NEHI's 2024
Board of Directors
Meet Michael
Dr. Apkon currently serves as a director for 7D Surgical, a Toronto-based surgical navigation equipment manufacturer, and as a director for MindBeacon, a Canadian digital mental health company. He has also served as a Director for MaRS Innovation (now Toronto Innovation Accelerator Partners), an innovation incubator serving the greater Toronto academic and healthcare communities.
Dr. Apkon has extensive international management experience in both pediatric and adult-oriented healthcare, working with organizations and governments in the UK, Europe, China, Africa, and the Middle East as well as North America. He has consulted widely on business development, capacity development, and management systems as well as quality and safety improvement. He is an expert in strategy, systems development, and operations management, as well as the application of lean and high-reliability organizational thinking to drive improvements in quality, safety, and efficiency.
Prior to coming to Tufts Medical Center, Dr. Apkon was the President and CEO at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto Ontario, recognized as one of the world’s top children’s hospitals and Canada’s most research-intensive hospital. Dr. Apkon has also held senior executive and academic roles at top academic health science centers including Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and the Chief Medical Officer for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) as well as roles at Yale University School of Medicine and Yale-New Haven Health System including being the Vice President for Performance Management at the Yale New Haven Health System and the Vice President/Executive Director leading Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital. He has held faculty positions at the University of Toronto, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University’s School of Medicine and School of Management.
Dr. Apkon has a BSc degree in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University as well as MD and Ph.D. degrees from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and an MBA from the Yale School of Management where he taught healthcare management.
Timothy J. Babineau, M.D., MBA
Principal, ECG Management Consultants
Meet Timothy
During his tenure, Dr. Babineau guided the organization through unprecedented growth by increasing revenues from $2.4 billion to $3 billion, increasing outpatient visits by 116% at more than 100 ambulatory locations in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, creating the most extensive multispecialty physician practice in the state (Lifespan Physician Group), and acquiring the largest primary care group in the state, Coastal Medical Inc. He also drove the successful implementation of a systemwide Epic Electronic Health Record (EHR). In addition, he created strong strategic partnerships with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children's Hospital, improving care coordination between Rhode Island and Boston.
Lifespan includes Rhode Island Hospital and its Hasbro Children's Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Bradley Hospital, Newport Hospital, Gateway Healthcare, Lifespan Physician Group, and Coastal Medical.
Before serving as Lifespan's CEO, Dr. Babineau was President of Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children's Hospital, and the Miriam Hospital from 2008 to 2012. Dr. Babineau is a Principal in the Academic Healthcare Practice at ECG Consultants.
HONORS AND RECOGNITION
Dr. Babineau is the recipient of numerous professional awards and honors, including most recently the Corporate Citizen Award from Providence Business News, Senator Chaffee Distinguished Citizen Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the New England Arthritis Foundation, and induction into the Hall of Fame of St. Bernard's High School. He has repeatedly been listed as one of America's Top Surgeons by the Consumers' Research Council of America and a Top Doctor in America by the Boston Consumers' Checkbook. He is a five-time recipient of Becker's 105 Physician Leaders to Know. He is a prolific author of book chapters and abstracts, with over a hundred to his name. Dr. Babineau was recognized in October of 2021 by the Wall Street Journal as one of the world's most influential leaders.
Dr. Babineau has served on several boards of directors, including the Rhode Island Quality Institute, the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, the Council of Teaching Hospitals, the University Healthcare Consortium (UHC), the New England Medical Innovation Center (NEMIC), and Vizient, Inc., the nation's leading health care performance company. He has served as an advisor to several medical startup companies.
CLINICAL AND ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP HISTORY
Dr. Babineau has served as the Chief of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Residency Program Director at Boston Medical Center and Boston University. Subsequently, he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He served as a professor of surgery at the University of Maryland (2005-2008), associate professor of surgery at Boston University School of Medicine (1999-2005), and assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School (1986-1999). He was a professor of surgery at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University from 2008 to 2022 and now serves as professor emeritus.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Dr. Babineau received his bachelor's degree from the College of the Holy Cross, where he graduated as Valedictorian and his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts. He also received a master's degree in business administration from Boston University in 2000, where he graduated at the top of his class. Dr. Babineau completed his internship and residency at Harvard's New England Deaconess Hospital and his andship in surgical nutrition and metabolism.
Patricia M. Boozang
Senior Managing Director, Manatt Health
Meet Patricia
With more than 25 years of experience in health care, Patti Boozang is known nationally for her ability to craft innovative solutions to challenges at the intersection of health care policy, strategy and business. She manages large, complex engagements for clients that include state agencies, foundations and leading private-sector health care organizations. Her areas of expertise include federal and state health reform, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Affordable Care Act Marketplaces, affordable coverage innovations, and delivery and payment system transformation.
Patti leads Manatt’s technical assistance team for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health and Value Strategies program, through which she counsels state health policy leaders on a wide range of matters related to the ACA; federal Section 1115 and 1332 waivers; and federal regulations related to health care coverage, payment and delivery. Most recently, she worked across state governments and with federal partners on preparedness and response during the COVID-19 public health emergency and continues to assist with “unwinding” the regulatory flexibilities framework established during the PHE.
Patti leads Manatt’s work on several large-scale health care transformation efforts in California and Washington state. She also currently advises clients including the BCBSMA Foundation of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Health Connector, MAXMUS, the Missouri Health Foundation and the Montana Foundation for Health.
Patti led Manatt Health’s Business Strategy, Policy and Analytics Consulting practice from 2019 through 2022, and she currently leads the practice’s state and Medicaid business development efforts.
Robert Filippone, PhD
Vice President, US Policy & Government Relations, Merck
Meet Robert
Bob joined Merck from PhRMA, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, where he served as Senior Vice President, Federal Affairs. Bob led PhRMA’s Federal Affairs team with responsibility for advancing PhRMA’s interests with members of Congress and the administration.
Prior to his time at PhRMA, Bob served as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the office of U.S. Senator Bob Graham (D-FL). He was Senator Graham’s principal advisor on foreign policy, homeland security, intelligence, defense, and international trade issues.
During his tenure with Senator Graham, Bob also was Deputy Staff Director for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. The Committee is responsible for conducting oversight of the U.S. intelligence community and for authorizing intelligence activities of the U.S. Government.
Prior to joining Senator Graham’s staff, Bob worked as a national security specialist in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in Washington. He has also worked as a fellow in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research at the Department of State and as a missile systems engineer at the Raytheon Company. He has taught international relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Bob holds Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is married to Desiree Geneva Filippone and they have two sons and a daughter.
Jonathan J. Fleming
(Treasurer)
Senior Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Meet Jonathan
Shawn Griffin, MD, FAAFP
President and CEO, URAC
Meet Shawn
Dr. Shawn Griffin is the first physician to serve as President and CEO for URAC, the leading independent, nonprofit accreditation organization in the United States and the only organization to offer a full digital health portfolio of programs, including telehealth and remote patient monitoring accreditations.
Before taking the helm at URAC, Dr. Griffin served as the Vice President for Clinical Performance Improvement and Applied Analytics at Premier Inc. Dr. Griffin spent close to eight years in the role of Chief Quality and Informatics Officer with Memorial Hermann Physician Network in Houston, Texas. He has also served as the Chief Medical Information Officer for both Baylor College of Medicine and Heartland Regional Medical Center.
Dr. Griffin has been a featured presenter for the National Quality Forum (NQF), Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), The International Society of Telehealth and eHealth, MENA Telehealth, the American Medical Group Association, Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems, the Center for Telehealth and eHealth Law, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, and the American Medical Association. His telehealth presentations have covered access to care, how the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the landscape of telehealth, telehealth policy, data and patient safety and security, caring for patients with chronic diseases remotely, and the importance of quality in telehealth. Dr. Griffin was also a member of the NQF Rural Telehealth and Health Care System Readiness Committee, which focused on the ways telehealth can address issues of access to care in geographically and economically disadvantaged rural areas.
Dr. Griffin is a graduate of Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. Dr. Griffin was trained in Rural Family Medicine and has practiced medicine in various cities and states throughout the United States. Dr. Griffin is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Dr. Griffin has expertise in a wide variety of health care topics including informatics, telehealth, population health, remote patient monitoring, quality improvement and clinical integration. Dr. Griffin is a trusted source for engaging and insightful commentary that’s relevant to both health care professionals and public audiences alike.
Dr. Griffin lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife of 33 years; they’re the proud parents of five adult sons.
Mark Lutes
(Chair, Clerk)
Chairman of the Firm, Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.
Meet Mark
Mr. Lutes is a leader in the firm's representation of private equity and financial services firms with health care companies in their portfolios. He routinely deploys multidisciplinary teams of attorneys, reimbursement specialists, engineers, and scientists to assess the reimbursement, FDA and other domestic and international regulatory approvals, fraud and abuse compliance, CMS and legislative landscapes and other issues impacting proposed client investments in health care companies.
Mr. Lutes combines experience with the corporate aspects of transactions with his deep experience in health care compliance issues to provide clients with practical advice in negotiating warranty and indemnification issues and in assessing risk factors in health and life science deals. He has advised on the most significant transactions in the health care market including services, pharmaceutical and device companies.
Mr. Lutes is also an experienced antitrust counselor to health care companies contemplating mergers or acquisitions and has facilitated the antitrust clearance of numerous significant hospital mergers. He has managed the defense of high profile healthcare antitrust actions by the FTC.
Mr. Lutes has a deep understanding of managed care markets and regulation. He is consulted by a variety of providers and payors in structuring innovative payment arrangements. Additionally, he counsels on hospital and physician ventures and compliance issues, and information privacy and security. Mr. Lutes has developed privacy and security audit tools which support client compliance needs.
Fiona Mack, PhD
Vice Present, Head Co.Lab Cambridge, Bayer
Meet Fiona
Fiona Mack is currently Vice President, Head of Bayer Co.Lab Cambridge, US, which is a part of the Business Development & Licensing / Open Innovation function. In this role, she is building a new cell and gene therapy incubator to accelerate innovation within the field.
Prior to joining Bayer, as Head of JLABS@ TMC, Fiona was responsible for external engagement, innovation sourcing, company onboarding, portfolio management, operational excellence, educational programming, and P&L. She catalyzed and supported the translation of science and technology into valuable solutions for patients and consumers across the pharmaceutical, medical device, consumer, and health tech sectors.
Fiona has held senior leadership positions at Ipsen, Roche, and Pfizer supporting external innovation efforts to expand Rare Disease, Neuroscience, and Oncology portfolios.
Fiona earned her Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania and her undergraduate degree in Biology from Cornell University. Her innovative work has been published in high-impact journals and she also has several granted patents.
Jennifer Magaziner, MBA, MPH
Vice President of Digital Health, Boston Children's Hospital
Meet Jennifer
Previously Jen worked across the healthcare sector as a consultant within PwC’s Healthcare Advisory. While at PwC, Jen focused on healthcare service M&A, including novel payer/provider partnerships and care delivery transformation. Jen began her career at the Clinton Health Access Initiative, where she worked across six countries on programs to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This work sparked a passion for challenging traditional care models and expanding access to health services. In the years since Jen has also spent time at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Public Health Solutions.
Jen holds an MBA and an MPH in Reproductive & Family Health, both from Columbia University and a dual BA in International Relations and French from Brown University.
David Meeker, MD
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Rhythm Pharmaceuticals
Meet David
David received his MD from the University of Vermont Medical School. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Dr. David Meeker, a member of Rhythm’s Board of Directors since 2015 and Chairman of the Board since 2017, was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company in July 2020. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of KSQ Therapeutics for approximately three years. Previously, David was the Executive Vice President and Head of Sanofi Genzyme, the specialty care global business unit of Sanofi that focused on rare diseases, multiple sclerosis, oncology, and immunology. He joined Genzyme in 1994 as Medical Director and, over the course of his tenure, served the company as Vice President of Medical Affairs, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Executive Officer. He led Genzyme’s commercial organization and global market access functions and managed the launch of several treatments for rare genetic diseases, including Aldurazyme®, Fabrazyme®, and Myozyme®. Prior to his tenure with Genzyme, David was Director of the Pulmonary Critical Care Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Ohio State University. Dr. Meeker earned his M.D. from the University of Vermont Medical School and completed the advanced management program at Harvard Business School.
Taft Parsons III, MD
Chief Psychiatric Officer, CVS Health
Meet Taft
Taft came to Aetna / CVS Health from Humana, where he served as their Enterprise Medical Director for Behavioral Health. During his time at Humana, he fully integrated their national clinical services from a carved-out book of business within an owned subsidiary. He has overseen projects within care model design and strategy, value-based contracting, and social determinants of health. His personal passion lies in utilizing digital health to improve the mental health of patients and members.
Prior to Humana, Dr. Parsons was the VP for Behavioral Health at Molina Healthcare, where he insourced carved-out BH benefits and built up an integrated centralized BH program. Before joining Molina, he was a practicing psychiatrist and administrative physician for Henry Ford Health System, where he served as a Medical Director and Hospital Director, supervisor, professor, and inpatient psychiatrist.
Dr. Parsons earned his undergraduate degree in biology from Morehouse College in Atlanta and his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association and the Michigan Psychiatric Society. He has published multiple articles on behavioral health and is a regular educational and advocacy speaker with various academic and social organizations.
Sandhya Rao, MD
(Vice Chair)
Chief Medical Officer, Senior Vice President, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Meet Sandhya
Sandhya is responsible for the strategic direction and ongoing operation of our health and medical management and pharmacy divisions, focused on improving the quality, outcomes, and affordability of health care provided to our members.
Sandhya joined Blue Cross in December 2020, and she provides extensive population health management experience leading to innovative delivery solutions and unique insights into what employers want in their health plans.
Previously, she served as vice president of clinical strategy at Haven, the healthcare organization formed by Amazon, JP Morgan Chase, and Berkshire Hathaway. Before joining Haven, Sandhya was senior medical director for population health management at Partners Healthcare. She also served as associate medical director of the Mass General Physicians Organization, and as a business analyst at McKinsey and Co., Her clinical experience includes practice as a primary care provider at Massachusetts General Hospital and at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Sandhya earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in public health from Brown University and her medical degree from New York University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Christina Severin, MPH
President & CEO, Community Care Cooperative
Meet Christina
Widely recognized for her achievements, she was honored for her leadership of a Top 100 Women-Led Business by the Boston Globe in 2020, 2019, and 2015, and named a “40 Under 40” honoree by The Boston Business Journal in 2013. That year, Christina was also profiled by The Business Journal for its “Women Up” feature, and named to its list of top healthcare executives to change roles in 2013.
Christina’s prior leadership experience includes serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of Beth Israel Deaconess Care Organization and as President of Network Health, a nonprofit Massachusetts health plan.
Christina has taught classes in health care administration and management at Boston University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University. She earned a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Services from Boston University School of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Christina lives in Jamaica Plain, MA with her husband, and they are coming to terms with becoming empty nesters.
Michael Sherman, MD, MBA, MS
Venture Partner, RA Capital Management, L.P.
Meet Michael
Dr. Michael Sherman serves as venture partner at RA Capital Management, a $9 billion multi-stage investment manager, dedicated to evidence-based investing in public and private healthcare and life science companies developing drugs, medical devices, diagnostics, services, and research tools.
Before joining RA, he served as executive vice president and chief medical officer at Point32Health, formed by the merger of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, two leading not-for-profit health plans insuring over 2 million members. Before the merger, Dr. Sherman served as chief medical officer of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, nationally recognized for both innovation and quality. His accountabilities included clinical innovation, medical policy, quality, regulatory and accreditation activities, health equity, and oversight of all physician functions (including provider engagement, medical cost management, utilization management, and employer engagement). He has been widely recognized as a pioneer in bringing advances in transformational therapeutics, precision medicine, and digital therapeutics to Point32Health’s members by launching structured pilots that balance access and affordability and also generate real-world evidence.
His leadership in the development of value-based payment agreements with pharmaceutical companies, which tie payment for a drug to patient outcomes, has placed him at the forefront of the issue, and Dr. Sherman is credited with cementing Harvard Pilgrim’s position as a leader among insurers in crafting agreements with pharmaceutical companies that tie payments for drugs to their performance. In 2018, he received Xconomy’s “Contrarian Award” for his contributions, including having signed the nation’s first such payment model for gene therapy, helping pave the way for developing innovative financing models. Dr. Sherman’s work is also featured in a Harvard Business School case study published in 2021. He has also led the nation to expand access to precision medicine, such as whole genome screening, and his organization became the first health plan to cover the GRAIL Galleri Multi-Cancer Early Detection Blood Test for a subset of its commercial members in 2022.
Dr. Sherman holds board appointments with several well-respected nonprofit organizations, including the Personalized Medicine Coalition, the Harvard Business School Healthcare Initiative, and NEHI (Network for Excellence in Health Innovation). For a decade, he served as chair of the Board of Managers of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, which encompasses the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School—the nation’s only appointing medical school department based on a health plan. Dr, Sherman has also served on the advisory board of the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER), the board of overseers of Boston’s internationally renowned Museum of Science, and the Massachusetts Rare Disease Advisory Council. He is the past chair of AHIP’s CMO Leadership Council, a trade association comprising chief medical officers from health plans throughout the United States, and previously served as a board member and as Co-President of the Harvard Business School Healthcare Alumni Association. Dr. Sherman has also mentored emerging physician executives enrolled in the AHIP Executive Leadership Program.
Before joining Harvard Pilgrim in 2011, Dr. Sherman served as corporate medical director for physician strategies at Humana. He also served as vice president of network and consumer solutions for UnitedHealth Group’s subsidiary Ingenix (now part of Optum) and as chief business development officer for United’s Medicare Part D business. Formerly, Dr. Sherman held the position of vice president and general manager at Thomson Medstat (now part of IBM Watson Health), and he previously held management roles at Immusol, a San Diego-based biotechnology company; HealthAllies, an organization created to provide discretionary medical benefits to the cash-pay market, which UnitedHealth Group purchased; and Da Vita, a national provider of dialysis services.
Before pursuing an M.B.A. at Harvard Business School, Dr. Sherman received his M.D. from Yale and practiced as a cardiac anesthesiologist. He also holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Natural Sciences and an M.S. in Biomedical Anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Sherman is a diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Board of Medical Management. In 2009, he was named a fellow of the American College of Physician Executives in recognition of his national contributions to the field of medical management. Dr. Sherman frequently speaks at regional, national, and international conferences and lectures as a faculty member of Harvard Medical School’s Department of Population Medicine. He has also been called upon to provide legislative testimony at the national level. Speaking at the White House in 2017, Dr. Sherman presented Harvard Pilgrim’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic at a meeting of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. He has also delivered congressional briefings on precision medicine.
Andy Shin, JD, MPH, MBA,
Senior Vice President of Strategy, Mass General Brigham
Meet Andy
Andy Shin, JD, MPH, MBA, is Senior Vice President of Strategy at Mass General Brigham. In this role, he is responsible for shaping and advancing the strategy for one of the nation’s largest integrated academic health systems and leading biomedical research organizations in the world.
Andy has held leadership positions across the social, public, and private sectors in strategy, operations, business development, and policy roles. He formed and led the American Hospital Association (AHA) Center for Health Innovation- the combined health services research, performance improvement, data solutions, advisory, and commercial business units of the AHA, including the AHA Innovation Venture Fund. Andy also served on the founding team that launched the CMS Innovation Center (CMMI) from its inception, eventually leading stakeholder engagement as group director. As a health policy fellow for the Energy and Commerce Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, he supported the development of federal health reform legislation leading up to the passage of the Affordable Care Act. He also has experience as a consultant, investment analyst, and officer in the United States Air Force.
Andy currently serves as faculty for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Catalyst Program, a collaborative initiative increasing the potential of innovative biomedical research from MIT to benefit society and the economy, and as an instructor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is an editorial board member for the Journal of Population Health Management, Board of Trustees member for Cooley Dickinson Hospital, and former Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship with the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University.
Eve Slater, MD, FACC
Professor of Clinical Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
Meet Eve
Prior to her role at Columbia, Dr. Slater served as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Policy at Pfizer, Inc. She has served as Assistant Secretary of Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to joining HHS, she spent over 19 years with Merck in a number of critical scientific, strategy, and public policy positions. In 1983, she joined the Merck Research Laboratories in biochemical endocrinology and molecular biology, and in 1988, she was promoted to head the regulatory affairs department as VP and later SVP of Clinical and Regulatory Development. In 2001, she was named as SVP of External Policy for Merck Research Laboratories and VP of Merck Corporate Public Affairs. An expert on HIV treatment research, she served as a member of both the U.S. Keystone National Policy Dialogue on HIV and the NIH Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council. An expert on the FDA, she was named to the Subcommittee of the FDA Science Board in 2007.
In 2001, Dr. Slater was appointed by President George W. Bush as Assistant Secretary of Health, the first woman to hold this position. In this role, she served HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson as chief health policy advisor, with special emphasis on e-health and innovation, biosecurity, clinical subjects’ protection, women’s health, eldercare, and HIV/AIDS. After leaving HHS, she became a director and advisor to a number of biotechnology companies, including Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA, and Phase Forward, Waltham, MA.
Dr. Slater received her bachelor's degree from Vassar College (Phi Beta Kappa) and her medical degree from Columbia University (Alpha Omega Alpha). She received her training in internal medicine and cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was the first woman named as Chief Resident in Medicine and later led the Hypertension Unit. She also served as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. A Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, she continues to serve patients as an Associate Attending Physician at NY Presbyterian Hospital and Associate Professor of Medicine at Columbia.
Josef von Rickenbach
Managing Director, stet vision LLC
Meet Josef
Foreseeing the globalization of clinical research, Mr. von Rickenbach worked to expand PAREXEL’s presence to 51 countries. This extensive geographical presence and the Company’s 20,000 employees allow PAREXEL to conduct clinical trials across every continent in more than 100 countries. To make clinical development more effective, he conceived a multidisciplinary and systems-oriented approach to clinical development, bringing efficiencies, scalability, and standardization to the process. As biopharmaceutical R&D adopted information technology, Mr. von Rickenbach instituted a leading advanced technology offering with PAREXEL Informatics, a frontrunner in providing eClinical solutions.
Mr. von Rickenbach was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) and served as Chairman twice. He was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1997 and was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2018. In addition to NEHI, he serves on the Board of Trustees of McLean Hospital and several other non-profit organizations. Mr. von Rickenbach advises multiple companies, from startups to mature enterprises.
Mr. von Rickenbach holds a B.A. in Business Economics from Lucerne University in Switzerland and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Mr. von Rickenbach has lectured at the Harvard Business School, the MIT Sloan School of Management, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Kate Wallis, RN, BSN
Vice President of Clinical Innovation, Point32Health
Meet Kate
With over 25 years of diverse healthcare experience, she is passionate about empowering innovative, high-quality, equitable care. Her background includes experience in NICU, pediatric outpatient, allergy/asthma, pharmaceutical sales, medical device safety, and health insurance.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Rochester.
Wendy Warring
President and CEO, NEHI
Meet Wendy
Warring previously served as Senior Vice President of Network Development and Strategic Partnerships at Boston Children’s Hospital. She was responsible for developing strategies and executing operational initiatives to strengthen relationships between Boston Children’s and primary care physicians, hospital systems, and other providers locally, regionally, and nationally. She has also held positions as Executive Vice President & COO at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and EVP of UMass Memorial Health Care, both positions involving the implementation of strategies to strengthen the organizations’ ability to deliver accessible and affordable care.
Warring has substantial experience in the public sector as well. She was the Massachusetts Commissioner of the Division of Medical Assistance where she directed the state's Medicaid program. She also served as General Counsel to the Massachusetts Housing Finance Administration, a quasi-public agency devoted to addressing low-and moderate-income housing needs. She was also a deputy legal counsel in the Governor’s office, where she worked principally on mental health and human services issues. Early in her career, she worked at the National Academy of Sciences and at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Warring received her J.D. from Yale University and her Bachelor's Degree from Brown University.
Henri A. Termeer
(In Memoriam)
Former Chairman and CEO, Genzyme Corporation
Learn More About Henri's Life
Mr. Termeer is recognized as a pioneer in developing and delivering treatments to patients with rare genetic diseases around the world. He was a trustee for the Boston Museum of Science, a member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Corporation, and a member of the board of directors of Project HOPE, an international nonprofit health education and humanitarian assistance organization.
Widely acknowledged for his contributions to the biotechnology industry and health care field, Mr. Termeer served on the board of directors of both the Biotechnology Industry Organization and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. He was a director of Massachusetts General Hospital and was a member of the board of fellows of Harvard Medical School. In addition, Mr. Termeer was deputy chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's board of directors and a member of the board of directors of Abiomed Inc. He was also instrumental in founding the New England Healthcare Institute.
A Native of the Netherlands, Mr. Termeer studied economics at the Economische Hogeschool (Erasmus University, The Netherlands) and earned an M.B.A from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.
Murray Ross
Former Vice President, Institute for Health Policy and Government Relations, Kaiser Permanente
Learn More About Murray
Murray Ross served as Vice President with Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, where he lead the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy, retiring in 2023. 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).
Liz Lewis
Head, Global Oncology Patient Value, Policy, and Access, Takeda
Learn More About Liz
Liz Lewis is Head of Global Oncology Patient Value, Policy and Access, OBU at Takeda and is responsible for accelerating Takeda’s efforts in securing rapid and broad patient access and continuing to strengthen Takeda’s patient advocacy and policy approach and initiatives.
Since joining Takeda in 2002, Ms. Lewis has led the Legal function supporting the Specialty BUs/R&D (including oncology) and was a key leader in rolling out the global Legal function. She has transformed the Patient Advocacy function to reflect Takeda’s strategic imperatives and emphasis on embedding the patient perspective into all phases of development and commercialization. An active participant in industry trade organizations, Ms. Lewis is on the Board of Directors for Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio), is on the Board of Directors for the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation (NEHI) and a member of the Health Section Governing Board for Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) where she co-chairs the Access and Value Committee.
Before joining Takeda, Ms. Lewis was a partner at the Washington, DC-based law firm Epstein, Becker and Green, where she represented healthcare and life science companies, co-chairing the firm’s pharmaceutical practice group.
Ms. Lewis holds a BA in Government with honors from Hamilton College and received her JD at American University Washington College of Law.