texas A&M University and part time faculty at Mount Sinai College of Medicine in New York as well as Adjunct Faculty at New York University.

Martin VanTrieste brings over 35 years in the pharmaceutical industry – focusing on manufacturing and quality. He was ranked #2 on the 2018 Medicine Maker Power List of Industry Influencers.

Martin VanTrieste was the Chairman of the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) Board of Directors. The PDA represents over 10,000 members, and is the leading global facilitator of scientifically sound, practical technical information, quality systems and expertise to advance Pharmaceutical / biopharmaceutical manufacturing science and regulation so members can better serve patients. He recently retired as the senior vice president of quality at Amgen. He was responsible for quality assurance, quality control, compliance, operational excellence, environment, health and safety along with training at Amgen.

Prior to joining Amgen, VanTrieste was with Bayer Healthcare’s Biological Products Division as vice president of worldwide quality and Abbott Laboratories as the vice president of quality assurance for the Hospital Products Division. While at Abbott, VanTrieste held various positions in Quality, Operations, and Research and Development. He started his career at Abbott in 1983 after obtaining his Pharmacy degree from Temple University School of Pharmacy.

He is the founder of Rx-360 and first Chairman of the Board of Directors. Rx-360 is a nonprofit international supply chain organization that enhances patient safety by increasing the security and quality in the biopharmaceutical supply chain.

VanTrieste has been actively involved with various professional and trade organizations, including, United States Pharmacopeia (USP), Pharmaceutical Quality Research Institute (PQRI), Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactures of America (PhRMA), and AdvaMed

PharmaVoice in 2012 named VanTrieste as one of the 100 most inspiring people in the pharmaceutical industry, calling him “a man with a mission”. The Medicine Maker in 2016, 2017 and 2018 named him one of the most influential people in the world of drug development and manufacture saying, “he is known throughout industry for his work on advancing quality assurance and helping to ensure a more reliable supply of high-quality medicines.”

Matt Wallaert is a behavioral scientist working at the intersection of technology and human behavior, designing products and programs that help people live happier, healthier lives and teaching others to do the same. An advocate for behavior change as the outcome of everything, he has a checkered past: academia, building and selling two successful startups, Microsoft's first behavioral scientist, director at Microsoft Ventures. He is currently the industry's first Chief Behavioral Officer at Clover Health, an insurance company focused on health outcomes. Wallaert sits on the board of a variety of startups and non-profits, prioritizes underrepresented founders and audiences, and continues to build side products like GetRaised.com, which has helped underpaid women ask for and earn over $2.3B in salary increases. And more important than all of that, he's a proud dad to a son named Bear.

Dr. Alan Warren is the CTO and SVP of Engineering for Oscar Health, the high-tech NY startup aiming to transform the healthcare industry. Prior to Oscar, Alan was Engineering VP in Google’s NY office and led efforts there spanning desktop and mobile search, AdWords, and Developer API's and tools, as well as starting products such as Google Finance, Blog Search and Google Health. While there, he also founded and led Google's collaborative applications area, including Google Drive and the Docs, Sheets and Slides suite. Before joining Google he co-founded and was CTO for the technology and engineering side of Juice Software, an enterprise software startup also in New York City. Prior to Juice, Alan spent 3 years as Chief Architect of Hyperion Solutions, two years in IBM's Software Solutions Division, and ten years in T.J. Watson Research. His early research spanned materials and device physics, computational physics and modeling, and circuit design. Since shifting to software and computer science full-time, Alan has been drawn to graphics and visualization, component-based architectures and systems design, and most recently, the collaboration and productivity applications space.

Alan majored in Physics and Math at Georgia Tech (’78) and received his Ph.D. in Solid State Physics from MIT (’85).

Dennis Weaver, M.D., MBA, is the Chief Clinical Officer at Oscar Health, where he spearheads new integrations with leading providers and coordinates Oscar’s clinical teams and initiatives to ensure members have access to the highest quality care. Dr. Weaver joins Oscar after years committed to promoting patient advocacy programs and greater transparency in the industry through his work as a leading health system advisor and as a practicing physician. His responsibilities at Oscar fit his lifelong passion to fulfill the “Quadruple Aim” - improving patient experience of care, improving the health of populations, improving the work life of clinicians and staff, and reducing the per capita cost of health care.

Most recently, Dr. Weaver served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Advisory Board, where he worked with hospitals, health systems, payers, governments and employers on critical health care issues, including value-based care models, optimal payment systems, and innovative technology solutions. While working for the Advisory Board, Dr. Weaver led a project in post-Katrina New Orleans to secure $100 million from the Bush administration and develop 99 new primary care access points.

Among numerous awards and honors for his work in clinical medicine, medical management, and technology integration, Dr. Weaver is a Certified Physician Executive, Diplomat of the American Board of Medical Management, Diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a Member of the American College of Physician Executives, and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He received his M.D. from the University of Iowa College of Medicine, and completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio. Dr. Weaver also holds a MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, is a Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, and is trained in Flight Surgery at the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine.

Nichole White has responsibility for the strategic direction of Medica’s core health services, as well as overall leadership and financial oversight for the business unit. Health Services functions include quality, pharmacy, care management, utilization management, care coordination, care delivery, health programs, clinical analytics and health services finance. This also includes integration of Medica’s pharmacy, medical and mental health programs with the aim of providing effective care and services for all Medica members, as well as working with Medica’s partners to develop new models of collaboration aimed at improving quality, member experience and value. Nichole’s career has spanned community pharmacy, primary care and managed care. Prior to joining Medica, she served as Vice President and General Manager, Health Plan Division at Express Scripts, where she led a team responsible for the strategic direction, retention, growth and profitability of health plan clients.

Nichole holds a Pharmacy degree from South Dakota State University and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

As a Board Member of Youthprise, Nichole is taking an active role in the Minneapolis community promoting the mission of the organization of “accelerating leadership and innovation beyond the classroom.” She also serves on the Development Committee for Youthprise.

Vickie White had a dream. When she grew up, she wanted to sing and dance at Disney World. She imagined performing for big crowds and singing her heart out.

That is, until she realized that she had no talent to dance and no talent to sing. No, it turned out Vickie was actually destined for a career in healthcare.

Vickie White is the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Innovation for Adventist Health System, soon to be AdventHealth. Adventist Health System is one of the nation’s largest faith-based health care systems, with nearly 50 hospital campuses and more than 80,000 employees. Vickie is responsible for the development and execution of AdventHealth’s brand strategy, as well as all aspects of marketing including digital engagement, strategic marketing, creative design and customer acquisition. In addition, she provides executive direction for the organization’s innovation strategy aimed at transforming the healthcare consumers’ experience. She has had the opportunity to successfully build and lead teams in business development, strategic planning, hospital operations, strategic partnering, innovation and marketing throughout her career in healthcare.

Yes, Vickie White has learned that a career performing at Disney is not in her future. She has decided to leave that work to the other Ms. White. Snow White that is.

Mary L. Wilson, MD, serves as the executive medical director of The Southeast Permanente Medical Group (TSPMG).

TSPMG is one of Georgia’s largest multi-specialty medical groups, with more than 600 clinicians caring for nearly 310,000 Kaiser Permanente members in the state. Services are delivered through a network of 26 medical offices and specialty centers, as well as at four contracted hospitals — Piedmont Hospital, Northside Hospital, Gwinnett Medical Center, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Dr. Wilson, a pediatrician, received her bachelor’s degree from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colo., and her medical degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. She completed her internship and residency in Pediatrics at the University of California-San Diego and a fellowship in Ambulatory Pediatrics at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA). She also holds a Master’s of Public Health from ULCA. Dr. Wilson is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Prior to her role in Georgia, she served as area medical director for the Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center in the east San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. In that position, she led 400 physicians and 3,000 employees in the care of 215,000 members at a 230-bed hospital, four other medical offices, and a mental health center. She has held several other leadership roles, including assistant medical director for Patient Care Experience, where she designed and implemented a strategy to help more than 5,000 physicians improve the care experience for over 3.5 million patients.

Dr. Wilson is active in the community, having served with non-profits that work with victims of domestic violence and on overseas medical mission trips. She promotes an active lifestyle and sets an example for her patients through travel, running, and competing in triathlons.

Courtney V. Winchester is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Case Manager, with a Master of Social Work degree from Louisiana State University. Courtney has eight years of human services experience with a specialized focus in medical social work, trauma-informed care, and elder care. Courtney has worked as a community health social worker for a managed care organization while managing Medicaid waiver programs, and also worked in the community for a mental health agency specializing in crisis intervention for individuals experiencing symptoms of schizophrenia. Courtney also has experience in pediatric oncology acute care at St. Jude Affiliate Clinic in Baton Rouge, LA, and facilitated support groups for adults diagnosed with cancer. Courtney currently works for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois in Health Advocacy Solutions department, focusing on strategies to address risks/barriers caused by the Social Determinants of Health in an effort to mediate poor health outcomes

CAPT Jason Woo, MD, MPH, FACOG is the Senior Medical Officer in the Office of Generic Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation, U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist, Dr. Woo has over 30 years in multiple leadership roles as a Commissioned Corps officer of the U.S. Public Health Service. His leadership and senior executive experience covers the spectrum of roles as a hospital and clinic provider, director, and administrator, and public health leadership roles in research, education, regulation, emergency response and in leading direct patient care, process improvement, staff development and infrastructure initiatives.

Dr. Woo became a student of leadership and systems change when studying economic development at the London School of Economics. His understanding of the failures of so many of the first world and second world approaches to third world problems ingrained the need for a systems thinking and wholistic perspective to implement lasting change. Throughout his career he has utilized this perspective to initiate change, process improvement, and team and individual growth and development.

Dr. Woo received a BA in Economics/Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He studied Economic Development at the London School of Economics. He received his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and completed a residency in Obstetrics/Gynecology at the Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

He has held leadership roles and responsibilities throughout his career. In served the Phoenix Indian Medical Center as the Director for Gynecologic Services, Director of the Native American Women’s Health Clinic, and Deputy Chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. His administrative leadership roles included being the Phoenix Area Indian Health Service Maternal-Child Health Consultant and Telemedicine Programs Director, as well as serving a detail as the Clinical Director for the Elko Service Unit for their JCAHO accreditation. His research and academic interests have been around contraceptive products development, overseeing clinical trial networks and research portfolios with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s Contraceptive Development Branch. His broad regulatory experience includes overseeing clinical review of dietary supplements, medical foods, and drugs and serving in senior executive roles for major organizational change efforts in the Office of Compliance and the Office of Generic Drugs for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Woo has published multiple articles and contributed chapters on clinical and regulatory topics. CAPT Woo has had multiple emergency response deployment roles in his career for the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, including as a Team Leader for the Operation Lone Star Border Response mission. He maintains his clinical and teaching role with hospitals and clinics in the Washington, DC area.

Jean oversees the strategic direction and business operations for Tufts Health Public Plans, Tufts Health Plan's managed Medicaid and state-sponsored plans division, which operates in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

With more than 15 years in health care, including provider, insurer and Exchange marketplace experience, Jean’s background gives her deep knowledge of the health insurance industry and its complexities. Prior to joining Tufts Health Plan, Jean served as the executive director of the Children’s Hospital Integrated Care Organization, a group representing Children’s Hospital Boston and its affiliated physicians. She is also a past executive director of the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, after initially serving as its chief financial officer. Jean began her work in health insurance at Tufts Health Plan in 2004, where she served on the contracting, strategy and analytics team.

Jean has served on the boards of the Health Policy Commission and Group Insurance Commission. She earned a B.S. in biochemistry from Peking University in Beijing, China and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

As a Partner at Echo Health Ventures in Boston, Jessica A. Zeaske identifies and invests in health care companies that create paths for innovation in the complex health care industry. She builds deep, high-value relationships with portfolio companies leveraging her two decades of experience bringing emerging models and technology to market.

A seasoned venture capitalist and board leader who continues to leverage her public health roots, Jessica has worked in independent, corporate, and university funds and is the author of dozens of health care investment themes over the years. Jessica joined Echo Health Ventures from GE Ventures where she served as Director of Healthcare Investments and focused on Health IT and MedTech markets. Jessica came to GE Ventures from Lemhi Ventures, a fund investing in health care services with a focus on market disruption. At both firms, Jessica developed investment hypotheses, sourced deals, ran diligence processes, and served on multiple Boards. Prior to joining Lemhi, Jessica worked on forming and spinning out HealthTech and Life Science companies based on University intellectual property at University of Minnesota and Oregon Health & Science University.

Jessica began her career writing care guidelines software for a start-up, then moved to a merchant bank, Greenspring Advisors, where she wrote numerous business plans, evaluated, launched and invested in data-driven health care start-up companies. Her Board of Director experience includes Apervita, Arcadia.io, OneHealth, PlanSource, PokitDok, Orasi Medical, Medication Management Solutions, multiple Observer seats, and significant work at Bind On-Demand Health Insurance. Jessica received an undergraduate degree with honors from Stanford University, graduated from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health with a Master of Health Science and PhD, and completed her MBA with a focus on Healthcare Administration at Regis University. Jessica serves on the Advisory Board to several medical centers in Boston, stays involved with Stanford University by volunteering in various capacities, coaches early stage companies in the public health sector, serves as a start-up judge and panelist for multiple health care conferences, and mentors individuals via the CSweetener and B7 programs.

Jessica enjoys trail running, researching travel to far flung destinations, and reading any book recommended by a friend. She lives in Boston, MA with her husband and three children.

Megan leads research at Rock Health, with the mission of educating the digital health community. She equips entrepreneurs, investors, and enterprise leaders with data-driven insights on the digital health landscape so they can make smarter business decisions that ultimately advance innovation in healthcare. Her recent research has focused on the digital health venture funding landscape, AI and machine learning in healthcare, and startup innovation for substance use disorder. Prior to joining Rock Health, Megan worked at The Advisory Board Company, where she led the Physician Executive Council, a best practice research membership supporting Chief Medical Officers at over 1,300 hospitals and health systems nationwide. Her research focused on how health systems can advance a strategy for reducing unnecessary care variation in pursuit of higher-quality, efficient care. Megan graduated cum laude from Duke University, where she earned a B.A. in Public Policy Studies with a focus on health policy.

In terms of others to invite, we have contacts at Blue Shield of California, Intermountain Ventures, and Optum Ventures. Let me know if you'd like me to make any introductions.