Fifth Annual Healthc are Summit

November 13 - 15, 2014

Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill Washington, DC

Speaker Biographies

Tracy Baroni Allmon, RPh, JD Executive Director, Health Policy Novartis Oncology Tracy Baroni Allmon has a BS in Pharmacy from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, and a law degree from University of . Following graduation from law school, Ms. Baroni Allmon worked for the Board of Pharmacy as their Compliance Officer. Since then she has held policy positions within various healthcare segments, including chain drug stores, pharmacy benefit management, and the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. Ms. Baroni Allmon’s addition to Novartis came in December 2009, when she accepted the re-vamped Executive Director of Oncology Health Policy position. In her current position, she is responsible for reviewing and developing positions on proposed laws and regulations, coordinating business activities and responses to proposals, and informing the business of future threats and opportunities. In addition, she works with various agencies, including Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, on areas of interest to Novartis, such as implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid and Medicare, and companion diagnostics. Her office is in Washington DC, and she is responsible for Novartis policy relationships with several patient and professional groups there, as well.

Jessica Armstrong Early Diagnosis Campaign Manager Pulmonary Hypertension Association Until 2012, Jessica Armstrong worked for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, utilizing her cultural expertise to gather intelligence on the Afghan point of view, a perspective she then brought to the military decision-making process. Today, after a life-changing collision with pulmonary hypertension, Ms. Armstrong manages the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s Early Diagnosis Campaign (SometimesItsPH.org) and frequently speaks on Capitol Hill about her experiences as a patient and as the survivor of a loved one claimed by this devastating disease.

William Auger, MD UCSD Healthcare Professor of Medicine William Auger MD, FCCP is currently a professor of clinical medicine at the University California, San Diego (USCD) School of Medicine and the Director of Academic Affairs for UCSD's Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy (PTE) Program. He is board-certified in internal medicine and pulmonary disease. Dr. Auger has devoted more than 25 years to the care and management of PTE patients. His academic interests focus on the evaluation and treatment of pulmonary hypertension, particularly chronic thromboembolic disease and other large vessel pulmonary vascular disorders. Dr. Auger accepted his faculty appointment at UC San Diego in 1989 after he completed a three- year pulmonary critical care fellowship here. He undertook his critical care fellowship at Ellis Hospital, an affiliate of Albany Medical Center in New York. He completed his residency at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, and earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. Dr. Auger is a member of the American Thoracic Society, Pulmonary Hypertension Association, International CTEPH Association, International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, and is a fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. Dr. Auger has been named a “Top Doc” in San Diego for many consecutive years in San Diego Magazine’s “Physicians of Exceptional Excellence” annual survey.

Tom Berger, PhD Executive Director Vietnam Vets of America Health Council Tom Berger, PhD is a Life Member of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and founding member of VVA Chapter 317 in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Berger served as a Navy Corpsman with the 3rd Marine Corps Division in Vietnam during 1966-68. Following his military service and upon the subsequent completion of his postdoctoral studies, he’s held faculty, research and administrative appointments at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, the State University System of Florida in Tallahassee, and the University of Missouri-Columbia, as well as program administrator positions with the Illinois Easter Seal Society and United Cerebral Palsy. After serving as chair of VVA’s national PTSD and Substance Abuse Committee for almost a decade, he joined the staff of the VVA national office as “Senior Policy Analyst for Veterans’ Benefits & Mental Health Issues” in 2008. Then in June 2009, he was appointed as “Executive Director of the VVA Veterans Health Council” whose primary mission is to improve the healthcare of America’s veterans through education and information. Dr. Berger’s varied academic interests have included peer-reviewed research, published books and articles in the biological sciences, wildlife regulatory law, adolescent risk behaviors, domestic violence, substance abuse, suicide, and post-traumatic stress disorder. He currently resides in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Marc Boutin, JD Executive Vice President National Health Council Marc Boutin is the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the National Health Council, an organization that brings together all segments of the healthcare community to provide a united voice for the more than 133 million people with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers. In addition to overseeing financial management and operations at the National Health Council (NHC), Mr. Boutin builds consensus among member patient advocacy organizations enabling them to speak with one voice on systemic health research and healthcare policy initiatives. This united effort results in legislation and regulations that address the collective needs of patients and their family caregivers. In addition, he provides guidance to patient organizations on various association issues, including corporate structure, government relations, fundraising, and outreach. Mr. Boutin is a regular spokesperson before the media, Congress, and policy makers on major issues of interest to the patient community. Boutin has been actively involved in health advocacy, policy, and both federal and state legislation throughout his career. He is a member the International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations Governing Board, Community Health Charities Board of Directors, PCORI Advisory Panel on Patient Engagement and the North America Advisory Board to the Drug Information Association. He has also served on Institute of Medicine committees, National Institute of Health panels, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s stakeholder group.

Carolyn Bridges, MD CAPT, USPHS Associate Director for Adult Immunizations, Immunization Services Division Centers for Disease Control & Prevention An internal medicine physician, Dr. Carolyn Bridges was in clinical practice before joining the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer in 1996 working primarily on influenza. She has held a number of different positions at CDC working on influenza and other vaccine preventable diseases and transitioned to her current position in 2011 as the Associate Director of Adult Immunizations. Her career in public health has included research and policy on influenza prevention and control, vaccine effectiveness, and transmission, vaccination coverage, and improving coverage for recommended adult vaccines.

Ryan Clary Executive Director National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable Ryan Clary is the Executive Director of the National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable (NVHR), a coalition of over 250 organizations working to end the hepatitis B and C epidemics in the US. As Executive Director, Mr. Clary directs NVHR’s public policy, advocacy, communications, and education programs. Mr. Clary served as NVHR’s Director of Public Policy from September, 2012 until March, 2014, where he developed and implemented the organization’s federal policy agenda, including leadership of the successful campaign to secure U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations calling for those at risk and those born between 1945 through 1965 to be tested for hepatitis C infection. Prior to his tenure at NVHR, Mr. Clary worked at Project Inform for 17 years, advocating for increased access to healthcare and treatment for people with HIV and hepatitis C. He is a founding member of the San Francisco Hepatitis C Task Force and has served on the Board of Directors of the Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR) Coalition and the National Hepatitis B Task Force: Focus on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Sita Deihl Director of State Policy & Advocacy National Alliance on Mental Illness Sita Diehl is the Director of State Policy and Advocacy for Nami, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Prior to coming to Nami in 2010, she served as Executive Director of NAMI Tennessee for six years. A supporter of empowerment among adults, children, and families affected by mental illness in Canada, Oregon, and Wisconsin and Tennessee, she is best know as the editor of the BRIDGES curriculum, a peer-run program for people living with mental illness. Ms. Deihl is co- auther of Back from Wherever I’ve Been, a collection of recovery stories from people in the BRIDGES program. Ms. Deihl holds a masters degree in community psychology from Antioch University and earned her MSSW at the University of Tennessee. She has developed and implemented a range of mental health curricula for individuals living with mental illness, families, mental healthcare providers and criminal justice personnel. Her research background includes a two state comparison of the effect of public managed behavioral healthcare on women and children, a federal multi-site study of consumer-operated services and a longitudinal study of mental health services in Tennessee county jails.

Suzanne Dooley-Hash, MD Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine University of Michigan Health System, Department of Emergency Medicine Suzanne Dooley-Hash received her medical degree from Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago and completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Michigan. Throughout her career Dr. Dooley-Hash has been interested in the impact of mental health, particularly eating and mood disorders and substance abuse, on her patients’ overall well-being. She joined the Center for Eating Disorders’ staff in 2011 where she now also provides comprehensive, medical care for the Center’s patients. Dr. Dooley-Hash is also active in eating disorder advocacy and education efforts as a member of the Board of Directors for the Binge Eating Disorder Association and as a member of the Academy of Eating Disorders (AED) and the AED Medical Care Special Interest Group. Her current research interests include early identification of eating disorders through improved screening, the comorbidity of eating disorders with both psychiatric and medical conditions, and methods for improving education about eating disorders for healthcare providers. Senator Jen Flanagan, MA Massachusetts State Legislature Since being sworn in on January 7 th , 2009, State Senator Jen Flanagan has served and worked for the Worcester and Middlesex district of Massachusetts. Growing up in Leominster herself, Senator Flanagan graduated from Leominster High School and went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Boston as well as a master’s degree of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Fitchburg State College, now Fitchburg State University. Beginning her political career in 1995, she worked in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a Legislative Aide, then as Chief of Staff on four legislative committees. Prior to being elected to the Senate, she served two terms in the House of Representatives and served as representative of the 4 th Worcester district. Senator Flanagan has been serving as Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means while being appointed to numerous panels at the State House, including: The Autism Commission, the Interagency Council on Substance Abuse, the Commission on Postpartum Depression, the special Commission to Study Electronic Benefit Transfers, the Cashless EBT System Commission, the Gaming Policy Advisory Commission, the Department of Mental Health Task Force on Staff and Client Safety, Governor Patrick’s Children, You and Families Advisory Committee and Treasurer Grossman’s Online Products Taskforce.

Mark Gelbert, PhD, JD Senior Vice President, Global R&D Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Mark Gelbert, PhD, JD, leads all aspects of the Pfizer Consumer Division's Global Research & Development (R&D) organization. He is responsible for driving and prioritizing the division's R&D efforts to effectively bring new products to market and manage the increasingly challenging regulatory environment for over-the-counter (OTC) products.As chairman of the GLT Rx-to-OTC Switch Steering Committee, Dr. Gelbert oversees the prioritization and progress of Pfizer's switch programs. In his role, he drives alignment at the leadership level while ensuring that the right resources are in place and the right stakeholders are involved along the way.Before joining Pfizer, Dr. Gelbert was vice president of global R&D for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Care. He has also held senior R&D positions with Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, Schering-Plough Healthcare and Novartis Consumer Health. Dr. Gelbert has been responsible for the development of many consumer healthcare products on the shelf today, including the Rx-to-OTC switches of Claritin, Lamisil, Zantac150 and Lotrimin Ultra.Dr. Gelbert began his career in product development in Procter & Gamble's Health Care Division. While at Procter & Gamble, he completed his law degree and focused his efforts in drug regulatory affairs. In addition to his law degree, Dr. Gelbert has a BA from Rutgers University, as well as an MS and PhD in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.He has held leadership positions in a number of professional organizations, including the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, where he was chair of the Scientific Affairs Committee and a member of the board of directors. He is admitted to the Ohio State Bar Association and Southern District of Ohio federal bar.

Chuck Ingoglia, MSW Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Practice Improvement National Council for Behavioral Health Chuck Ingoglia is the Senior Vice President of Public Policy & Practice Improvement for the National Council for Behavioral Health where he directs Federal and state affairs, policy, and technical assistance to the National Council’s more than 2,250 member organizations nationwide. He plays a major role in federal and state policy advocacy and analyses on myriad issues relevant to behavioral health financing and health reform. Mr. Ingoglia is also an adjunct faculty member of The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, where he teaches Mental Health Policy and Congress and The Politics of Non-Profits. Mr. Ingoglia is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and ACMHA: The College of Behavioral Health Leadership. He holds a Master of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, both from The Catholic University of America.

Scott Kahan, MD, MPH Director Strategies To Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance Scott Kahan, MD, MPH is a nationally-recognized specialist in preventive medicine and obesity medicine, trained in clinical medicine, public health, and public policy. He serves on the Faculty of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the George Washington University School of Medicine, and the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. He is the Director of the Strategies To Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance, a national obesity policy organization, and the Director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness, a multidisciplinary treatment program for health and weight. He received his undergraduate degree in bioengineering from Columbia University, his medical degree from Drexel University/Medical College of Pennsylvania, and his Master’s of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He trained in Internal Medicine and completed a residency in Preventive Medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where he served as Chief Resident. Dr. Kahan has advised the White House, U.S House of Representatives, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and numerous national and local advocacy groups and public health initiatives pertaining to obesity, nutrition, and chronic disease prevention. He teaches several courses on obesity, nutrition, public health, and health behavior change to medical students, graduate students, and undergraduate students. He is a columnist for The Huffington Post and has written articles in numerous newspapers and scientific journals, and has published 14 books in the fields of medicine, nutrition, and public health, and is the Editor-in-Chief of a series of medical texts that have been published internationally and translated into nine foreign languages.

Karyn Richman Kendall Deputy Dirctor Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Karyn Richman Kendall joined the Centers for Disease Control as the Deputy Director, CDC’s Washington Office, in May 2014. Ms. Kendall originally joined the Department of Health and Human Services in January 2011 where she served as the Branch Chief for the Science and Regulatory Affairs Branch within the Office of Budget, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources. Prior to joining HHS, she served as Committee Staff for the House Committee on Appropriations for nearly four years, most recently as staff for the Subcommittee on Homeland Security. Ms. Kendall began her career in Washington with a six-year tenure at the Office of Management and Budget, focusing on homeland security, emergency and public health preparedness, and biodefense issues. Ms. Kendall holds a Bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia University.

Mary Langowski, MPA, JD Executive Vice President for Strategy, Policy & Market Development CVS Health In her role at CVS Health, Ms. Langowski directs CVS Health's strategy and market development functions, with a focus on identifying and expanding enterprise opportunities to new markets as the company plays an increasingly prominent role in the evolving healthcare system. Her portfolio also includes leading the company's government affairs and policy development teams at the state and federal level by providing strategic counsel to help navigate the complex and dynamic policies, regulations and market trends that today's healthcare companies face. Ms. Langowski has deep expertise in helping clients analyze and translate public policy into actionable business strategies. Her experience spans the private, non-profit, and public sectors. Langowski previously served as chair of the Health Care Policy and Regulatory Practice and the co-chair of the Food and Beverage Sector at the international law firm of DLA Piper. Prior to her role at DLA Piper, Langowski served in senior positions at Alston & Bird and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal where she provided strategic counsel to clients with a special focus on healthcare. In addition to her private sector experience, Ms. Langowski served as a senior healthcare policy advisor for Senator Tom Harkin from 2001- 2004, and was the chief policy advisor at the Iowa Department of Public Health under Governor Tom Vilsack. Ms. Langowski earned a BA and MPA from Drake University and a JD from the University of Iowa College of Law.

Melissa Lee Co-Founder, President Diabetes Hands Foundation Melissa Lee is a respected diabetes advocate and blogger. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes comatose and in a Diabetic ketoacidosis state with a blood sugar over 1000 at the age of 10 in 1990, Ms. Lee spent nearly two decades feeling alone with her disease. In 2008, she discovered a growing and vibrant online community of people touched by diabetes in the form of TuDiabetes.org, a social network operated by Diabetes Hands Foundation. She credits this community with finding the support she needed to get pregnant - twice - and better manage her diabetes on a daily basis. She serves on the steering committee of Diabetes Advocates, another program of Diabetes Hands Foundation. She is known to the greater online health community as a blogger and advocate, writing for ASweetLife.org online magazine and her own blog: SweetlyVoiced.com . Now the mother of two beautiful kids and a member of the Diabetes Hands Foundation's Board of Directors for the last two years, Ms. Lee will take over the chairmanship of their board in 2015 for a two-year term. She resides with her husband and family outside Dallas, Texas.

Tyler Marciniak, MA Director, Oncology Communications & Advocacy Astellas US, LLC Tyler Marciniak is currently the lead Oncology Communications and Advocacy for Astellas Pharma, where he works with media, advocacy organizations and policy stakeholders to advance the conversation around cancer care in the Americas. Prior to joining Astellas, Mr. Marciniak led global marketing & communications for Pfizer Integrated Health, driving revenue by communicating a compelling value proposition to generate new customer and partner leads. Specifically, he managed the corporate brand strategy, web site, paid media and search efforts, customer advocacy, and public relations programming for the business. Also while at Pfizer, Tyler supported the global launch of Eliquis and managed an internal and agency team responsible for a 12-month change management effort affecting 1,200 Pfizer colleagues across 13 countries. Earlier in his career, he held positions of increasing responsibility at global consultancies Edelman, Cramer-Krasselt and Ketchum. Mr. Marciniak earned his bachelor's degree from Drake University, where he sits on the Board of Directors for the National Alumni Association and am an advisor to the School of Journalism. Mr. Marciniak also received his master's degree from Columbia University.

Vallerie McLaughlin, MD Professor, Internal Medicine University of Michigan Vallerie McLaughlin, MD, is Professor of Medicine and Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Attending Physician at the University of Michigan Health System. She is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Chest Physicians and the American Heart Association, and is a member of the American Thoracic Society. She has served as Chair of the American Heart Association “Women in Cardiology” Committee and as a member of the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions Program Committee. Dr. McLaughlin is immediate past-Chair of the Scientific Leadership Council of the PH Association and past-Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Pulmonary Hypertension . She is Chair of the PH Association Board of Trustees and Chair of the Medical Education Programs of the PH Association. She was Chair of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Clinical Expert Consensus Document on PH. She was recently inaugurated as a charter member into the Clinical Excellence Society at the University of Michigan. Her research interests focus on PH. Barbara Putignano, RPh Vice President Cystic Fibrosis Services Inc., A Walgreens Alliance Pharmacy Barbara Putignano has over 25 year of healthcare industry experience, and is currently the Vice President for the Cystic Fibrosis Services, A Walgreens Alliance Pharmacy. In her current role, she oversees operations in Bethesda, MD and has responsibility for product management to maximize the expertise of CFS, Inc. and expand the service offering to the CF Community leveraging the Walgreens Specialty assets. She also provides the strategy and direction to drive the integration of a multi-channel care model while ensuring standardized operational performance is delivered for consistency of care for those living with Cystic Fibrosis. Previously, Ms. Putignano was the Senior Director of Specialty Pharmacy Services for Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy. Her responsibilities included assisting in the development of up-sell opportunities for existing strategic clients, facilitating the execution of cross channel offerings and representing the voice of the customer to insure operational excellence at Walgreen's Specialty Pharmacy. Additionally, her responsibilities included the training and translation of Walgreen Specialty Pharmacy’s clinical and operational programs for presentation with our various payer segments. She assisted in product translation for RFP responses, marketing efforts and clinical outcome results to ensure consistent messaging externally in support of cost management strategies, care management strategies, and various access channels. Other experiences included, Director of Vendor Relations helping to manage the strategic relationship with Prime Therapeutics for their Specialty Pharmacy Program, Senior Account Manager for McKesson Specialty, managing several key payer account, and Senior Director of Clinical Services for CVS’s Specialty Pharmacy, Ms. Putignano began her career as a retail pharmacist. Ms. Putignano is a registered pharmacist licensed in both DC and Pennsylvania. Additionally she is a member of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy.

Carlos Sattler, MD Vice President of US Clinical Development & Medical Affairs Sandoz, Inc. Carlos Sattler, MD is Vice President, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs at Sandoz, where he leads efforts to develop Sandoz’s biosimilars pipeline and biosimilars medical and scientific strategy. He joined Sandoz from Merck & Co., Inc. where he served in various clinical research and medical affairs roles, with a focus on the development and commercialization of the company’s human papillomavirus vaccine. Dr. Sattler is a pediatrician with subspecialty training in pediatric infectious diseases.

Edna Shattuck, RN, RNA, RRT Patient Advocate COPD Foundation Edna Shattuck is a retired Registered Nurse and Registered Respiratory Therapist who after a long and respected healthcare career was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in 2008. Since that time she has been involved with activities to raise awareness of this disease and inspiring and educating others as a Patient Advocate on behalf of the COPD Foundation. Last November, Ms. Shattuck was asked to join the “BREATHE” study at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution as a Co-Investigator and Patient Representative. This 3 year study is focused on COPD patient/caregiver education with the ultimate goal of self management and reduced hospital readmissions. Most recently, she was elected to the Board of Governors of the COPD Foundation's PPRN (Patient Powered Research Network), a groundbreaking effort that aims to stimulate COPD research by creating a registry of over 75,000 individuals with COPD who’ve agreed to share information about their symptoms, the impact this disease has on their lives and, their health information.

Emily Skor Vice President- Communications, Consumer Healthcare Products Association Executive Director, CHPA Educational Foundation Emily Skor leads the Consumer Healthcare Products Association’s (CHPA) communications department where she oversees and provides strategic direction for all external and member communications, and ally development. She also serves as executive director for the CHPA Educational Foundation. Before joining CHPA in February 2011, Ms. Skor served as senior vice president at Dezenhall Resources, a nationally recognized crisis communications and issues management firm. She developed and led comprehensive public affairs and public relations campaigns that included media, advocacy, coalition building, and consumer education. Prior to working at Dezenhall Resources, Skor worked at Cohn & Wolfe, a public affairs consultancy, and the Center for Defense Information, a nonprofit think tank. Ms. Skor serves on the board of directors for the National Council on Patient Information and Education. She also serves on the board of directors for the Madeline Island Music Camp, which provides performance training for talented young musicians.

Jamie Sullivan, MPH Senior Director of Public Policy & Outcomes COPD Foundation As Senior Director of Public Policy and Outcomes, Jamie Sullivan is focused on federal, state, and regulatory policy issues related to COPD, with a particular emphasis on creating public health infrastructure to address the wide ranging impacts of the disease. Ms. Sullivan is particularly interested in the role that care delivery reforms, payment policies, and quality improvement initiatives play in improving the lives of individuals with COPD. She was recently appointed as a member of the Advisory Panel on Improving Health Systems at the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), where she helps advise PCORI on health systems research topic priorities and patient engagement in research issues. Ms. Sullivan received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Miami and her Masters of Public Health from Florida International University.

Chevese Turner Founder & Binge Eating Disorder Association Chevese Turner founded the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) in June 2008 recognizing the need for an organization to advocate on behalf individuals affected by binge eating disorder and the providers who treat them. A lifetime of living with binge eating disorder (BED) and a well- rounded career in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, political, and non-profit arenas performing a variety of leadership roles prepared Ms. Turner to launch BEDA. BEDA is a national organization focused on providing leadership, recognition, prevention, and treatment of BED and associated weight stigma. Through outreach, education and advocacy, BEDA facilitates increased awareness and proper diagnosis of BED, and promote excellence in care for those who live with, and those who treat, BED and its associated conditions. Ms. Turner is also managing director and co-founder of Pershing Turner Centers, an eating disorder recovery outpatient clinic with locations in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Annapolis, Maryland.

Kristen Welker- Hood, ScD, MS, BSN Senior Program Associate Leadership for Healthy Communities Kristen Welker-Hood is the senior associate for health initiatives at Global Policy Solutions. Her primary role is supporting Leadership for Healthy Communities and other clients in their efforts to advance healthy eating and active living policies. Prior to joining Global Policy Solutions, Ms. Welker- Hood worked for healthcare corporations, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations. In her last position as a Senior Liaison, Local Care Coordinator for the BC/BS CareFirst Patient Centered Medical Care Program, she led efforts to engage the medical community in integrating public health into primary care to reduce chronic disease and improve population health outcomes. She has over ten years experience working on local, state and federal health policy issues. As a Director for Environmental Health Programs for Physicians for Social Responsibility and as a Senior Policy Fellow for the American Nurses Association, she guided the strategic policy initiatives, public health education campaigns, and served as lead investigator and author on several research projects. She brings to Global Policy Solutions a strong background in mobilizing the health community and scientists to serve as grass-tops messengers for advancing evidence-based policy change. Ms. Welker- Hood has expertise in health promotion and prevention of chronic disease, implementing public health campaigns and advocacy initiatives, policy analysis and research. Ms. Welker- Hood lives in Maryland where she trains as the swimmer for an Iron Girl triathlon relay team and is a mother to a 8 year-old aspiring male gymnast. She holds a science doctorate in Public Health from Boston University, School of Public Health; a MS in Public Health Nursing form Johns Hopkins University, School of Nursing and a BSN from the Decker School of Nursing at Binghamton University, SUNY.

Montel Williams Health Advocate, Media Personality, & Entrepreneur Montel Williams earned his media celebrity status as a riveting Emmy Award® winning television personality. He is a decorated naval officer, inspirational speaker, author, wellness entrepreneur and health advocate. Mr. Williams hosted , a nationally syndicated distributed by CBS Paramount Television, for 17 years, taping over 3,500 shows and interviewing more than 30,000 guests focusing on key social issues involving ordinary people coping with extraordinary circumstances. Currently Mr. Williams’ focus is on promoting The Living Well with Montel brand which incorporates his life experience and the information he has accumulated through personal account and professional opinions. Shortly after being diagnosed with MS in 1999, Williams established the Montel Williams MS Foundation to further the scientific study of MS, provide financial assistance to select organizations and institutions conducting research, raise national awareness, and educate the public. The MWMSF has granted over $1.5 million dollars to research and has supported a study done at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, which discovered an MS gene. Williams began his professional career in the US Marine Corps in 1974 when he enlisted in his hometown of Baltimore after graduating high school. After six months, he was meritoriously promoted twice, and in 1975, became the first black Marine selected to the Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, Rhode Island to then go on to graduate from the Naval Academy. He graduated with a degree in General Engineering and a minor in International Security Affairs with Mandarin Chinese as his language. He went on to obtain a degree in Russian from the Defense Language Institute. He was then selected as Special Duty Intelligence officer, specializing in Cryptology. While serving in the military Mr. Williams’ was the recipient of numerous awards, medals, and citations including, two Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy Achievement Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals, and two Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals.