Dr. Schreiber is currently the Deputy Director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at CMS, and the Director of the Quality Measurement and Value-Based Incentives Group. Dr. Schreiber is a general internal medicine physician with over 25 years of health care experience. Prior to coming to CMS she was the Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer of Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) in Detroit, Michigan. Earlier roles at HFHS included the Division Head of General Internal Medicine, and the SVP of Clinical Transformation and IT Integration, where she was the clinical lead of the systemwide Epic implementation. The Epic implementation and use earned HFHS a Davies Award in 2018. She has also held senior leadership roles at the Detroit Medical Center, where she was the Chief Quality Officer, and with Trinity Health System where she was the national system Chief Medical Officer, and acting interim Chief Medical Information Officer. 

While at CMS Dr. Schreiber has led many quality initiatives, including MIPS transformation to value pathways, the modernization of the Hospital Stars program, as well as advancing digital quality measurement systems. She is on the boards of ACCME (continuing medical education), Leapfrog, and a member of HITACH (the national health information advisory committee) among others. Prior to joining CMS she also participated in numerous state and national quality committees including the Board of Directors for the Michigan Hospital Association Keystone Center and the Patient Safety Organization, the Board of Directors of MPRO (Michigan Peer Review Organization – the Michigan QIO), the National Quality Forum Patient Safety Metrics Committee, and the National Quality Partners.

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

Marty Hatlie is a patient safety advocate with a strong interest in the roles patients and family members play as co-creators of patient safety and health equity solutions.  He currently serves as President & CEO for Project Patient Care, a Chicago-based nonprofit dedicated to using the voice of the patient to improve patient safety and outcomes disparities. In 2021 he co-founded Patients for Patient Safety US, the US branch of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Patients for Patient Safety network. He also is a principal of the Healthcare Patient Partnership Institute, which work with hospitals and health systems to engage patients as advisors in improvement work.

Early in his career Hatlie was a litigator focused on civil rights, medical liability defense and alternative dispute resolution. In the 1980s/90s he was a lobbyist for the American Medical Association and lead strategist for its tort reform campaigns. He coordinated the AMA’s launch of the National Patient Safety Foundation in 1997 and served as its founding Executive Director from 1997—99. He has since been active in U. S. federal health system transformation work as a consultant on multiple research and demonstration projects funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute. He currently serves on the CMS-supported Pre-Rulemaking Measure Review Hospital Committee, the National Steering Committee overseeing implementation of Safer Together: The National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety, and WHO’s Patients for Patient Safety Programme Advisory Council.

Jessica Lee, MD, MSHP is the acting Chief Medical Officer for Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, where she leads the center’s clinical strategy and portfolio in health-related social needs. Dr. Lee was previously the medical officer in the Division of Quality and Health Outcomes at CMCS, where she led initiatives in quality measures and quality improvement. Dr. Lee has deep expertise in clinical medicine and quality, and a background in health policy at the health system, state, and federal levels, including projects at Denver Health. She has served as a senior health policy analyst at the Government Accountability Office, focusing on payment policy and community benefits provided by nonprofit hospitals. She has conducted grant-funded research focused on the intersection of health care delivery systems and population health. Dr. Lee continues to care for patients as a practicing pulmonologist at the University of Pennsylvania and ICU physician at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Benjamin Springgate MD, MPH is a Professor of Medicine and Health Policy at LSU Health-New Orleans, and a Fellow in CMS’ Center for Clinical Standards and Quality. As LSU Health’s Chief of Community and Population Medicine and Vice-Chair of Medicine, Dr. Springgate has served as Chief Health Officer and senior clinical advisor for state and local agencies, has worked as a health policy fellow in the U.S. Senate, and leads an active clinical, educational, research, and administrative portfolio focused on improving health and quality of care for populations affected by behavioral health conditions, COVID-19, addiction, incarceration, and climate change.

Dr. Chinazo Cunningham is Commissioner of the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, where she oversees one of the nation’s largest system of substance use and addiction services. She is a physician, trained in internal medicine and addiction medicine, and has spent over 25 years providing care, developing programs, and conducting research with people who use drugs. For decades, she has collaborated with community-based harm reduction organizations and led one of the first programs in the US to integrate addiction treatment into primary care. Her work has focused on improving access to care, utilization of health care services, and health outcomes. Dr. Cunningham has authored over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has been the principal investigator on numerous federally-funded grants. In addition to serving on and chairing several national advisory committees and guideline committees, she has trained hundreds of physicians and has been recognized by local and national awards.

Karran Phillips, MD, MSc is the Deputy Director for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). She comes to CSAT after 15 years at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health (NIDA, NIH) where she served as a clinical investigator, Medical Director of the Archway Outpatient Treatment Clinic, and the NIDA Clinical Director. As Clinical Director she coordinated, supported, and supervised the development, implementation and conduct of intramural clinical research activities and provided the infrastructure needed to promote top quality clinical research and to ensure research participant safety and confidentiality. Her clinical research focuses on the use of mobile health technologies to improve access and quality care for individuals with substance use disorder and hepatitis C and HIV. Her current clinical work includes providing low threshold buprenorphine treatment to individuals with SUD from a mobile van outside the Baltimore Mens' Detention Center.

Stefan G. Kertesz, MD, MSc is a Professor of Medicine at the Heersink School of Medicine of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is board-certified in internal medicine and addiction medicine.
Since 1996, Dr. Kertesz has focused his clinical work and research on enhancing health care delivery for populations at high risk of receiving poor care in mainstream health care systems. He began his career as a primary care doctor for homeless individuals at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless program. Dr. Kertesz has led federally-funded health services research since 2002.
At present, he leads the only federally funded study to directly examine suicides that occur after prescription opioids are reduced in chronic pain, a concern highlighted in 2019 by both the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based in part on research and reporting by Dr. Kertesz. The ongoing research study combines both survivor interviews and record review of suicides that have occurred after prescription opioid reduction, and is accessible at https://go.uab.edu/csi
Dr. Kertesz's writing and commentary have been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Kaiser Health News, STATNews and the New England Journal of Medicine.

Jonathan (Jon) Blum currently serves as the Principal Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In this dual role, Jon oversees CMS’s program policy planning and implementation and day-to-day operations of the entire agency. CMS’s programs provide health coverage to more than 147 million individuals, spending more than $1 trillion in annual benefits with an annual operating budget of more than $6 billion.  

This is Jon’s second time serving in a senior leadership position at CMS. He previously served as the Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center of Medicare from 2009 – 2014, leading the agency’s Medicare payment and delivery reform strategies and the policy and program management of the Medicare program. 

Jon has more than 25 years of public- and private-sector experience working in health care policy and administration. In addition to his positions at CMS, he has worked as a strategy and management consultant, an Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, professional staff at the Senate Finance Committee, and a program analyst at the Office of Budget and Management.  

Prior to joining CMS, Jon served on several nonprofit boards with missions to improve access and equity to health care and health coverage, including Mary's Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center; the Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County; and the Medicare Rights Center. 

Jon earned a Master of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania.

Anita Monteiro serves as the Director of the Quality Improvement & Innovation Group within the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Anita is passionate about and dedicated to her work, leading programs that improve the lives, health outcomes and the experience of care for the people that access healthcare services. The quality improvement work is accomplished by several teams of federal and contract staff across the U.S, as part of national programs that collectively serve as the primary driver for healthcare quality improvement for Medicare in the United States. Anita has previously served in leadership roles in CMS in the areas of Quality Measurement and Enforcement, and as a pediatric and neonatal ICU nurse, manager, and educator in both clinical and academic settings, and in several hospital administration roles in the private sector.

Dora Hughes, M.D., M.P.H., is Chief Medical Officer at the CMS Innovation Center at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She leads the Center’s work on health equity, provides clinical input on models, liaises with  stakeholder groups, and directs CMMI’s clinician community.

Previously, Dr. Hughes served as an Associate Research Professor of Health Policy & Management at George Washington University, where her work focused on the intersection of clinical and community health, health equity, healthcare quality and workforce. Prior to this role, Dr. Hughes was a Senior Policy Advisor at Sidley Austin, where she advised on regulatory and legislative matters in the life science industry. Additionally, Dr. Hughes served as the Counselor for Science & Public Health at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in the Obama Administration, helping to implement the Affordable Care Act and providing guidance to the Public Health Service Act authorized agencies and Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Hughes began her career in health policy as Senior Program Officer at the Commonwealth Fund, and subsequently was Deputy Director for the HELP Committee for the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Health Policy Advisor to former Senator Barack Obama. Dr. Hughes received a B.S. from Washington University, M.D. from Vanderbilt and M.P.H. from Harvard. She completed an internal medicine residency at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.

David Wright serves as the Director of the Quality, Safety & Oversight Group within the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. He loves his job and the role he plays in quality of care assurance for everyone accessing health care in the United States. This work is accomplished through the Group’s role in issuing policy and compliance guidance to over 8,400 dedicated health and safety surveyors at the State and Federal levels who perform quality of care inspections of more than 400,000 providers that participate in the Medicare or Medicaid programs, or who provide laboratory services under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA). David joined CMS in June 1993 through the Presidential Management Internship program and has been with the Agency for over 30 years, twenty-three of which were in CMS’ Dallas Location.

Tamara Syrek Jensen has over 25 years of experience at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Currently serving as the Director of the Coverage and Analysis Group (CAG), she oversees a team of experts, ensuring that Medicare beneficiaries have access to technologies that demonstrate improvements in health outcomes. Her responsibilities include formulating and driving policies that guide the Medicare coverage of a range of clinical items and services. Tamara was the 2022 CMS Executive of the Year. Outside the realm of healthcare policy, she enjoys participating in a variety of athletic activities to keep up with her husband, kids, and their family dog.

Karen Tritz is the Director of the Survey & Operations Group, in the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at CMS.  The Survey & Operations Group oversees the health, safety and quality of care provided by over 64,000 organizations including hospitals, dialysis facilities, nursing homes, home health agencies, hospices, ambulatory surgery centers and other settings.   She began that position in July 2020. Between 2006 and 2020, Karen held various positions within CMS’ Quality Safety and Oversight Group and has led efforts to develop quality and safety standards for a variety of settings. She has previously worked for the Congressional Research Service providing assistance to Members of Congress and their staff, and the State of Wisconsin, Medicaid program leading healthcare and employment options for individuals with disabilities. She is a native of Wisconsin and completed her undergraduate there and her Masters of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dr. Schreiber is currently the Deputy Director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at CMS, and the Director of the Quality Measurement and Value-Based Incentives Group. Dr. Schreiber is a general internal medicine physician with over 25 years of health care experience. Prior to coming to CMS she was the Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer of Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) in Detroit, Michigan. Earlier roles at HFHS included the Division Head of General Internal Medicine, and the SVP of Clinical Transformation and IT Integration, where she was the clinical lead of the systemwide Epic implementation. The Epic implementation and use earned HFHS a Davies Award in 2018. She has also held senior leadership roles at the Detroit Medical Center, where she was the Chief Quality Officer, and with Trinity Health System where she was the national system Chief Medical Officer, and acting interim Chief Medical Information Officer. 

While at CMS Dr. Schreiber has led many quality initiatives, including MIPS transformation to value pathways, the modernization of the Hospital Stars program, as well as advancing digital quality measurement systems. She is on the boards of ACCME (continuing medical education), Leapfrog, and a member of HITACH (the national health information advisory committee) among others. Prior to joining CMS she also participated in numerous state and national quality committees including the Board of Directors for the Michigan Hospital Association Keystone Center and the Patient Safety Organization, the Board of Directors of MPRO (Michigan Peer Review Organization – the Michigan QIO), the National Quality Forum Patient Safety Metrics Committee, and the National Quality Partners.

Lisa Parker is the Director of the Clinical Standards Group, which is responsible for establishing health and safety regulations for Medicare and Medicaid participating health care providers and suppliers, generally known as Conditions of Participation (CoPs). While the regulations vary by provider type, in general CoPs typically address facility governance and administration, patient rights, care planning, quality assessment and performance improvement, services provided, and emergency preparedness. Lisa has over 30 years of experience in the development of Medicare regulations. She has led many regulatory efforts to ensure the health and safety of patients across the health care system including the Emergency Preparedness Conditions of Participation and most recently several emergency regulations published during the COVID 19 public health emergency, as well as regulations to reduce burden and increase flexibility for providers.

Mark Plaugher is the Acting Director of the Information System Group (ISG), supporting CMS’ Center for Clinical Standards and Quality. ISG has overall responsibility for delivering and maintaining technology to support CMS quality programs. Mark brings over 25 years of IT experience in large-scale enterprise environments. He has spent the last two decades in direct support of CMS in both the private sector and as a CMS employee. In the private sector, he held multiple leadership roles. Mark also managed the delivery of IT services for the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine, Departments of Genetics and Pediatrics.

Jennifer Dubbs is the Director of the Business Operations Group supporting budget, acquisition and administrative operations for the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality. Jennifer brings over 30 years of experience in strategic planning, project management, budget and financial management, and acquisition management. Jennifer is a change leader that is results driven that is motivated by eliminating waste, creating efficiency, and developing and leading high performing teams. She holds a degree in Economics from the University of Maryland and a Master of Administrative Science, Information Technology, from The Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Schreiber is currently the Deputy Director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at CMS, and the Director of the Quality Measurement and Value-Based Incentives Group. Dr. Schreiber is a general internal medicine physician with over 25 years of health care experience. Prior to coming to CMS she was the Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer of Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) in Detroit, Michigan. Earlier roles at HFHS included the Division Head of General Internal Medicine, and the SVP of Clinical Transformation and IT Integration, where she was the clinical lead of the systemwide Epic implementation. The Epic implementation and use earned HFHS a Davies Award in 2018. She has also held senior leadership roles at the Detroit Medical Center, where she was the Chief Quality Officer, and with Trinity Health System where she was the national system Chief Medical Officer, and acting interim Chief Medical Information Officer. 

While at CMS Dr. Schreiber has led many quality initiatives, including MIPS transformation to value pathways, the modernization of the Hospital Stars program, as well as advancing digital quality measurement systems. She is on the boards of ACCME (continuing medical education), Leapfrog, and a member of HITACH (the national health information advisory committee) among others. Prior to joining CMS she also participated in numerous state and national quality committees including the Board of Directors for the Michigan Hospital Association Keystone Center and the Patient Safety Organization, the Board of Directors of MPRO (Michigan Peer Review Organization – the Michigan QIO), the National Quality Forum Patient Safety Metrics Committee, and the National Quality Partners.

Dora Hughes, M.D., M.P.H., is Chief Medical Officer at the CMS Innovation Center at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She leads the Center’s work on health equity, provides clinical input on models, liaises with  stakeholder groups, and directs CMMI’s clinician community.

Previously, Dr. Hughes served as an Associate Research Professor of Health Policy & Management at George Washington University, where her work focused on the intersection of clinical and community health, health equity, healthcare quality and workforce. Prior to this role, Dr. Hughes was a Senior Policy Advisor at Sidley Austin, where she advised on regulatory and legislative matters in the life science industry. Additionally, Dr. Hughes served as the Counselor for Science & Public Health at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in the Obama Administration, helping to implement the Affordable Care Act and providing guidance to the Public Health Service Act authorized agencies and Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Hughes began her career in health policy as Senior Program Officer at the Commonwealth Fund, and subsequently was Deputy Director for the HELP Committee for the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Health Policy Advisor to former Senator Barack Obama. Dr. Hughes received a B.S. from Washington University, M.D. from Vanderbilt and M.P.H. from Harvard. She completed an internal medicine residency at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.

Arjun Srinivasan, MD, is the Deputy Director for Program Improvement in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a Captain in the United States Public Health Service. He is board certified in infectious diseases. Before coming to CDC, he was an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Infectious Diseases Division at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he was the founding director of the Johns Hopkins Antibiotic Management Program and the associate hospital epidemiologist. His primary responsibilities include oversight and coordination of efforts to eliminate healthcare-associated infections and reduce antimicrobial resistance. His research and investigative areas of concentration have included outbreak investigations, infection control, multi-drug resistant gram-negative pathogens, and now focus on hospital antibiotic stewardship. Dr. Srinivasan has published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals on his research in healthcare epidemiology, infection control, antibiotic use, and antimicrobial resistance.

Craig A. Umscheid, MD, MS, is an internist and clinical epidemiologist who serves as the Director of the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (CQuIPS) at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  CQuIPS is one of three research centers at AHRQ, includes divisions of patient safety, patient safety organizations, healthcare associated infections, healthcare data and analysis, and quality improvement and measurement, and supports the safety and quality of healthcare through research, practice improvement, and data analysis and measurement. Prior to AHRQ, Dr. Umscheid was an Associate Professor and Chief Quality and Innovation Officer at the University of Chicago. He began his career at the University of Pennsylvania, where he became an Associate Professor, Vice Chair of Quality and Safety for the Department of Medicine, and co-founder and Director of Penn’s Center for Evidence-based Practice. His career has been dedicated to disseminating and implementing research evidence into clinical practice to support patient care quality and safety.  His work has been supported by AHRQ, PCORI, CDC and NIH, and described in over 125 peer-reviewed publications.  Dr. Umscheid volunteers as a hospitalist at Georgetown, where he is an Adjunct Professor.

Dr. Chalmers is a board-certified pediatric dentist, oral health policy expert, and public health advocate who brings more than 20 years of clinical, research, industry, and regulatory experience to CMS in her role as Chief Dental Officer in the Office of the Administrator. Previously, Dr. Chalmers served as a Dental Officer at the US Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Chalmers has devoted her career to transforming scientific and health care data and information into actionable insights to address equity, improve care, and better inform policy and funding. Dr. Chalmers completed her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the Medical University of Sofia, a residency in pediatric dentistry at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, and a Ph.D. in oral microbiology from the Graduate Partnerships Program of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health, Post-doctoral Fellowship at the Forsyth Institute, and Clinical Research Fellowship at the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health. Dr. Chalmers holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Research from Duke Medical University and a Certificate in Drug Development and Regulatory Science from the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy. Her research has translated into action, improving oral care and advocating for the role health policy can play across the lifespan—particularly when it embraces dental well-being as a facet of care for the whole person.

The Honorable Christi A. Grimm was sworn in as the sixth Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on February 22, 2022, following her nomination by the President and confirmation by the U.S. Senate. As Inspector General, she leads an independent and objective organization of 1,600 auditors, evaluators, investigators, data analysts, attorneys, and management professionals who protect the integrity of HHS programs and the health and welfare of the people they serve. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) oversees more than 100 programs administered by HHS agencies, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Administration for Children and Families, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, and National Institutes of Health. Collectively, taxpayers devote more than $2 trillion a year to these programs.  

Ms. Grimm brings two decades of leadership in overseeing health and human services programs.  She is a leading expert in program integrity issues related to HHS programs, with particular emphasis on health and safety in care provided in home and community-based settings, in hospitals and nursing homes, and in facilities serving unaccompanied children under HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement. Ms. Grimm began her career with OIG as an evaluator and conducted groundbreaking work to improve quality and safety in hospitals, stop unqualified providers from enrolling in Medicare and Medicaid, and improve the process for appealing Medicare payment decisions.

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

Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., is director of the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy and Robert J. Margolis professor of business, medicine, and policy at Duke University. He is a physician-economist who focuses on quality and value in health care, including payment reform, real-world evidence, and more effective drug and device innovation. Dr. McClellan is at the center of the nation’s efforts to combat the pandemic and the author of a roadmap that details the steps needed for a comprehensive COVID-19 response and safe reopening of our country. He is former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where he developed and implemented major reforms in health policy.

Dr. McClellan is an independent director on the boards of Johnson & Johnson, Cigna, Alignment Healthcare, and PrognomIQ. He co-chairs the Guiding Committee for the Health Care Payment Learning & Action Network and serves as an advisor for Arsenal Capital Group, Blackstone Life Sciences, and MITRE

Helen Burstin, MD, MPH, MACP is the Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), a coalition of more than 50 specialty societies representing more than 800,000 physicians. As the national organization of specialty societies, CMSS advances the expertise and collective voice of medical specialty societies in support of physicians and the patients they serve. Representing every specialty, from primary care to surgery, CMSS addresses critical issues across specialties through shared learning and innovation, convening, collaboration, and collective action.
Dr. Burstin formerly served as Chief Scientific Officer of The National Quality Forum (NQF). Prior to joining NQF, she was the Director of the Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Prior to joining AHRQ, Dr. Burstin was an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and served as Director of Quality Measurement at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is the author of more than 100 articles and book chapters on quality, safety, equity, and measurement. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Burstin currently serves on the board of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine. A graduate of the State University of New York at Upstate College of Medicine and the Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. Burstin completed her residency training in primary care internal medicine at Boston City Hospital and fellowship in General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Jessica Lee, MD, MSHP is the acting Chief Medical Officer for Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, where she leads the center’s clinical strategy and portfolio in health-related social needs. Dr. Lee was previously the medical officer in the Division of Quality and Health Outcomes at CMCS, where she led initiatives in quality measures and quality improvement. Dr. Lee has deep expertise in clinical medicine and quality, and a background in health policy at the health system, state, and federal levels, including projects at Denver Health. She has served as a senior health policy analyst at the Government Accountability Office, focusing on payment policy and community benefits provided by nonprofit hospitals. She has conducted grant-funded research focused on the intersection of health care delivery systems and population health. Dr. Lee continues to care for patients as a practicing pulmonologist at the University of Pennsylvania and ICU physician at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Dr. Christopher Chen, MD, MBA, is a Medical Director for Medicaid and Clinical Informatics at the WA State Health Care Authority. Dr. Chen is dedicated to serving the underserved and believes in the HCA’s mission to use innovative polices and purchasing strategies to improve health and address disparities. He helps guide clinical policy and strategy at the agency, and supports initiatives in health information technology, telehealth, quality, and health equity. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, his business degree from The Wharton School, and completed his residency in internal medicine – primary care at the University of Washington. He is board certified in internal medicine and clinical informatics.

Ruben Soliz is the Federal Relations Lead and Health Policy Advisor for Arizona’s State Medicaid Program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). With over 15 years of experience in health and human services, he has championed health equity through community engagement and health policy. Specific policy objectives that he has advanced include improving access to health care, ending homelessness, youth development and addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. He is a 2018 graduate of the Master of Public Health Program at the University of Arizona and a 2023 graduate of the Center for Health Care Strategies Equity Changemakers Institute.

Emily Stauffer Rocha, RN is the Director of Clinical Innovation at Texas Medicaid. She leads programs focused on the care of women and children, palliative care, quality improvement, and preventive care. Her background is in pediatric critical care, emergency nursing, and hospital leadership.

Crystal O’Reilly is a Registered Nurse with 20 years’ experience in Pediatrics, Quality Improvement, and nursing leadership. Crystal has practiced at six major pediatric healthcare delivery systems, primarily in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplant. Her current role is in executive nursing leadership at Cook Children’s Health Plan, a community-based Medicaid and CHIP plan based in Fort Worth, Texas. Crystal’s responsibilities include oversight of all Member-facing clinical programs, including Quality, Care Management, Service Coordination, Outreach, Transition Services, and a clinical telephone hotline. Crystal has co-authored a number of articles, including those with a special focus on healthcare quality outcomes and health disparities in children with Diabetes Mellitus. Crystal’s professional interests include improving healthcare outcomes, particularly preventive healthcare services, and reducing health disparities among children and pregnant women receiving government assistance for healthcare coverage.

Susan Ruiz has worked on Medicaid and children’s health issues for more than 25 years. From early beginnings in state eligibility policy, through many years spent reviewing school-based services, administrative claims submissions, and hundreds of Medicaid State Plan Amendments, Susan has done a little bit of everything. She has designed and implemented program reviews throughout the country looking at dental services, well-child visits, grievances & appeals, and EPSDT. Susan has been with the CMCS Division of Quality & Health Outcomes since 2016 and leads the work on the Child Core Set and EPSDT.

Dr. Schreiber is currently the Deputy Director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at CMS, and the Director of the Quality Measurement and Value-Based Incentives Group. Dr. Schreiber is a general internal medicine physician with over 25 years of health care experience. Prior to coming to CMS she was the Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer of Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) in Detroit, Michigan. Earlier roles at HFHS included the Division Head of General Internal Medicine, and the SVP of Clinical Transformation and IT Integration, where she was the clinical lead of the systemwide Epic implementation. The Epic implementation and use earned HFHS a Davies Award in 2018. She has also held senior leadership roles at the Detroit Medical Center, where she was the Chief Quality Officer, and with Trinity Health System where she was the national system Chief Medical Officer, and acting interim Chief Medical Information Officer. 

While at CMS Dr. Schreiber has led many quality initiatives, including MIPS transformation to value pathways, the modernization of the Hospital Stars program, as well as advancing digital quality measurement systems. She is on the boards of ACCME (continuing medical education), Leapfrog, and a member of HITACH (the national health information advisory committee) among others. Prior to joining CMS she also participated in numerous state and national quality committees including the Board of Directors for the Michigan Hospital Association Keystone Center and the Patient Safety Organization, the Board of Directors of MPRO (Michigan Peer Review Organization – the Michigan QIO), the National Quality Forum Patient Safety Metrics Committee, and the National Quality Partners.

As part of the Senior Leadership team, Purva provides guidance and leadership on the execution of the Innovation Center’s strategy.
Prior to her current role, she spent a decade in policy and business strategy consulting and policy research focused leading projects on value-based payment and health system transformation. She was also an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University. In 2016, she published a book, The Affordable Care Act: Examining the Facts and has published book chapter, blogs, and papers on value-based care. Previously, Dr. Rawal served as professional staff on the Senate Budget Committee during the passage of the Affordable Care Act and as the health and social policy advisor to Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT). She began her health policy career as a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Fellow at the National Academy of Sciences and as a Congressional Fellow for the Society for Research on Child Development and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Rawal received her B.A. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University.

John manages policy development and operations for the Medicare Shared Savings Program, Medicare’s national Accountable Care Organization program with nearly 500 ACOs and 10.9 million Medicare beneficiaries, oversees policy, compliance, and enforcement of new hospital price transparency regulations, and supports policy development and operations of value based payment programs, models and initiatives. Prior to P3, John served as the Director of the Division of Payment Policy Demonstrations managing the development and implementation of the Physician Group Practice Demonstrations and care coordination demonstrations. Prior to joining CMS, John was a health care consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers and worked on the government relations staff at the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions. John has a master’s in health policy and management from the Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Dr. Keith Norris is an internationally recognized clinician scientist and health policy leader who has been instrumental in shaping national health policy and clinical practice guidelines for chronic kidney disease (CKD). A board-certified nephrologist, in 1995, he was invited to join the inaugural National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative and was a member of the subsequent Medicare ESRD continuous Performance Measures workgroup. He presently serves as a member of the Forum of ESRD Networks Medical Advisory Board. He also co-directs the Center for Kidney Disease Research, Education and Hope (CURE-CKD), a Providence St. Joseph Health/UCLA partnership, using electronic health record data to examine outcomes and quality of care for over 3.7 million patients with CKD and/or at risk for CKD (hypertension, diabetes, pre-diabetes). He has made major contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion while addressing disparities in contemporary society. He serves as Executive Vice Chair for the UCLA Department of Medicine for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. He is also a member of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) Advisory Council and the National Academy of Medicine.

Ken is a passionate advocate for kidney care patients based on his inspirational journey. He was the first recipient of a kidney transplant in the state of New York upon the HIV Organ Procurement Equity legislation being passed in 2013. Ken has a long history of community involvement including his work as a Patient Advisor on the Medical Review Board and ESRD Network Patient Facility Representative, a transplant and organ donation volunteer for LiveOnNY, and a member of Transplant Recipients International Organization as well as a volunteer for the National Kidney Foundation.

As the Chief Clinical Program Officer for the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative, Jen Brockman leads an organizational structure that supports quality improvement, patient safety, change management, data analytics and achievement of strategic directives. Ms. Brockman has extensive experience designing and executing small and large scale clinical and population health strategies, leading multi-state programs to improve clinical quality and drive transformation and developing statewide alignment strategies and national provider networks. Ms. Brockman has demonstrated expertise in strategic planning and process implementation, project management, continuous quality improvement (QI), risk management, patient safety and infection prevention, provider engagement, and quality reporting. Ms. Brockman has more than twenty years of clinical nursing experience in a variety of healthcare settings including acute and long-term care, quality management and infection prevention. She received a Bachelor of Science and Nursing Degree from the University of Iowa and Master’s in Healthcare Administration Degree from Walden University. Ms. Brockman oversees IHC operations and serves as the organizational administrative leader, responsible for resource allocation decisions, staff role assignments, external partner coordination, and coordination of partner subcontractors through scope of work development and oversight. Through past professional and educational experiences, Ms. Brockman has built skills in quality improvement, project management, organizational development, strategic communication, healthcare transformation, integrated delivery networks, and systems thinking.

Don Stader, MD FACEP is a board certified emergency and addiction medicine physician, who works at Lincoln Health in Colorado. He is the Medical Director of the Compass Opioid Stewardship Program, a nationwide initiative to improve pain control, prescribing habits, addiction treatment and opioid stewardship for primary care clinicians. Don is also the founder of The Naloxone Project and former chair of the Colorado Naloxone Project. He is the founder and past chair of Colorado ACEP's Opioid Task Force, the Editor-in-Chief of COACEP's 2017 Opioid Prescribing & Treatment Guidelines and the CO's CURE’s guidelines on pain control and opioid stewardship. Don served for over 2 years as the Senior Pain Management & Opioid Policy Physician Adviser for the Colorado Hospital Association and serves on multiple national and local committees addressing the opioid epidemic in Colorado and across the nation, he is the current chair of ACEP’s Pain & Addiction Management Section.

Laurie D Fisher, MD, is a board-certified family medicine physician with Town Plaza Family Practice in Prairie Village, KS. She has been in practice for more than 25 years. She practices the full scope of family medicine including newborn and obstetrical care and has been one of the most productive family medicine doctors throughout HCA (Healthcare Corporation of America) for over 20 years. Dr. Fisher received her medical degree from the University of South Dakota School of Medicine and completed her residency at Truman Medical Center East in Kansas City, MO. During her residency, she received both the George Hedgepath Award for UMKC Outstanding Resident and the Outstanding Family Practice Resident Award. She serves in various leadership roles at HCA Midwest Health, including the Physician Advisory Board, Menorah Medical Center facility lead, and was also previously a member of the Menorah Medical Center Board of Directors. Dr. Fisher is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians.

Rachael is a pharmacist and consultant for the Colorado-based consulting firm Stader Opioid Consultants. She has spent the past decade focused on policy, advocacy, and educational work surrounding opioid stewardship and substance use disorder treatment at both the state and national level. Rachael is a clinician coach for the Compass Opioid Stewardship Program, a nationwide program that supports providers in caring for patients on chronic opioid therapy or with a substance use disorder. She is the Associate Director of The Naloxone Project (TNP), a nonprofit aimed at making hospitals into naloxone distribution sites. Through TNP, she is Program Director of the MOMs (Maternal Overdose Matters) Initiative, which targets birthing hospitals as naloxone distribution sites for at-risk perinatal patients and families. She is also Program Director of MOMs+, a quality improvement program aimed at helping birthing hospitals build addiction treatment infrastructure for perinatal patients. Her clinical practice is in hospital-based pharmacy.

Scott Fortin, MBA, has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, with 10 of those specific to the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) community. He is a solutions-oriented marketing and stakeholder relations professional skilled in managing relationships and strategic communications. He understands methodology to develop and implement unique relational strategies in high profile environments. Scott is also well versed in collaborating with key partners and stakeholders to deliver communications and outreach solutions that support program objectives, ensuring effective and strategic messaging. Scott graduated from Olivet Nazarene University with a Master of Business Administration.

Carmen Villegas, RN, BSN, BCPA, is the Quality Triage/Immediate Advocacy Review Manager for Livanta, a Beneficiary and Family Centered Care, Quality Improvement Organization. Ms. Villegas is a registered nurse and a Board Certified Patient Advocate (BCPA). She has been with Livanta since 2015. Ms. Villegas has 25 years of experience in various clinical settings, and her extensive knowledge of patient advocacy and focus on individualized patient care is why she provides exceptional service. Fluent in both Spanish and English, Ms. Villegas is able to connect with Spanish-speaking patients and their families, which allows her to provide culturally competent care.

Ms. Stephanie Fry is a survey methodologist and mixed methods researcher who leads health services and policy research. She has supported the QIO program and evaluation work for more than 15 years and is currently serving as the BFCC NCORC Deputy Director. Ms. Fry is also a Senior Study Director at Westat where her work focuses on design and implementation of healthcare program evaluations, including the collection and reporting of stakeholder, beneficiary, provider, and payer perspectives.

Dr. Jessica Maksut is a social and behavioral health scientist with a PhD in human development from the University of Connecticut and postdoctoral training in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her work centers health and health care equity with attention to underserved groups such as individuals with disabilities and those residing in rural, Tribal, and geographically isolated areas. Dr. Maksut joined the CMS Office of Minority Health in 2020 and works as a Health Insurance Specialist and Technical Advisor in the Data Analytics and Research Group.

Dr. Carla Shoff is the Senior Advisor to the Chief Dental Officer in the Office of the Administrator at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Before this role, Dr. Shoff was a Social Science Research Analyst in the Office of Enterprise Data and Analytics at CMS for 9 years. She began her career as a Research Associate at the Population Research Institute at Penn State University (PSU). Dr. Shoff holds a dual-title Ph.D. in Rural Sociology and Demography and a graduate certificate in Survey Methodology from PSU, where she focused her studies on health disparities, quantitative research methods, and statistics. Dr. Shoff has devoted her career to using data to identify disparities in population health, health-related behaviors, and access to health care, which can be used to inform policy and advance health equity. She has a robust research portfolio of over 30 publications in peer-reviewed journals.  

Dr. Lorel Burns is a clinician-investigator and assistant professor at New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics. Dr. Burns’ research interests include endodontic treatment outcomes, access to dental care, clinician decision-making, and dental education. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/ National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and the American Dental Education Association, ADEAGies Foundation. Dr. Burns is the 2023-2024 Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Oral Health Policy Fellow.

Morgan is an experienced human-centered design leader with 8 years at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Morgan currently manages multiple human-centered design engagements, leading cross-agency qualitative research efforts supporting the Administration’s priorities and is a Technical Advisor for the Customer Focused Research Group (CFRG), within the Office of Burden Reduction & Health Informatics (OBRHI). Morgan ensures the CFRG team leverages human-centered design methodologies to elevate the voices of all CMS stakeholders. Prior to joining CFRG, Morgan spent 2.5 years in the Office of the Administrator directly supporting the Principal Deputy Administrator for Operations and Policy.

Robert Ziemba is a statistician at HSAG with more than 7 years of experience in the analysis of CMS quality measures. Dr. Ziemba was the lead statistician for the 2021 and 2024 National Impact Assessment of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Measures Report. He oversees development and implementation of data analysis and presentation. Dr. Ziemba also contributes analytic support for several CMS projects in the area of quality measurement and program implementation. Dr. Ziemba has a PhD in Biology from Arizona State University and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of South Florida.

Kyle Campbell has over 25 years of combined research, pharmacy, quality improvement, and measure development experience. His experience includes developing and maintaining quality measures for use in CMS programs, advising on national policy related to measure development, designing and implementing quality improvement interventions, and overseeing research related to medication safety. At HSAG, he oversees projects related to measure development, health care policy and evaluation, and medication safety, including the CMS Measure & Instrument Development and Support (MIDS) National Impact Assessment of CMS Quality and Efficiency Measures contract. Dr. Campbell has a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Florida.

Kendra Hanley is a nationally recognized expert with over 15 years’ experience in the development, specification, and evaluation of quality measures, with emphasis on electronic clinical quality measures. Ms. Hanley is the HSAG team lead for the 2024 National Impact Assessment of the CMS Quality Measures Report. She oversees research, methodologic, and analytic activities, including data acquisition and analysis. Previously, she led a team responsible for the CMS Quality Measure Development Plan, mandated by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015. Ms. Hanley has a Master of Science degree in Health Systems Management from Rush University in Chicago.

Maria has been at Sutter Health for twenty years, primarily focusing on developing and executing patient and community-centered health equity activities to close health disparities, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities, forming and maintaining clinical and non-clinical partnerships and programs across the organization. In these two decades at Sutter, Maria has led dozens of large projects and programs strategically planning, designing goals and objectives with milestones, and evaluating impact of each. Maria has focused on using evidence based, data-driven methods to understand root causes to respond with key tactics to close health equity gaps, address key performance indicators, while developing interventions. Maria attributes her success to her high level of attention to detail and diligence to ensure the intersection with clinical improvement, quality, and patient-centeredness with a commitment to better serve historically marginalized communities.

Genevieve Babecki is the Language Access Coordinator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she serves in the Office for Civil Rights as a senior policy expert establishing language access compliance policies and processes for the Department. Prior to joining the Office for Civil Rights, she was the City of Alexandria, Virginia's first Language Access Coordinator and worked on language access initiatives across the Virginia state court system. Genevieve is a nationally certified medical interpreter who previously assisted Spanish-speaking patients and families at University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, as well as Children's National Hospital Emergency Medicine and Trauma Center. While French is Genevieve's first language, she is also fluent in English and Spanish.

Lina Rashid currently serves as the Senior Policy Advisor for the Deputy Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) where she assists with expanding Americans’ access to health coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). She has supported implementation of the ACA in a variety of roles across government while working with advocates, tribes, stakeholders, and states. In that role she leads technical assistance efforts for the Section 1332 State Innovation Waiver Program. She was the Acting Director of the Division for Consumer Advocacy and Assister Support in the Consumer Support Group, and was also a State Officer at CCIIO. As an External Outreach Specialist for the HHS Regional Director’s Office in Chicago she focused on policy and outreach related issues in Region V (IL, IN, MI, MN, WI). Before joining HHS, she served in Congress as a Legislative Assistant for Rep. Betty McCollum from Minnesota where she played an important role in the passage of the ACA, formation of the Quality Care Coalition, and served as an adviser for global health, labor, housing, and Appropriations, Oversight, and Budget Committee work. Lina also served as a Legislative Assistance for Rep. Joe Sestak from Pennsylvania where she focused on healthcare issues. Lina received a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s Degree in Health Management from Duquesne University.

Anita Pinder is the Chief Diversity Officer and Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). She provides agency-wide leadership on issues related to equal employment opportunity, reasonable accommodation, prevention of workplace harassment, and civil rights. She leads the agency’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion priority aimed at creating and sustaining a workplace where differences are pursued and embraced, processes and systems are impartial and fair, and individuals experience a sense of satisfaction and belonging. She is involved in formulating policy and guidance that supports CMS in achieving its strategic objectives in service to the American public.

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

Noemi Rudolph is the Director of the Research and Rapid-Cycle Evaluation Group (RREG) at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). In this role, Ms. Rudolph leads the team that conducts evaluations of Medicare and Medicaid payment and service delivery model tests and demonstrations and oversees research with policy relevance to CMS. Ms. Rudolph has a long background in evaluations and previously served as the Deputy Group Director and Division Director in RREG. Prior to becoming a manager at CMS, she worked on the evaluations of projects involving dual eligible beneficiaries, Medicare Advantage, and the Medicare prescription drug benefit. She joined the federal government as a Presidential Management Fellow working briefly in the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, CMS’ San Francisco Regional Office, and a Medicare payment contractor. Ms. Rudolph has an M.P.H. in Community Health Sciences and a B.S. in Psychobiology, both from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Jacob Quinton is a medical officer at the CMS Innovation Center (CMMI) where he has for the past three years worked on model design for primary care and condition-specific payment models as well as working on quality and equity issues across the CMMI model portfolio. Before joining CMMI he completed his internal medicine residency at Yale and the National Clinician Scholars Program at UCLA, during which time he was an NIH-funded health disparities researcher focused on high-need high-cost care in Medicaid as well as leading projects on the quality and equity implications of telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meagan Khau is the Director of the Data Analytics & Research Group (DARG) at the at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH). DARG conducts research and analyses to identify areas disparities to improve quality of care and access to care for the underserved populations, and implements initiatives and data analyses to improve data collection and reporting of race and ethnicity, primary language, disability, and other characteristics associated with health disparities. Prior to joining CMS OMH, Meagan was the Deputy Director of the Division of Pharmacy in the Center for the Medicaid and CHIP Services, managing the operations of the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, supporting system developments, ensuring program compliance, and implementing new policies and regulations. Meagan received her Master of Health Administration from the University of Southern California and B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine.

Kimia Imani is a second-year, dual-degree DDS and PhD student at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. She earned her undergraduate degrees (Biochemistry and Psychology) and master’s degree (Health Services) at the UW as well. Kimia’s research focuses on low-income children and adolescents' oral health disparities, the impact of special health care needs on dental care use, and most recently veterans' unmet dental care needs. Kimia draws on knowledge from the social and dental sciences, aiming to eliminate inequalities and improve oral health for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Magidson received her BSc Honors with Distinction from Western University in 2017, and is a graduate of the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, Ontario.  Dr. Magidson is the recipient of numerous academic awards, including being the Gold Medal recipient for both her undergraduate and dental degrees. During dental school, Dr. Magidson served as Alpha Omega chapter president and was involved in various programs where she worked with children of all ages, including those with special healthcare needs. Her passion for children's oral healthcare led her to the post-graduate program at NYU College of Dentistry. She is currently in her second year of the program and serves as the pediatric dentistry representative on the Graduate Council on Ethics and Professionalism Committee. Dr. Magidson is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Canadian Society for Disability & Oral Health and Women in Dentistry.  While Dr. Magidson has greatly enjoyed living in NYC, she looks forward to returning home to promote oral health and improve access to care for children in Calgary.

Dr. Meyer is an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and an Associate Medical Director with Partners For Kids. He completed dental school at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, and his residency training in pediatric dentistry and master’s degree in health policy and management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, serving as an Expert Consultant for their Pediatric Dental Medicaid and CHIP Advisory Committee and Chair for their Council on Pre-doctoral Education.

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

Susy Postal, DNP, RN-BC, (she/her) is the Chief Health Informatics Officer for the Indian Health Service (IHS), where her focus bridges information technology (IT) with health care to promote quality patient care and improved outcomes. She co- leads IHS’s telehealth expansion to meet the agency’s needs during and post COVID-19 public health emergency. Dr. Postal supports various national quality initiatives and the reporting needs for IHS. Dr. Postal leads the IHS’s National Quality Payment Program workgroup to support IHS quality reporting. Dr. Portal identifies quality measures reporting requirements, promotes the IHS’s health IT modernization efforts, and is the sponsor for both the IHS Quality Measure Advisory Board and the National Council of Informatics. Dr. Postal reviews federal policies and addresses areas of impact for IHS federal, tribal, and urban programs. She supports governmental efforts addressing data governance, social determinants of health, and the Long Term Impact of COVID including patient resources available. She serves on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 and National Research Action Plan (NRAP) on Long COVID workgroups. Dr. Postal represents IHS on over 17 IHS workgroups and 26 national committees.

Chris Fore, Ph.D. is currently the Director of the Indian Health Service (IHS) TeleBehavioral Health Center of Excellence (TBHCE). He is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. He received his doctorate in child clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University. In 2009, he established the IHS TeleBehavioral Health Center of Excellence. The mandate of the Center is to explore the feasibility of telebehavioral health within IHS (regionally and nationally), improve access to care, develop models of care, and to address sustainability.

Jean D. Moody-Williams, RN, MPP, is the current Deputy Center Director for the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). She has served since 2008 under multiple administrations in the Senior Executive Service (SES) Corp.  She currently is a part of a leadership team responsible for one of CMS’ Centers that has nearly 800 employees and a $3 billion annual budget. She is responsible for leading quality improvement, value based purchasing, and delivery system reform.  She provides oversight to multiple kidney health activities including regulations for organ procurement and transplantation programs and learning networks, development of conditions of participation for dialysis facilities and healthcare systems, oversight of ESRD Networks for quality improvement and the ESRD Quality Incentive Program. She works to ensure better healthcare, healthier populations and smarter spending of healthcare dollars for more than 90 million Americans.  

Suma Nair PhD, MS, RD is the Associate Administrator for the Health Systems Bureau in the Health Resources and Services Administration. 

As the Associate Administrator, Dr. Nair leads a portfolio of unique programs that improve access to care and strengthen public health and health care systems by increasing access to organ and blood stem cell donation and transplantation, including leading efforts to modernize the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network; facilitating vaccine and countermeasure injury compensation; ensuring access to free or low cost health care at Hill-Burton obligated facilities; and providing health care to individuals with Hansen’s disease (leprosy), as well as educating health care professionals and conducting research on Hansen’s disease diagnosis and treatment. 

Previously, Dr. Nair led the Office of Quality Improvement in HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Health Care, which supports more than 1,400 health centers operating more than 13,000 service delivery sites, including community health centers, migrant health centers, health care for the homeless centers, and public housing primary care centers. In this role, Dr. Nair led programs related to clinical and operational quality improvement, patient safety and risk management, primary care innovation, data reporting, and program evaluation.  Dr. Nair led national health center clinical quality and performance improvement strategies/initiatives, including risk management and patient safety activities, ambulatory care accreditation, patient centered medical home recognition, and integration of behavioral health and oral health care within primary care.  Dr. Nair led the development and implementation of the Health Center COVID-19 Vaccine, Testing Supply, Therapeutics and Mask Programs directly allocating these critical resources to health centers to advance health equity in medically underserved communities. Dr. Nair was recognized as a finalist for the Service to America Medal by the Partnership for Public Service in 2022. 

Prior to joining the Bureau of Primary Health Care, Dr. Nair worked on program evaluation and performance improvement programs impacting more than 80 different grant programs across HRSA.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Nutrition and a Master of Science degree in Public Health Nutrition from Case Western Reserve University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Health Services Administration from the University of Maryland, College Park. 

Dr. Fulmer is an expert in geriatrics and a former academic leader. She serves as the chief strategist for a national foundation dedicated to improving the care of older adults and her vision catalyzed the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement.

"In Brian’s role as Deputy Director of the Office of Preparedness, he helps lead the office responsible for all aspects of preparation for events such as disease outbreaks, natural disasters, cyber attacks, and intentional attacks with chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) weapons. This work is closely coordinated with other offices within ASPR, as well as other related components within HHS, other U.S. government departments and agencies, and international allies and partners. Brian’s responsibilities include oversight and management of the following component offices: Security and Intelligence; Information Management, Data and Analytics; Critical Infrastructure Protection; Health Care Readiness; Medical Reserve Corps; Planning and Exercises; Continuity; and the Secretary’s Operations Center.

Prior to joining ASPR, Brian served at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), where he was the senior executive responsible for leading the agency’s Strategic Warfare and Intelligence portfolio."

Anita Monteiro serves as the Director of the Quality Improvement & Innovation Group within the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Anita is passionate about and dedicated to her work, leading programs that improve the lives, health outcomes and the experience of care for the people that access healthcare services. The quality improvement work is accomplished by several teams of federal and contract staff across the U.S, as part of national programs that collectively serve as the primary driver for healthcare quality improvement for Medicare in the United States. Anita has previously served in leadership roles in CMS in the areas of Quality Measurement and Enforcement, and as a pediatric and neonatal ICU nurse, manager, and educator in both clinical and academic settings, and in several hospital administration roles in the private sector.

July 21, 2017, Timmy Nelson was fortunate to undergo a life altering major surgery. After 3.5 years of home based, self-administered peritoneal dialysis (PD), he became the recipient of a fully functioning kidney.

Timmy was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) in January of 2013 and began peritoneal dialysis in December of that year. This modality of treatment enabled him to continue his frequent air travel and remain effective in performing his assigned work-related duties.

Timmy retired from UPS in March of 2015 after 38 years of service.

Timmy began his ESRD outreach by developing a PD Patient Support Group at his dialysis facility. The focus of this West Chester based group was addressing and lessening the concerns of patients, caregivers, along with perspective PD patients.

Post retirement, Timmy developed a working relationship with Quality Insights Renal Network 4. He attends the monthly quality improvement conference calls and is a member of the Network 4 Medical Review Board (MRB).

Timmy is a Board Member (Secretary/Treasurer) for Quality Insights – WV.

Timmy meets with dialysis patients to share his dialysis/transplant journey. He is an ambassador and Governing Board Member for Gift of Life -Philadelphia.

Serving as a patient resource, his goal is to assist with education, transitions to home dialysis modalities, and preparation for patients to be acceptable candidates for the kidney transplant waitlist.

Dr. Sven T. Berg serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Quality Insights, a health care quality improvement organization. His role encompasses overseeing federal, state, and commercial projects that aim to enhance health care quality and assurance. Quality Insights operates as a CHANGE AGENT, inspiring transformation in health and healthcare behaviors; a CONNECTOR, building a community focused on optimal health systems; and a DECISION PARTNER, transforming data into insights for informed decision-making.

Before joining Quality Insights, Dr. Berg was the Chief of Clinical Services at Wilford Hall Medical Center, located at Lackland AFB, Texas. There, he oversaw over a million outpatient and 25,000 inpatient encounters annually. His notable achievements include merging two major medical center staffs, initiating a physician engagement program that increased productivity by 15% in the first year, and chartering 12 lean events to enhance healthcare efficiency, quality, and patient safety.

Earlier, as Chief of Clinical Services for a Medical Operations Group, Dr. Berg set professional standards for over 400 physicians, focusing on process improvement and patient safety. He coauthored a $65 million, five-year diabetes prevention and treatment plan, leading to the establishment of a diabetes center of excellence.

Dr. Berg holds an MD from Cornell University Medical College and a Masters in Public Health from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He completed a Pediatrics residency at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center and a Pediatric Hematology-Oncology fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Meagan Khau is the Director of the Data Analytics & Research Group (DARG) at the at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH). DARG conducts research and analyses to identify areas disparities to improve quality of care and access to care for the underserved populations, and implements initiatives and data analyses to improve data collection and reporting of race and ethnicity, primary language, disability, and other characteristics associated with health disparities. Prior to joining CMS OMH, Meagan was the Deputy Director of the Division of Pharmacy in the Center for the Medicaid and CHIP Services, managing the operations of the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program, supporting system developments, ensuring program compliance, and implementing new policies and regulations. Meagan received her Master of Health Administration from the University of Southern California and B.A. in Sociology from the University of California, Irvine.

Kimia Imani is a second-year, dual-degree DDS and PhD student at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. She earned her undergraduate degrees (Biochemistry and Psychology) and master’s degree (Health Services) at the UW as well. Kimia’s research focuses on low-income children and adolescents' oral health disparities, the impact of special health care needs on dental care use, and most recently veterans' unmet dental care needs. Kimia draws on knowledge from the social and dental sciences, aiming to eliminate inequalities and improve oral health for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Magidson received her BSc Honors with Distinction from Western University in 2017, and is a graduate of the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry in London, Ontario.  Dr. Magidson is the recipient of numerous academic awards, including being the Gold Medal recipient for both her undergraduate and dental degrees. During dental school, Dr. Magidson served as Alpha Omega chapter president and was involved in various programs where she worked with children of all ages, including those with special healthcare needs. Her passion for children's oral healthcare led her to the post-graduate program at NYU College of Dentistry. She is currently in her second year of the program and serves as the pediatric dentistry representative on the Graduate Council on Ethics and Professionalism Committee. Dr. Magidson is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Canadian Society for Disability & Oral Health and Women in Dentistry.  While Dr. Magidson has greatly enjoyed living in NYC, she looks forward to returning home to promote oral health and improve access to care for children in Calgary.

Dr. Meyer is an Associate Professor at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and an Associate Medical Director with Partners For Kids. He completed dental school at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, and his residency training in pediatric dentistry and master’s degree in health policy and management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, serving as an Expert Consultant for their Pediatric Dental Medicaid and CHIP Advisory Committee and Chair for their Council on Pre-doctoral Education.

Robert C. Accetta is a Senior Pharmacist in IPRO’s Healthcare Quality Improvement department. He has more than 35 years of experience and insight in all aspects of post-acute, long-term, and assisted living pharmacy service, facility oversight, project development, and implementation skills. He has experience with Quality Assurance and the CMS State Operations Manual, Appendix PP, Nursing Homes, strategies for tapering psychotropic medications including validation of diagnoses for use of Antipsychotics, and Gradual Dose Reductions (GDRs). Prior to joining IPRO, Mr. Accetta created a consulting business, advising facilities, long term care pharmacies, pharma, and associations on topics related to health care, survey preparedness, pharmacy consulting, and education. He is a Fellow and member of the Board of Directors, of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP).

Megan is Director of the Rural Strategic Initiatives (RSI) Division within HRSA’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP), where she leads the team that manages a number of high-priority rural health grant programs, including the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP). Prior to becoming Director of RSI, she served as a Senior Advisor in FORHP where she worked on a variety of rural program and policy issue areas, and was a key member involved in the creation of the RCORP Initiative.  She has also worked as a Project Officer in FORHP’s Hospital State Division where she coordinated a national quality improvement initiative and managed a number of state-based grant programs.

CDR Wanda Pamphile joined the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Office of Program Operations and Local Engagement (OPOLE) in June 2023, and serves as the Provider Outreach Specialist and Rural Health Coordinator in Region 2 (New York). Upon graduating from Temple University School of Pharmacy, she became a Commissioned Corps officer with the United States Public Health Service (USPHS).

CDR Pamphile has held numerous leadership positions during her 20 years of service as an officer. Prior to joining OPOLE, she worked at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), and most recently the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). 

In addition to earning her doctorate in pharmacy, CDR Pamphile holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Howard University, and a Master of Public Health degree from The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Karran Phillips, MD, MSc is the Deputy Director for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). She comes to CSAT after 15 years at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health (NIDA, NIH) where she served as a clinical investigator, Medical Director of the Archway Outpatient Treatment Clinic, and the NIDA Clinical Director. As Clinical Director she coordinated, supported, and supervised the development, implementation and conduct of intramural clinical research activities and provided the infrastructure needed to promote top quality clinical research and to ensure research participant safety and confidentiality. Her clinical research focuses on the use of mobile health technologies to improve access and quality care for individuals with substance use disorder and hepatitis C and HIV. Her current clinical work includes providing low threshold buprenorphine treatment to individuals with SUD from a mobile van outside the Baltimore Mens' Detention Center.

Kate Ginnis, MSW, MPH is the Senior Policy Advisor for Youth in the Office of the Center Director at CMCS/CMS where she is focused on ensuring that the specific needs of children, youth, and their families are considered throughout policy development and implementation. Prior to joining CMS, Kate was the Senior Director of Parent, Child, and Family Policy and Programs at MassHealth, Massachusetts’ Medicaid and CHIP program. She previously held both clinical and policy advocacy leadership roles in behavioral health at Boston Children’s Hospital. Kate’s policy perspective is informed by over a decade providing treatment, teaching, and doing clinical research with children, adolescents, and families with behavioral health needs in a pediatric Emergency Department, as well as through being a parent to two young adults.

She serves as the Director of Medicaid for Chicago Public Schools (CPS), one of the nation's largest school districts. Kate has more than 20 years of experience in public policy across various disciplines at the state and local levels in Illinois, New York, and Tennessee. Currently, Kate oversees all Medicaid programming at CPS, including service capture and claiming, compliance and quality assurance, and federal and state policy and advocacy efforts. Previously, Kate served as the Deputy Chief of Policy in the Office of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, State Policy Director for Healthy Schools Campaign, and Director of Economic Research for the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation. Kate has a Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Missouri - Kansas City and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Binghamton University. Kate currently serves on the National Alliance for Medicaid in Education (NAME) board of directors and is an active member of the governmental affairs committee.

Sergio Obregón has over 17 years of experience working in the Medicaid landscape with most of his time spent designing, building, and implementing Medicaid programming that directly impacts schools and communities in urban areas. A strategic Social Services Director with a proven track record of accelerating and maintaining enrollment into public safety net programs, developing/implementing master data management solutions, building strong inter-agency relationships, and creating focused marketing programs, Sergio has worked to create opportunity for some of the most vulnerable communities in Chicago and now the State of Illinois as the Bureau Chief for Medical Eligibility and Special Programs within the Division of Eligibility at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. Using the three-pillar approach of Enroll, Engage and Utilize, which he first put into practice at the Chicago Public Schools, Sergio now works across the agency to ensure all communities have access to the right care, at the right place and at the right time.

Bashirat Olayanju, MPH, serves as the Director of Health Systems Integration at the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), an organization devoted to advancing the health and dignity of people living with and impacted by HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and intersecting epidemics by strengthening governmental public health and leveraging community partnerships. Bashirat spearheads multiple projects funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, including a Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) project dedicated to enhancing reporting of the HIV Viral Load Suppression Measure to CMS. Additionally, she leads coordination efforts for the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Systems Coordination Provider Cooperative Agreement. Bashirat has over 12 years of invaluable experience overseeing Ryan White’s care programming across Chicagoland and surrounding areas while working with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. She also managed Ryan White’s quality improvement initiatives for Part A and B programming and operations, skillfully onboarding new stakeholders and guiding community engagement initiatives. She earned her MPH from DePaul University and a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse.

Marlene Matosky joined the Health Resources and Services Administration’s HIV/AIDS Bureau in 2011. Marlene is the chief of the Clinical and Quality Branch in the Division of Policy and Data. Marlene leads projects related to clinical quality management, HIV/AIDS Bureau performance measures, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid quality payment programs and Medicaid Adult Core Set, stigma reduction, leadership training for people with HIV, and Special Projects of National Significance for rapid start, housing, telehealth, and aging. Prior to serving with the federal government, Marlene has spent over 20 years implementing HIV public health grants and serving as a registered nurse at the bedside. She is also a Lean Sigma Green Belt.

Parker James is a policy analyst at The Hilltop Institute. He conducts data and policy analysis; prepares specification forms, memos, charts, tables, and reports; and reviews literature and Medicaid data to inform policy decisions. He contributes to various projects, such as the annual Maryland Medicaid HealthChoice evaluation, Maryland Medicaid’s Maternal Opioid Misuse Model, and the Maryland Medicaid-HIV Initiative to improve HIV viral load suppression rates. Parker graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) with an MPP (Master of Public Policy) and a concentration in health policy. He also obtained a BA in health administration and policy from UMBC.

Jessica Lee, MD, MSHP is the acting Chief Medical Officer for Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, where she leads the center’s clinical strategy and portfolio in health-related social needs. Dr. Lee was previously the medical officer in the Division of Quality and Health Outcomes at CMCS, where she led initiatives in quality measures and quality improvement. Dr. Lee has deep expertise in clinical medicine and quality, and a background in health policy at the health system, state, and federal levels, including projects at Denver Health. She has served as a senior health policy analyst at the Government Accountability Office, focusing on payment policy and community benefits provided by nonprofit hospitals. She has conducted grant-funded research focused on the intersection of health care delivery systems and population health. Dr. Lee continues to care for patients as a practicing pulmonologist at the University of Pennsylvania and ICU physician at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Dr. Jacobs is the Chief Transformation Officer in the Center for Medicare at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In this role, he helps to lead center-wide efforts to move the health care system towards value-based care, advance health equity, and promote delivery system transformation. Medicare is the nation's largest payer, responsible for more than 1 in 5 health care dollars spent in the US and responsible for covering more than 63 million Americans. Prior to this role, he was the Chief Medical Officer and first Chief Innovation Officer for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), where he helped oversee the state’s Medicaid program. Dr. Jacobs is a board-certified Internal Medicine Physician and has continued seeing patients throughout the pandemic. Dr. Jacobs was chosen by Governor Tom Wolf to help lead the Whole-Person Health Reform package in Pennsylvania. Under his leadership, the Department of Human Services created Pennsylvania's first equity incentive program in Medicaid and also led the creation of a new program to incorporate community-based organizations to address the social determinants of health. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, he helped lead the Department's response to the pandemic. He helped start a successful program that paired academic medical centers with long-term care facilities that was funded for $175 million by the state legislature. When the first COVID-19 vaccinations were approved under emergency use authorization, he helped lead the phased roll-out of vaccine distribution and implementation of vaccination programs for the most underserved Pennsylvanians. Dr. Jacobs has written and published articles in the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, American Journal for Public Health, Health Affairs Blog, Washington Post, and New York Times. His most widely-cited academic work is a study that identified ways insurance companies were systematically discriminating against patients with chronic conditions, coining the term “adverse tiering” to describe their practice of taking all drugs to treat certain conditions like HIV and making them prohibitively expensive. He graduated magna cum laude from Brown University and with distinction from UCSF’s School of Medicine. He has worked in several health policy offices in government, including ASPE at HHS, the National Academy of Medicine, and the Senate HELP Committee. He was previously selected as one of Forbes 30 under 30 in Healthcare.

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

Dr. Schreiber is currently the Deputy Director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at CMS, and the Director of the Quality Measurement and Value-Based Incentives Group. Dr. Schreiber is a general internal medicine physician with over 25 years of health care experience. Prior to coming to CMS she was the Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer of Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) in Detroit, Michigan. Earlier roles at HFHS included the Division Head of General Internal Medicine, and the SVP of Clinical Transformation and IT Integration, where she was the clinical lead of the systemwide Epic implementation. The Epic implementation and use earned HFHS a Davies Award in 2018. She has also held senior leadership roles at the Detroit Medical Center, where she was the Chief Quality Officer, and with Trinity Health System where she was the national system Chief Medical Officer, and acting interim Chief Medical Information Officer. 

While at CMS Dr. Schreiber has led many quality initiatives, including MIPS transformation to value pathways, the modernization of the Hospital Stars program, as well as advancing digital quality measurement systems. She is on the boards of ACCME (continuing medical education), Leapfrog, and a member of HITACH (the national health information advisory committee) among others. Prior to joining CMS she also participated in numerous state and national quality committees including the Board of Directors for the Michigan Hospital Association Keystone Center and the Patient Safety Organization, the Board of Directors of MPRO (Michigan Peer Review Organization – the Michigan QIO), the National Quality Forum Patient Safety Metrics Committee, and the National Quality Partners.

Haley Stolp, MPH is the Policy and Partnership Strategist for Million Hearts® in the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Laurence S. Sperling, M.D., FACC, FAHA, FACP, MASPC is the Founder and was the Director of The Heart Disease Prevention Center at Emory (1997-2019).  He is currently the Katz Professor in Preventive Cardiology at the Emory University School of Medicine, and Professor of Global Health in the Rollins School of Public Health. Dr. Sperling is the Executive Director of Million Hearts for the Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He served as the President of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology from 2014-2016, served on the writing committee of 2018 the ACC/ AHA Guideline on the Management on Blood Cholesterol, and serves as Associate Editor for the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, and the Chair of the World Heart Federation writing group on the Roadmap for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention among People Living with Diabetes.  He has been an investigator in a number of important clinical trials and has authored over 350 manuscripts, abstracts, and book chapters.

Taylor Streeter is a health scientist from ASRT Inc. in the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a member of the Million Hearts® science team, she supports the evaluation, translation, and implementation of evidence-based strategies for cardiovascular disease prevention. Taylor also supports Million Hearts® work in maternal health which focuses on preventing and managing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. She received her MPH from Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health and has a background in evaluation, data visualization, minority health, and maternal and child health.

Victoria Cash is the Executive Director for IPRO ESRD Network 9 and the Quality Improvement lead for the 13 states that are part of the IPRO ESRD Network program. She began her career as a nephrology nurse advancing to ESRD leadership positions in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, supporting ESRD programs for all modalities across state and national boundaries.

Ivory Harding has deep experience in healthcare quality measure and research development, currently serving as the Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs at the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). Her focus is to drive strategies in the evolution of NKF’s healthcare quality agenda, including measure development and maintenance.

Matthew Cooper, MD is recognized as a national clinical leader for transplantation through his many roles. These include Past President of UNOS and the Organ Procurement Transplant Network, Board of Directors for the National Kidney Foundation, and Chair of the American Transplant Congress. Dr. Cooper is currently Mark B. Adams Chair in Transplant Surgery Chief at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital.

Patrick Gee, Ph.D., is a relentless advocate for change. Sharing his lived experience with stakeholders across the country, his goal is to create access to a better quality of life, equitable care, and effective treatments for those battling diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, hypertension, and health disparities. He is an active leader in many organizations, including the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) from whom he received the ASN President’s Medal in 2022.

Sherri Morgan-Johnson is a Nurse Consultant with CCSQ, IQIIG, DKH at CMS. She is the COR for the TAQIL contract and serves as CCSQ DEI Ambassador and trainer to spread the CMS DEI Strategy. As a PO, COR, and member of the Transforming Clinical Practice team, she provides expert guidance in QI.

Sumeska Thavarajah, MD, is a medical director at Fresenius and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She serves as Chair of the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland’s Medical Advisory Board and received the Linda Cameron Award for Patient Services in 2015.

Laura is a Project Director at Qlarant and supports the IPRO Quality Innovation Network – Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO), a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services program, as a health equity subject matter expert across 11 states (NY, NJ, OH, MD, DE, and the 6 New England states) and the District of Columbia. Since 2016, Laura has served as an advisor, consultant and subcontractor to NORC @University of Chicago for a national healthcare disparities quality improvement initiative for the CMS Office of Minority Health. Laura holds a Masters of Science in Health Systems Management and is Six Sigma Green Belt Certified.

Natalie Graves is Director of Research and Implementation at Convergence Health Consulting where she leads HQIC programming related to social drivers of health. Natalie has a decade of experience leading programs to transform health care by leveraging quality improvement strategies and peer-to-peer learning. She has collaborated with CMS, hospitals, accountable care organizations, state Medicaid agencies, and patient and family advocates to translate ambitious goals into concrete action plans for improvement. Her areas of expertise include social drivers of health, value-based care, payment reform, and quality improvement. Natalie holds a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Michigan.

Nicole Ford is a Project Manager for HANYS and the Eastern Quality Improvement Collaborative (EQIC) and brings more than 10 years of program management experience to her role leading health equity, quality improvement and patient safety initiatives. Ms. Ford works with hospitals and health systems to achieve measurable outcomes and develops programming to build organizational capacity to eliminate health disparities and advance health equity. She holds a Master of Business Administration in healthcare administration from Excelsior College and is a certified professional in healthcare quality.

Rosa Abraha serves as the Health Equity Lead for Alliant Health Solutions, in which she leads cross-company vision, strategy and intervention planning for health disparities reduction in hospitals, nursing homes and communities for the CMS HQIC and QIN-QIO contracts and other state-based contracts. Prior to Alliant, Ms. Abraha served as a Public Health Advisor in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Center for Preparedness and Response (CPR), where she led the Center’s first health equity portfolio and managed complex cross-cutting strategic planning, legislative and partnership related projects. Ms. Abraha also deployed to the COVID-19 Response as the Chief Advisor to CDC’s first Chief Health Equity Officer, as well supporting COVID-19 related congressional briefings and vaccine policy efforts. Ms. Abraha has previously deployed in the international Ebola Response supporting leading government affairs and policy efforts. Ms. Abraha was chosen to represent CDC at the 2019 National Governors Association Conference and served as the Healthy People 2030 CDC Lead for the Emergency Preparedness Workgroup. Prior to CDC, Ms. Abraha’s career involved managing behavioral and community health and health communication projects at premier public health agencies, including the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Ms. Abraha has a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Emory University.

Stephanie Hursey, RN, a Health Insurance Specialist, has been with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), in Baltimore, MD for eight years. Ms. Hursey is a contract officer representative and the subject matter expert for care coordination within the Division of Community and Population Health (DCPH) and the Integrated Quality Improvement and Innovation Group (IQIIG) for the 12th SOW. Ms. Hursey holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Salisbury State University, Master’s of Science in Nursing, and Master’s of Science in Healthcare Administration from the University of Phoenix. In Ms. Hursey’s spare time, she enjoys teaching Sunday school, deep sea fishing, playing and teaching pickleball.

Vanessa Andow, CPHQ, CPPS, FACHE, is a project director with TMF Health Quality Institute. She leads the Partnership for Community Health task team, which is part of the Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Ms. Andow and her team of quality improvement consultants work with health care providers across care settings to decrease opioid adverse events, reduce adverse drug events, improve chronic disease self-management and improve transitions of care. Ms. Andow holds a master’s degree in business administration with a focus on health care administration from Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Sadiq Bouda Abdulai, PhD conducts advanced statistical analyses and builds web-based data analytics tools to support quality improvement efforts at Quality Insights. Before coming to Quality Insights, he conducted research and data analytics at the New Jersey Innovation Institute Healthcare Delivery Systems iLab. He holds a PhD in Data Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. His research interests include causal inference, machine learning and natural language processing with a focus on health care quality improvement.

Jill Manna, BA, PMP, Director of Analytic Resources is the Director of Analytic Resources. Ms. Manna provides analytic supervision and guidance for the Quality Insights analytic team. She possesses expertise in managing, analyzing and reporting health care data. In addition, she has a broad knowledge of various data sources, including inpatient, outpatient, pharmacy and ancillary. Prior to her 20-year tenure at Quality Insights, Ms. Manna served as a Health Data Analyst Supervisor, for KePRO in H