Speakers
Welcome
Reception
Wednesday, February 22
Diana Ramos, MD, MPH, MBA, FACOG
California Surgeon General
Keynote
Diana Ramos, MD, MPH, MBA, FACOG
California Surgeon General
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Diana E. Ramos is a well-recognized public health leader dedicated to improving health care quality and equity. She recently served as the Assistant Deputy Director of Chronic Disease Prevention for the California Department of Public Health. Past roles include the Director for Reproductive Health in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and adjunct Associate Professor at the Keck University of Southern California School of Medicine.
Dr. Ramos currently serves as chair for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, California & Ecuador (IX) District, secretary for the executive board of the National Hispanic Medical Association, and is co-chair for the Women’s Preventive Service Initiative implementation committee.
She serves on many national and international women’s health improvement and equity committees. Her areas of expertise include health disparities, social determinants of health, preconception/interconception health, preterm birth, contraception and quality improvement in health. Dr. Ramos has written and contributed numerous articles to the obstetrics and gynecology and public health literature and has lectured in Spanish and English, locally, nationally and internationally.
Dr. Ramos received her medical degree from the University of Southern California with honors and completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center. She received her MBA from the UCI Paul Merage School of business with an emphasis in entrepreneurship and innovation and her master’s in public health from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Ramos completed her undergraduate degree, a BA in Communications, Arts & Science from the University of Southern California.
Health Care
Forecast Conference
Thursday, February 23
Kaakpema "KP" Yelpaala
Chief Impact Officer
Health Equity Moonshot
StartUp Health
Keynote
Kaakpema "KP" Yelpaala
Chief Impact Officer, Health Equity Moonshot
StartUp Health
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Kaakpema “KP” Yelpaala is the Chief Impact Officer of the Health Equity Moonshot at StartUp Health. In this role, he is an investor and ecosystem builder focused on digital health innovations that can reduce health inequities globally. Kaakpema, who goes by “KP,” is a global entrepreneur and public health practitioner with a deep understanding of health systems and 20 years of experience working across the public and private sectors in the United States, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean.
Kaakpema Co-Founded InOn Health in 2018. The company improves access to care in the United States using digital communication channels and consumer insights to better connect multi-cultural populations to healthcare services. Prior to InOn Health, he also founded access.mobile International and serves as Chair of the organization. access.mobile is a global digital health company that develops solutions to improve access to health information and services in African countries. The company has implemented programs in 13 African countries. KP served as one of the early employees of the Clinton Health Access Initiative and worked as a management consultant for Dalberg Global Development Advisors.
Kaakpema serves in several health equity and digital inclusion advisor capacities. In early 2021, Governor Jared Polis appointed him to serve on the Colorado eHealth Commission. He is now the Chair of the Commission, which governs all health IT for the State of Colorado. Kaakpema also serves as an advisor to the American Medical Association’s In Full Health equitable innovation initiative. He served on the Yale School of Public Health Leadership Council and Chaired its Strategy Committee. Kaakpema received a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from Brown University and a Master of Public Health from the Yale School of Public Health.
Thursday, February 23
Ramona Agrela, MPA
Chief Human Resources Officer and Vice Chancellor, University of California, Irvine
Ramona Agrela, MPA
Chief Human Resources Officer and Vice Chancellor
University of California, Irvine
Ramona Agrela serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer and Vice Chancellor for the University of California, Irvine. She is the senior University official responsible for all human resources administration and operations. Ramona is a dynamic human resource professional with extensive, award-winning experience across multiple HR disciplines. With a passion for helping organizational leaders achieve their strategic goals through progressive talent management strategies, Ramona truly believes that HR’s role is to empower people to drive a culture of innovation, learning and service.
Ramona is involved in her community both professionally and personally. She sits on the board of the Irvine Barclay Theatre, participates on the HR work group for Girls, Inc., and is a member of the University of California committees for the Status of Women and the HR Leaders Group. She is also active with the Society for Human Resources Professionals, the College and University Personnel Association, WorldatWork, and the Professional in Human Resources Association.
Ramona holds a bachelor of arts in economics and a master of public administration degree, both from California State University, Fullerton. She is a SHRM certified senior professional, a WorldatWork certified compensation professional, and a Human Capital Institute Strategic HR Business Partner.
Stephanie Anthony, JD, MPH
Senior Advisor, Manatt Health
Stephanie Anthony, JD, MPH
Senior Advisor
Manatt Health
A veteran of state and federal health care administrations with experience in program design and implementation, Stephanie Anthony provides research, analysis and advisory services on health policy and health law to public and private sector clients.
Clients turn to Stephanie for counsel on health care reform, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) financing, program design and waivers, post-acute care, and long-term services and supports. She also advises on best practices in care management, integrated care models, and coverage options for the uninsured.
Before joining Manatt, Stephanie was with the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s (UMMS’s) Center for Health Law and Economics, where she helped Massachusetts become the first state to implement a demonstration program of integrated care for individuals with dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid.
Stephanie oversaw strategic planning, policy development and analysis, program design, data analytics, and stakeholder engagement efforts. She was also the lead consultant providing analytic and staff support to Massachusetts’ Long-Term Care Financing Advisory Committee.
Prior to UMMS, Stephanie was deputy Medicaid director in the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. A member of the executive management team, she worked with the federal Medicaid oversight agency and was integral to the development and implementation of the Commonwealth’s landmark health care reform law. Stephanie also oversaw CHIP and the MassHealth 1115 Waiver, the primary financing mechanism for the publicly funded health care reform coverage expansions.
Stephanie’s government service also includes work as a director of federal and national policy management within EOHHS’s Medicaid office and as a legal advisor and policy analyst for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She also was a senior policy analyst for the Economic and Social Research Institute.
Amy Bassano, MA
Managing Director, Medicare, Health Management Associates
Amy Bassano, MA
Managing Director
Medicare, Health Management Associates
A senior executive and nationally recognized health policy expert, Amy Bassano has more than 20 years of experience in developing organizational vision and strategic plans, designing and implementing payment systems, and driving change in the healthcare delivery system.
She joins HMA after serving as the deputy director for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). She has taken the helm as managing director of the Medicare services area of the firm.
As senior executive at the CMMI, she oversaw the development and implementation of value-based purchasing models for both Medicare and Medicaid including Accountable Care Organizations, bundled payment programs, and specialty initiatives in oncology, kidney care, prescription drugs, state-based models and dual eligibles. Additionally, she collaborated with states, health plans, purchasers, and international organizations to lead the national and international movement to value in healthcare.
In her more than 15 years at CMS, she served in various Medicare leadership roles including as Director of the Hospital and Ambulatory Policy Group where she developed and implemented hospital physician, Part B prescription drugs, clinical laboratory, and other acute care payment policies; oversaw regulatory and sub-regulatory requirements for these providers and suppliers, and led implementation of multiple major pieces of legislation including the Affordable Care Act for the payment systems in the policy group. She also previously served as director of the divisions of Practitioner Services and Ambulatory Services and in the Office of Management and Budget.
She earned a Master of Policy Studies from John Hopkins University as well as bachelor’s degree in history from Tufts University.
Romilla Batra, MD, MBA
Chief Medical Officer, SCAN Health Plan
Romilla Batra, MD, MBA
Chief Medical Officer
SCAN Health Plan
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Romilla Batra is responsible for the clinical strategy & operations to provide “person centric” care to SCAN members and clients. She also leads SCAN’s provider integration, pharmacy, healthcare services, geriatrics clinical delivery and digital health strategy which creates collaborative environments for SCAN and its providers to deliver on the quadruple aim “better outcomes, better member and physician experience and lower costs”. She is a member of the executive team that sets strategic direction for SCAN to deliver on its mission keeping seniors healthy & independent.
In addition to her clinical leadership role, Dr. Batra is a valuable contributor to and leader of many other health plan activities and initiatives including SCAN’s community based organization, Independence at Home ( IAH) that serves seniors and their caregivers in the community.
Dr. Batra is a board-certified internist with more than 20 years of experience as a medical director, clinician and educator. Immediately prior to joining SCAN in 2011 she worked for five years as the director for ambulatory internal medicine and associate program director for medicine residency at the University of California, Irvine. Her previous experience also includes serving as a medical director at Indiana University Medical Group Community Health Center in Indianapolis and clinical instructor at UCLA/West Los Angeles VA Hospital.
Dr. Batra completed her residency in internal medicine at UCLA and earned her healthcare executive MBA at UC Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business where she continues to teach in the executive MBA programs.
Kelly Bruno-Nelson, MS
Executive Director, Medi-Cal/CalAIM
Kelly Bruno-Nelson, MS
Executive Director
Medi-Cal/CalAIM
As Executive Director, Medi-Cal/CalAIM, Kelly Bruno-Nelson is responsible for oversight of the agency’s main health plan and its further development through the statewide California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative. She brings more than 25 years of experience serving vulnerable populations in Southern California through innovative work in health care and nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining CalOptima Health, Kelly was President and Chief Executive Officer of National Health Foundation (NHF), a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization working to improve the health of underserved communities. Prior to NHF, she was Vice President of ONEgeneration in Van Nuys, California, a nationally recognized organization that provided an intergenerational program of adult day health care and childcare that brought together frail elderly and young children. Her earlier career also included leadership roles at a nursing home and in hospital-based social work. Kelly holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Azusa Pacific University and a master’s degree in social work from California State University, Long Beach. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in social work from University of Southern California.
Anthony C. Chang, MD, MBA, MPH, MS
Chief Intelligence and Innovation Officer (CIIO) and Medical Director, Heart Failure Program at CHOC
Anthony C. Chang, MD, MBA, MPH, MS
Chief Intelligence and Innovation Officer (CIIO) and Medical Director
Heart Failure Program at CHOC
Dr. Chang attended Johns Hopkins University for his B.A. in molecular biology prior to entering Georgetown University School of Medicine for his M.D. He then completed his pediatric residency at Children’s Hospital National Medical Center and his pediatric cardiology fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He then accepted a position as attending cardiologist in the cardiovascular intensive care unit of Boston Children’s Hospital and as assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
He has been the medical director of several pediatric cardiac intensive care programs (including Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Miami Children’s Hospital, and Texas Children’s Hospital). He served as the medical director of the Heart Institute at Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
He is currently the Chief Intelligence and Innovation Officer (CIIO) and Medical Director of the Heart Failure Program at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. He has also been named a Physician of Excellence by the Orange County Medical Association and Top Cardiologist, Top Doctor for many years as well as one of the nation’s Top Innovators in Healthcare.
He has completed a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Health Care Administration at the University of Miami School of Business and graduated with the McCaw Award of Academic Excellence. He also completed a Masters in Public Health (MPH) in Health Care Policy at the Jonathan Fielding School of Public Health of the University of California, Los Angeles and graduated with the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence. Finally, he graduated with his Masters of Science (MS) in Biomedical Data Science with a subarea focus in artificial intelligence from Stanford School of Medicine and has completed a certification on artificial Intelligence from MIT. He is a computer scientist-in-residence and a member of the Dean’s Scientific Council at Chapman University.
He has helped to build a successful cardiology practice as a startup company and was able to complete a deal on Wall Street. He is known for several innovations in pediatric cardiac care, including introducing the cardiac drug milrinone and co-designing (with Dr. Michael DeBakey) an axial-type ventricular assist device in children. He is a committee member of the National Institute of Health pediatric grant review committee. He is the editor of several textbooks in pediatric cardiology, including Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care, Heart Failure in Children and Young Adults, and Pediatric Cardiology Board Review.
Sarah J. Dash, MPH
President and Chief Executive Officer, The Alliance for Health Policy
Sarah J. Dash, MPH
President and Chief Executive Officer
Alliance for Health Policy
Sarah J. Dash, MPH, is the President and Chief Executive Officer at the Alliance for Health Policy. Sarah joined the Alliance in 2014 as the Vice President for Policy and became President and CEO in May 2017. Sarah has long been an influential force in shaping health policy, having served as a senior aide on Capitol Hill and as a member of the research faculty at the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms. Sarah holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from the Yale School of Public Health and a S.B. from MIT. Sarah also holds an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University.
Vanessa Davis
National Program Lead for Housing for Health in the Office of Community Health, Kaiser Permanente
Vanessa Davis
National Program Lead for Housing for Health in the Office of Community Health
Kaiser Permanente
Vanessa Davis (she/her/hers) is the National Program Lead for Housing for Health in the Office of Community Health at Kaiser Permanente. She brings over fifteen years of working with national and international health and social justice non-profits as well as experience in public health research trials in a variety of hospital and community-based settings at the intersection of health and social behavior. Her portfolio of work has included strategies to address homelessness and affordable housing, food security, and other social drivers of health. She recently served on the California Statewide COVID-19 Testing Taskforce to support the rapid adoption of innovative prevention and mitigation strategies for people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. In addition to launching innovative programming and research on homelessness, she also has played a leading role in developing and implementing strategies at the intersection of health systems and homeless response systems.
Owing to her familial and ancestral experience of displacement and diaspora as an Ashkenazi Jew, she’s committed to working in solidarity with the communities most impacted by systems of oppression to protect the spaces and places that are most foundational to personal and collective health and well-being—starting with home. Vanessa holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Wesleyan University and a Master of Public Health Degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Sarah K. Emond, MPP
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Institute for Clinical and Economic Review
Sarah K. Emond, MPP
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Institute for Clinical and Economic Review
With over 20 years of experience in the business and policy of health care, Sarah leads the strategic operations of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, a leading non-profit health policy research organization, as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In that role, she is responsible for overseeing ICER’s public programs, stakeholder engagement, and finances.
Prior to joining ICER, Sarah spent time as a communications consultant, with six years in the corporate communications and investor relations department at a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, and several years with a health care communications firm. Sarah began her health care career in clinical research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
A graduate of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, Sarah holds a Master of Public Policy degree with a concentration in health policy. Sarah also received a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Smith College. Sarah speaks frequently at national conferences on the topics of prescription drug pricing policy, comparative effectiveness research, and value-based health care. In her free time, Sarah enjoys skiing and hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Darrell J. Gaskin, PhD, MS
Professor and Director, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Darrell J. Gaskin, PhD, MS
Professor and Director
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Darrell J. Gaskin, PhD, MS, is the William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in Health Policy and Director of the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Gaskin is a health services researcher and health economist. He is an internationally recognized expert in health and healthcare disparities. He seeks to identify and understand how contextual factors influence access to care, quality of care and health outcomes for minority, low socioeconomic status, and other vulnerable populations. His research strives to develop and promulgate policies and practices that address the social determinants of health and promote equity in health and well-being.
Dr. Gaskin is an international leader in health policy. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He is a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He serves on the Congressional Budget Office Panel of Health Advisors and the Board of Directors of the American Society of Health Economists. He has served in leadership roles in AcademyHealth, the American Public Health Association, the National Academy for State Health Policy, and the National Economics Association. He is a member of Maryland Department of Health’s Advisory Committee on Minority Health and the Maryland Health Equity Policy Committee. He is a 2019 recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
Dr. Gaskin has a Ph.D. in public health economics from the Johns Hopkins University. He holds a MS degree in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a BA degree in economics from Brandeis University.
Steve A. N. Goldstein MA, MD, PhD, FAAP
Vice Chancellor, Health Affairs, Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine
Steve A. N. Goldstein MA, MD, PhD, FAAP
Vice Chancellor, Health Affairs
Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, Physiology & Biophysics, and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences
University of California, Irvine
Dr. Steve Goldstein is a nationally renowned physician-scientist, pediatric cardiologist, and academic administrator. As Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs at UCI, he oversees the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, UCI Health, the healthcare delivery system, and the UCI centers and institutes of health. He is leading a major expansion rooted in a One Health vision, united across disciplines, for whole-person care based on data-driven precision health and the Discover, Teach, Heal mission. Dr. Goldstein holds an MD and PhD from Harvard
University, has been a senior leader at Yale University, Brandeis University, and the University of Chicago; served as an advisor to the National Institutes of Health; National Science Foundation and non-profits committed to health; and is the recipient of numerous honors.
Dan Gorenstein
Founder and Executive Editor, Tradeoffs
Dan Gorenstein
Founder and Executive Editor
Tradeoffs
Before founding Tradeoffs, Dan was the senior reporter for Marketplace’s Health Desk, covering the business of health care, and before that, he spent more than 11 years at New Hampshire Public Radio. He got his start in journalism at the Chicago Reporter, an investigative journal that examines race and class disparities in the Chicago area. He’s won numerous national and local awards, including the Society of Professional Journalist Sigma Delta Chi investigative reporting award. As the Founder and Executive Editor, Dan sets the vision for Tradeoffs’ journalism and strategic direction.
Atul Grover, MD, PhD, FACP, FCCP
Executive Director, AAMC Research and Action Institute
Atul Grover, MD, PhD, FACP, FCCP
Executive Director
AAMC Research and Action Institute
Atul Grover, MD, PhD, FACP, FCCP is the inaugural Executive Director of the AAMC Research and Action Institute. The Institute convenes national experts to examine the most critical issues affecting the missions and institutions of academic medicine; develop policy and programmatic solutions; and harness member medical schools, teaching hospitals and academic health systems, and academic societies to test, validate, and scale effective change.
Dr. Grover is an internal medicine physician, health services researcher, and nationally recognized expert in health policy. Dr. Grover joined the AAMC as associate director for the Center for Workforce Studies in 2005, where he managed research activity and directed externally funded workforce studies. He became a director of government relations and health care affairs in 2007, and served as the association’s chief public policy officer from 2011-2016. From 2016-2020 he served as executive vice president, providing strategic leadership in the areas of medical education, academic affairs, health care affairs, scientific affairs, learning and leadership programming, diversity and inclusion, public policy, and communications.
Previously, Dr. Grover held positions in health care finance and applied economics consulting as well as in the U.S. Public Health Service, Health Resources and Service Administration National Center for Health Workforce Analysis.
Dr. Grover earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from George Washington University (GWU) School of Medicine and his PhD in health and public policy from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Grover holds faculty appointments at GWU School of Medicine, and JHU Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Elizabeth Landsberg, JD
Director, Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI)
Elizabeth Landsberg, JD
Director
Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI)
Elizabeth A. Landsberg was appointed Director of the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) by Governor Gavin Newsom in December 2020.
Previously, Director Landsberg was a Deputy Director at the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) where she oversaw the Help Center program that assists consumers and providers with healthcare complaints.
Before joining the DMHC, Director Landsberg was an advocate for healthcare consumers in the nonprofit realm for more than 16 years. She was the Director of Policy Advocacy for the Western Center on Law & Poverty, where she focused on health reform implementation, Medi-Cal, Covered California and other issues affecting low-income Californians.
Prior to joining the Western Center on Law & Poverty, Director Landsberg was the Supervising Attorney for the Health Rights Hotline at Legal Services of Northern California. In her role there, Director Landsberg identified systemic policy issues and advocated for needed change.
Director Landsberg was the Ruth Chance Law Fellow at Equal Rights Advocates and served as a law clerk to Federal District Court Judge Martha Vázquez.
Director Landsberg earned her law degree from the University of California at Berkeley where she was the Editor-in-Chief of the Berkeley Women’s Law Journal. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Pomona College.
Elizabeth Lukanen, MPH
Deputy Director, State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC)
Elizabeth Lukanen, MPH
Deputy Director
State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC)
Elizabeth Lukanen, MPH, serves as the Deputy Director of State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC), a health policy research center at the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health. Ms. Lukanen has 20 years of experience in health policy and specializes in translating complex research findings into actionable, policy-relevant information. Ms. Lukanen currently oversees SHADAC’s technical assistance to states in the areas of data use, analysis, and evaluation. In this capacity, she manages SHADAC’s work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) State Health & Value Strategies (SHVS) project, providing technical assistance to state policymakers and Medicaid agencies on a variety of topics, including: innovative data solutions to inform insurance exchange outreach efforts; designing evaluations to monitor program and policy interventions; filling gaps in data on social determinants of health; measuring health disparities and efforts to enhance health equity; monitoring eligibility and enrollment performance; and designing analysis and modeling to inform coverage and access expansions. She also serves as the principal investigator on a project that provides on-demand data analysis and technical assistance to inform Medicaid policy for the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) using a wide variety of federal surveys.
In these roles, she is vocal about the importance of collecting and reporting disaggregated data to explore issues related to health equity, while actively working with policymakers to improve data on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Before joining SHADAC, Ms. Lukanen served as a Senior Research Economist at the Minnesota Department of Health. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from McGill University and a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University.
Rishi Manchanda, MD, MPH
CEO, HealthBegins
Rishi Manchanda, MD, MPH
CEO
HealthBegins
Dr. Rishi Manchanda is CEO at HealthBegins, a national design and implementation firm that helps Medicaid-serving clients move upstream and advance health equity for people and communities harmed by societal practices. He has advanced this mission throughout his career as a pioneering physician, executive and public health champion. Dr. Manchanda served as the founding director of social medicine for a network of community health centers in south central Los Angeles, as the first lead primary care physician for homeless veterans at the Greater Los Angeles VA, and as the inaugural chief medical officer for a self-insured employer with a large rural agricultural workforce. He serves as an advisor for several national nonprofits and initiatives, including the Rise to Health Coalition, and is a co-founder of the national Community-Based Workforce Alliance. In his book – The Upstream Doctors – and TED Talk, he introduced “Upstreamists”, a new model of healthcare professionals who improve outcomes by addressing the social and structural drivers of health equity – patients’ social needs, community-level social determinants of health, and structural determinants of health equity including structural racism.
Sonja Nesbit, MPA
Senior Policy Advisor, Arnold & Porter
Sonja Nesbit, MPA
Senior Policy Advisor
Arnold & Porter
Sonja Nesbit brings over 20 years of experience working with members of Congress and senior staff to her role as Senior Policy Advisor in the firm’s Legislative & Public Policy practice. Ms. Nesbit was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) where she managed legislative portfolios for multiple government agencies. Ms. Nesbit also has experience assisting in introducing and passing legislation in the House Ways and Means Committee, including provisions related to the Affordable Care Act. She provided strategic counseling to achieve federal legislative and regulatory goals and has developed and executed healthcare advocacy campaigns.
Ms. Nesbit is able to provide real-time political intelligence on federal legislative and regulatory matters, as well as advice on how to engage the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on policy matters. She provided counsel to clients seeking to navigate the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reimbursement and payment policy and the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. Maintaining strong working relationships with key members of Congress, Ms. Nesbit secured meetings with senior health officials, secured funding requests and assisted in expanding federal grant programs. She also assisted in responding to information requests from Congressional committees conducting oversight and investigations and led crisis communications campaigns.
Kathryn E. Phillips, MPH
Associate Director, Improving Access, California Health Care Foundation
Kathryn E. Phillips, MPH
Associate Director
Improving Access, California Health Care Foundation
Kathryn E. Phillips, MPH, is an associate director for the California Health Care Foundation’s Improving Access team, which works to improve access to coverage and care for Californians with low incomes. Kathryn supports strategy across the team, develops strategic priorities and new initiatives to build the future health care workforce in California, and fosters alignment of workforce activities across the foundation.
Kathryn joined the Foundation in 2016 as a senior program officer. In that role, she managed the California Improvement Network and led the foundation’s efforts to advance primary care, including modernizing payment for FQHCs and public health care systems, accelerating the adoption of integrated behavioral health care statewide, and improving population health management capabilities among providers that serve Medi-Cal members. She continues to lead programming to improve health equity by fostering greater investment in primary care systemwide.
Prior to joining CHCF, Kathryn directed regional and national quality improvement projects at Qualis Health (now Comagine), including the landmark Safety Net Medical Home Initiative, which developed and tested an evidence-based framework to guide primary care redesign efforts. Previously, Kathryn worked at the National Business Group on Health where she built public-private partnerships to create evidence-based purchasing guidelines and workplace health programs to advance clinical preventive services, maternal and child health, and behavioral health.
Kathryn holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Oregon and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Michigan.
Stephanie Quinn
Senior Vice President, Advocacy, Practice Advancement and Policy,
American Academy of Family Physicians
Stephanie Quinn
Senior Vice President, Advocacy, Practice Advancement and Policy
American Academy of Family Physicians
Stephanie Quinn is senior vice president of advocacy, practice advancement, and policy at the American Academy of Family Physicians where she oversees the AAFP Divisions of Government Relations and Practice Advancement as well as the Alliance for e-Health Innovation. Prior to joining the AAFP, Stephanie Quinn was vice president of federal government affairs at CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield where she led the company’s federal legislative agenda on issues such as market stability, drug pricing policy, and social determinants of health. Before CareFirst, Stephanie was assistant director of congressional relations for the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and served as deputy director of federal government affairs for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Stephanie holds a combined degree in linguistics and Spanish from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Murray N. Ross, PhD
Vice President, Kaiser Permanente
Murray N. Ross, PhD
Vice President
Kaiser Permanente
Murray Ross is a Vice President with Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, where he leads the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy. He also serves as Senior Lecturer at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. Dr. Ross chairs the boards of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review and the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation and served on the board of the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement.
The Institute for Health Policy seeks to shape the public policy environment by drawing on Kaiser Permanente’s evidence and experience in meeting the health and care needs of over 12 million people. It does so by convening public forums on policy issues, publications, digital media, and by supporting and promoting the work of like-minded partner organizations.
An economist by training, Dr. Ross speaks frequently to domestic and international audiences on a range of health care and policy topics. Before joining Kaiser Permanente in 2002, he was an advisor to the U.S. Congress, first with the Congressional Budget Office and later as executive director of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. He enjoys running, writing, photography, and traveling (in the before time).
Ipsita Smolinski, MBA, MPH
Faculty, The Johns Hopkins University
Senior Strategic Advisor, McAllister & Quinn
Ipsita Smolinski, MBA, MPH
Founder & Managing Director, Capitol Street
Faculty, The Johns Hopkins University
Senior Strategic Advisor, McAllister & Quinn
Ipsita Smolinski is a veteran advisor on healthcare regulatory and legislative issues with over twenty years of experience across healthcare industry impact, policy and economic analysis.
As the Managing Director of Capitol Street, she advises clients on key trends and major actions coming out of Washington, DC. as well as at the state, court and stakeholder levels. These include healthcare legislation moving on Capitol Hill, actions from CMS, FDA, NIH, FTC, and other agencies, as well as emerging / commercial market trends e.g., ICER/CivicaRx, Employer Sponsored Healthcare Value Based Care, Amazon. Her primary focus is forecasting the impacts of health policy through data-driven economic analysis, with a non-partisan lens.
Smolinski holds a faculty appointment at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School where she teaches coursework in Healthcare Economics and Healthcare Finance.
She serves as a Senior Strategic Advisor to McAllister & Quinn, a healthcare grants firm that supports large U.S. hospital systems.
Smolinski is a frequent speaker at national conferences and appears on CNBC, MSNBC, Fox News and others. She has been quoted in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Reuters. She partners with JPMorgan on the annual healthcare conference in San Francisco each January, a meeting which sets the tone for the capital markets for the year.
Prior to launching Capitol Street in 2009, Smolinski was the Senior Equity Research Analyst for Healthcare Policy at JP Morgan. Before joining JP Morgan, Smolinski advised clients on health policy and trends at Citigroup and Bear Stearns. Earlier in her career, she spent several years as a healthcare management consultant at the Lewin Group, a Washington-based firm specializing in managed care and healthcare payment policy, and worked at both Pfizer and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Smolinski holds an MBA and a Masters in Public Health (MPH) from Columbia University and received her BA from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. She teaches yoga to children in her free time. While at JHU, Smolinski played Division III field hockey, was a Delta Gamma national scholar, and published biomedical research findings in otolaryngology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Michael J. Stamos, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Dean & Professor of Surgery, The UCI School of Medicine
Michael J. Stamos, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Dean & Professor of Surgery
The UCI School of Medicine
Michael J. Stamos, MD, joined UCI in 2002 and is currently dean of the School of Medicine, a position he has held since early 2016.
Dr. Stamos is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease using minimally invasive surgery and sphincter-preserving techniques. He is a past president of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery (ABCRS), as well as past president of the Research Foundation of ASCRS. Dr. Stamos has published more than 249 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 38 chapters, and has served as editor on nine textbooks, including the ASCRS Textbook of Colon and Rectal Surgery. He is regularly listed among America’s Top Doctors, Best Doctors in America, and “Physicians of Excellence”.
During his tenure as dean of the UCI School of Medicine, the School has steadily climbed in national research stature and has received the highest accreditation possible from the Association of American Medical Colleges/American Medical Association Liaison Committee on Medical Education.
Most recently, UCI School of Medicine ranked 26th among public schools for research by U.S. News & World Report. Of the $580 million in research funding UCI received in fiscal 2021-22, more than $338 million was for biomedical and health sciences clinical work across campus, with more than $242 million directly related to the School of Medicine. The School increased fundraising more than 124 percent from just over $25M in 2016 to over $56M in 2022.
Dean Stamos has led the School’s effort to engage its diverse population in its commitment to inclusive excellence in medical education and sustainable change. The School launched a Women’s Leadership Academy and a Women in Medicine and Science organization to support gender equity. Today, more than 50 percent of the school’s executive leadership team are women and the number of students identifying as underrepresented minorities is at a nation-leading 17 percent. In addition, a dean’s task force for inclusive excellence in medical education was established and an official diversity officer has been appointed.
During his deanship, the School’s three mission-based programs – PRIME-LC, PRIME LEAD-ABC and HEAL-IM – have expanded. The Leadership Education to Advance Diversity-African, Black and Caribbean (PRIME LEAD-ABC) program is a first-of-its-kind effort aimed at producing future physicians who are committed to serving these communities. Health Education to Advance Leaders in Integrative Medicine (HEAL-IM) is designed to provide a future generation of physicians with additional training and skills in the tools and philosophies of integrative medicine.
Dean Stamos was born in Miami, Florida and received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He completed his surgery internship and residency at the University of Miami / Jackson Memorial Medical Center in Miami, Florida, and received additional fellowship training at the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Dr. Stamos then moved west where he joined the UCLA faculty and worked primarily at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California as a busy clinician and division chief for 11 years.
In 2002, he moved to UCI and in 2010, he assumed the leadership role as chair of the department of surgery, a role he enjoyed until February 2016, when he assumed the role of dean.
Hemi Tewarson, JD, MPH
Executive Director, National Academy for State Health Policy
Hemi Tewarson, JD, MPH
Executive Director
National Academy for State Health Policy
Hemi Tewarson, JD, MPH, Executive Director of the National Academy of State Health Policy. Tewarson joins NASHP from the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy where she’d been a leader of the Center’s emerging state policy portfolio, including COVID-19 testing, containment, vaccine distribution and education, coverage and health system reform, Medicaid system improvements and addressing equity within. Previously, she served as the director of the Health Division at the NGA’s Center for Best Practices, overseeing a project portfolio including Medicaid transformation and coverage, data systems, health care delivery and payment system reform, workforce, opioids, and behavioral health and social determinants of health.
Josh Trent
Principal
Leavitt Partners
Josh Trent
Principal
Leavitt Partners
Josh Trent is a principal based in Leavitt Partners’ Washington, D.C. office. Josh has more than a decade and a half of experience in the federal government—from the White House, to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to the U.S. Senate and U.S. House on Capitol Hill.
In his role at Leavitt Partners, Josh develops and manages multi-sector alliances and advises clients throughout the health care sector on federal health care policy and strategy. He specializes in public insurance under Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, commercial health insurance, the 340B program, and the Affordable Care Act.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Josh served as Chief Health Counsel for Chairman Greg Walden of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the U.S. House of Representatives. In that role, Josh was the lead House staffer for the landmark legislation to combat the opioid crisis, The SUPPORT Act (P.L. 115-271). He also led the House’s work to reauthorize The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, which was eventually enacted the following year (P.L. 116-22).
Josh previously served under both Walden and Chairman Fred Upton as Deputy Chief Health Counsel. In this role, he played a key part in crafting the Medicaid, Medicare, and state Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provisions in the House’s Bipartisan Budget Act (P.L. 115-123), and he led the House’s work to enact the longest extension of the CHIP in the history of the program (P.L. 115-120). Previously, as Professional Staff under Chairman Upton, Josh assisted in the development and passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (P.L. 114-198) and the sweeping law to advance the discovery, development, and delivery of cures and treatments, The 21st Century Cures Act (P.L.114-255).
Prior to working in the House, Josh served for five years as Health Policy Advisor for U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK). In that role, Josh was involved in the legislative process leading to the enactment of the Affordable Care Act.
Before coming to Capitol Hill, Josh spent six years in the administration of President George W. Bush, including three years as an executive recruiter in the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House helping identify and recruit individuals for senior Administration roles. He also spent a year and a half as deputy director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Josh received his bachelor of arts from Union University and received his master’s degree in international politics from the University of Bath in Bath, England.
Ian O. Williamson, PhD
Dean, The UCI Paul Merage School of Business
Ian O. Williamson, PhD
Dean
The UCI Paul Merage School of Business
Ian O. Williamson was appointed dean of The UCI Paul Merage School of Business on January 1, 2021. Prior to joining the Merage School, he served as pro vice-chancellor and dean of commerce at the Wellington School of Business and Government at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
Williamson received his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in business from Miami University. He has served as a faculty member at Melbourne Business School, Rutgers Business School, the Zurich Institute of Business Education, the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and Institut Teknologi Bandung.
Williamson is a globally recognized expert in the area of human resource management. His research examines the impact of “talent pipelines” on organizational and community outcomes. In particular, his research focuses on how human and social capital influences firm operational and financial outcomes, talent management in the context of new ventures and growth-oriented firms, the role of human resource practices in driving firm innovation and the impact of social issues on firm outcomes.
Williamson’s research has been published in leading academic journals (e.g. Academy of Management Journal, MIT Sloan Management Review, Organization Science, Journal of Applied Psychology) and has been covered by leading media outlets across the world. He is a past recipient of the Academy of Management (AOM) Education Division Best Paper Award for his research on high performing teams and the AOM Human Resource Division Best Paper Award for his research on the effect of employee mobility on firm performance. He is also a recipient of the AOM Best Practices Mentoring Award for his role as the founding President of the Management Faculty of Color Association (MFCA).
A passionate educator, Williamson has been recognized for his innovative approaches to business education. He is a past recipient of the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business Krowe Teaching Award, the Melbourne Business School Senior Executive MBA Teaching Award, the University of Melbourne Award for Excellence and Innovation in Indigenous Higher Education, and the Business/Higher Education Round Table CPA Australia/ABDC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Business Education Collaboration.
Diane Ford, Assistant Director, CHCMP at forddm@uci.edu.
