2019 NASP Annual Meeting & Expo
September 9-12, 2019
Washington, DC
2019 NASP Annual Meeting & Expo
September 9-12, 2019
Washington, DC
Former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason is the most visible national figure in the fight against cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening, genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive systems of 30,000 children and adults in the United States.
Throughout his career in professional sports and the media, Esiason has been a committed and active participant in many charitable causes, but he began focusing on cystic fibrosis in 1993 when his son, Gunnar, was diagnosed with the disease.
In 1994, Esiason launched the Boomer Esiason Foundation, a dynamic partnership of leaders in the medical and business communities joining with a committed core of volunteers to heighten awareness, education and quality of life for those affected by cystic fibrosis, while providing financial support to research aimed at finding a cure. Since its inception, the Boomer Esiason Foundation has raised more than $90 million to support research toward a cure for CF, as well as programs directly benefiting the CF community.
As the median age of survival for CF patients has increased to more than 37, and many are living well into their adult years, Esiason has turned his focus to bridging the gap between pediatric and adult CF care. The Boomer Esiason Foundation has led the charge to create state-of-the-art facilities for those adults afflicted with the disease. This effort began when the Foundation granted Columbia University Medical Center $6 million to establish the Gunnar Esiason Adult Cystic Fibrosis and Lung Program -- a top adult CF care center that opened doors in 2009. Esiason and his Foundation have also instituted several educational, awareness and compliance programs aimed at the adult CF population.
Esiason continues to attack the disease head-on and helps bring CF to the forefront of policy discussions throughout the country. He has traveled to Capitol Hill on multiple occasions and to various states to speak on behalf of the CF community.
After an All-America career at the University of Maryland, Esiason enjoyed a 14-year career in the NFL as a quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. He became a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback and one of the most successful quarterbacks in NFL history, including being named the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1988. Esiason ended his career with 2,969 completions in 5,205 pass attempts (57 percent completion percentage) for 247 touchdowns and 37,920 yards.
In 1995, the NFL honored Esiason with the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in recognition of his excellence on the football field as well as his charitable work through the Boomer Esiason Foundation and other organizations.
Upon retiring from the NFL after the 1997 season, Esiason headed straight for the broadcast booth. He made his debut as a commentator for ABC's NFL "Monday Night Football" and called "MNF" games for two years. For almost two decades, he called games for Westwood One Radios' "Monday Night Football" broadcasts with Marv Albert, Howard David, Dave Sims and Kevin Harlan. Esiason joined CBS Sports in 2002 as a studio analyst for "The NFL Today," the CBS television network's NFL pregame show. In 2007, he debuted as host of WFAN's national weekday morning radio show, now called "Boomer and Gio." The show is simulcast nationally on the CBS Sports Television Network. Three years ago, Boomer added Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” to his media portfolio, as a co-host.
Esiason, and his wife, Cheryl, have two children, Gunnar and Sydney. They reside in Manhasset, NY.
Andy Slavitt has decades of private and public sector leadership in health care. Over his career, Andy has shaped some of the most significant and successful initiatives in health care impacting millions of Americans and the direction of the health care system. From 2015 to 2017 he served as the Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) under President Obama, overseeing the Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. Under his leadership, the U.S. health care system saw record reductions in the uninsured rate, nationwide improvements in quality, record low cost growth, and a major upsurge in value-based payment models.
Andy currently serves as Board Chair of United States of Care, a non-partisan non-profit dedicated to ensuring that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care, and that policies to make progress toward that goal are politically feasible and fiscally responsible. Andy is also the senior partner in a venture firm focused on investments in the most under-served parts of health care. In addition, he is a Senior Advisor to the Bipartisan Policy Center, and co-Chairs the BPC's Future of Health Care effort, and serves on a number of health care boards.
Andy lives in Minnesota with his family. He is a graduate of the Wharton School and The College of Arts &
Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, and received an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Michael R. Agostino, R.Ph., is the President of Amber Pharmacy, a provider of specialty pharmacy services throughout the nation. Amber Pharmacy is headquartered in Omaha, with satellite locations in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia and San Bernardino.
Mike is also President and a founder of Hy-Vee Pharmacy Solutions (HPS), a specialty pharmacy that provides services throughout the Midwest. HPS was one of the first specialty pharmacies in the nation to offer specialty services at retail locations.
Previous work includes serving as the Vice President, Pharmacy Innovation and Business Development for Hy-Vee and Vice President of Managed Care Sales for Walgreens.
Mike is extremely active in the pharmacy community. In addition to his participation in NASP, he is an instructor for the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s pharmacy program, an editorial board member for Specialty Pharmacy Times and the author of many published articles. He is also very involved in supporting non-profit, economic and community organizations, including serving on the Board of Directors for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Science Pharmacy Degree from Northeastern University.
In her role as Principle Consultant at Blue Fin Group, Cheryl leverages her two plus decades of Industry experience as a passionate supporter of the development of specialty pharmaceuticals to create patient centric solutions on behalf of Pharmaceutical Industry stakeholders. Cheryl has a unique ability to truly empathize with all constituents to create the optimal patient and prescriber journey. She understands the benefits and hurdles and is skilled at using process, data and technology to manage drug utilization.
Cheryl brings more than 25 years of industry experience, with work in independent and specialty pharmacy, as well as in managed care consulting and health care IT. Before joining Blue Fin Group, Cheryl served as Vice President of Business Development and Industry Relations at Diplomat. Prior to Diplomat, Cheryl was Senior Director of Clinical Services at Sanovia Corporation, where she managed new product development and sales support. Cheryl also held roles with Priority HealthCare as a pharmacist-in-charge for oncology and lead pharmacist for pain management. Cheryl founded C. Allen & Associates, a firm focused on managed care consulting, and Eden Drug Company, an independent specialty pharmacy.
Cheryl earned her Bachelor of Science in pharmacy at Samford University’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy, in Birmingham, Alabama and her MBA at Saint Joseph’s University Erivan K. Haub School of Business with a focus in pharmaceutical and health care marketing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Russel R. Allinson, MS, RPh, is a seasoned leader with over 30 years of progressive managerial experience in many areas of pharmacy and health care operations. Allinson received his bachelor of science in pharmacy from the University of Pittsburgh and his master of science in pharmacy administration from The Ohio State University. He completed an administrative/clinical residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital. In addition, he has completed many executive courses in hospital administration, quality management, finance, purchasing, and inventory control.
During his career, Allinson has held numerous senior management positions in hospital pharmacy, hospital administration, and specialty pharmacy. He is cofounder and executive chairman of Therigy, a specialty pharmaceuticals consulting and health care informatics company.
Allinson is currently a clinical instructor/preceptor for the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. He is a member of The Rho Chi Society and received the Alumni of the Year Award from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy in 1996, the Jack L. Beal Postbaccalaureate Alumni Award from The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy in 2008, and the Pharmacy Times® Next-Generation Pharmacist® Technology Innovator Award in 2016.
Sheila Arquette is the Executive Director of the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Pharmacy. She has extensive practical and leadership experience in retail pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, long-term care consulting and dispensing, in addition to the managed care, PBM and specialty pharmacy space. She is a regular speaker and participant at national pharmacy conferences, roundtables and industry meetings.
Sheila comes to NASP from Independent Health where she was the Director of Pharmacy Services.
Sheila has served on the NASP membership committee and as the co-chair of the Government Affairs Committee. She was elected to the NASP Board of Directors and received the NASP Distinguished Service Award in September 2016. She also is a long- standing member of AMCP.
Ryan Atkinson, PharmD, MBA, is the senior director of specialty pharmacy strategy for Maxor National Pharmacy Services. Atkinson has over 17 years of specialty pharmacy, managed care, and development experience. His expertise in disease management and in-depth knowledge of formulary development and maintenance, industry cost and clinical trends, specialty pipelines, and other managed care topics enable him to ensure patients receive medically sound, cost-effective care. He attended Butler University, where he earned doctor of pharmacy and master of business administration degrees.
Jeffrey S. Baird, Esq., is Chairman of the Health Care Group at Brown & Fortunato, P.C., a law firm based in Amarillo, Texas. Mr. Baird represents pharmacies, HME companies and other health care providers throughout the United States. He works closely with governmental agencies. Mr. Baird has authored numerous articles and is a frequent lecturer throughout the country. He serves on the Medtrade Education Advisory Board and the AAHomecare Regulatory Council. Mr. Baird earned a B.B.A. from the University of Iowa and received his law degree from the University of Tulsa College of Law. Mr. Baird is Board Certified in Health Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Joseph V. Barone, PharmD, BCOP, is currently the director of clinical oncology services at Onco360 Oncology Pharmacy. He served as pharmacy intern at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York from 2007 to 2010, and graduated from St. John's University with a PharmD in 2010. He completed his PGY1-residency in pediatric pharmacy practice at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee from 2010 to 2011 and completed his PGY2-residency in oncology pharmacy practice at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis from 2011 to 2012. Barone served as an ambulatory oncology clinical pharmacy specialist at Baptist Memorial Hospital and West Cancer Center in Memphis from 2012 to 2016. From there, he joined Onco360 Oncology Pharmacy as the director of clinical oncology services. In 2017, he became board certified in oncology pharmacy.
Natalie Bedford leads the national channel account team as part of the US Market Access organization. Her team is accountable for distributors, retailers, specialty pharmacies, oncology group purchasing organizations, and dialysis organizations for products across the AstraZeneca portfolio. Bedford’s role is focused on developing channel strategies from distribution to the point of dispense across all of AstraZeneca’s therapeutic areas—oncology, respiratory, cardiovascular metabolic, and renal—and partnering with customers across all channel segments to ensure patient access to AstraZeneca medicines.
In her current role at Biologics by McKesson, Paula Bickley works to expand access and affordability for oncology and complex care therapies while implementing payer solutions that drive optimal outcomes, effective risk management, and cost-effective patient care. In her 10-year career with Biologics, Bickley has also served as the vice president of clinician services, managing the provider-facing sales team responsible for ensuring service excellence to physicians, their clinical support teams, and, most important, their patients who need oral therapies and specialty pharmacy support.
Throughout her more than 25 years in managed care, sales, and physician practice management, Bickley has focused on developing provider networks for managed care plans and academic medical centers. She also founded and managed a consulting firm that provided physician practice management services, including payer contract negotiations, technology implementation, revenue cycle management, and employee professional development.
Rebecca Bigler, PhD, earned her doctor of philosophy in genetics and molecular biology from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a focus on molecular neurobiology of synaptic plasticity in the mammalian central nervous system. Bigler has diverse scientific work experience in industry and academia and a broad knowledge base in neurobiology and molecular and molecular and cellular biology. She serves on the board of directors of the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board as the education director and as the chief scientific officer of Therapeutic Genetics Consulting Associates, a firm specializing in closing the knowledge gap between cutting-edge genetic medicine and routine medical and pharmacy care.
Heather Bonome, PharmD, URAC director of pharmacy, is responsible for the development and management of URAC’s pharmacy quality management accreditation programs. She oversees the volunteer pharmacy advisory group that assists URAC in defining best practices and quality standards and manages the team of URAC pharmacist reviewers who conduct pharmacy accreditation reviews and present applications to URAC’s independent accreditation determination committee. In this capacity, she has led the team to conduct more than 500 pharmacy accreditation reviews. Prior to URAC, Bonome worked in the pharmacy benefit management field for nearly 15 years, partnering with clients to develop sound clinical strategies and promote appropriate pharmaceutical utilization. She received her doctor of pharmacy from the University of Pittsburgh and completed a postgraduate pharmacy residency in managed care. A recognized expert in accreditation and quality standards, Bonome is a frequent speaker and panelist at national pharmacy conferences.
Nick Calla, RPh, is the vice president of pharma relations for BioMatrix Specialty Pharmacy, LLC. He is responsible for the development of the relationships with the manufacturer community as it relates to products within its specialty portfolio. Prior to BioMatrix, Calla was the vice president of industry relations for Cardinal Health’s Specialty Pharmacy division, a part of Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions. He was responsible for the development of contracts and programs with the pharmaceutical industry as it related to products within its specialty portfolio. Calla was also vice president of trade relations for Community Specialty Pharmacy Network. He was responsible for business development as well as maintenance of the relationships with manufacturers around the country as they related to access to particular products as well as the clinical programs designed to support those products. Calla also performed the same duties for Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy for 7 years in developing relationships with the manufacturing community on behalf of the specialty pharmacy.
Prior to Walgreens, Calla worked as director of clinical programs and network administration for Eckerd Health Services. He was also president and general manager of Oncology Pathways, which was a group purchasing organization founded by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Cancer Center and Medmark Specialty Pharmacy. As such, Calla has experience working with both pharmaceutical manufacturing and the retail pharmacy community and has also participated in several pharmacy and therapeutics committees.
Calla is a member of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy and is a board member of the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy. He is the past president of the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board. Calla has expertise in compliance, disease management, intervention programs, and negotiations with providers for a network. He received his bachelor of pharmacy degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University. In addition, Calla has completed fellowship programs at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, and Harvard University.
Kara Cardinale, MPAff, serves as principal of Kasper Cardinale Consulting, LLC, an independent health policy consultancy that provides strategic advice and analysis to clients on regulatory and legislative actions affecting the health care industry.
Cardinale was a program examiner at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during the enactment of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. In this capacity, she assisted White House officials in negotiations with Congress and stakeholders, analyzed regulations promulgated by CMS, and assessed legislation under consideration, among other work. In particular, Cardinale served as the lead OMB analyst on Medicare Part D and other policies related to the biopharmaceutical industry, including Medicare Part B drugs, biosimilars, and Medicare Advantage. Cardinale also led the review of CMS regulations covering Medicare fee-for-service providers, including outpatient hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, end-stage renal disease facilities, and skilled nursing facilities.
Early in her career, Cardinale was a reporter for Pink Sheet, a trade publication covering the biopharmaceutical industry, where she focused primarily on FDA regulatory policy. She also interned at the FDA and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, assessing policies affecting the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid.
A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Cardinale earned her bachelor of arts in philosophy from Haverford College and a master of public policy from the University of Texas at Austin.
Linda Clark is a nationally recognized litigator and chair of Barclay Damon's Health Care Controversies Practice Area. In the health care arena, Linda is a trusted advisor to health care providers, pharmaceutical companies, and pharmacies nationwide with regard to the resolution of high-stakes litigation disputes and government investigations and prosecutions. She represents health care professionals and entities in administrative proceedings, hearings, and appeals before various federal and state regulatory and prosecutorial agencies. Linda has handled a wide range of high-profile network termination, payer, and false claims cases across the country, including in Hawaii, Texas, Missouri, and Florida.
Linda's practice also focuses on complex multi-party litigation. Over the past two decades, she has served as lead litigation counsel as well as national, regional, and local counsel in a diverse range of matters such as the prosecution and defense of claims brought in state and federal courts on behalf of large groups of business and institutional clients, including New York's sprawling failed trust litigation in which Linda represented over 170 health providers facing massive state assessments of hundreds of millions levied by the state.
Linda was one of two recipients of the 2017 Shira A. Scheindlin Award for Excellence in the Courtroom, given by the New York State Bar Association to two leading women litigators in the state. She was selected to the Top 100 "Super Lawyers" in New York State in 2017, listed in The Best Lawyers in America for five consecutive years, and selected to Super Lawyers in business litigation and health care for eight consecutive years.
She is a frequent lecturer, organizer, and contributor of written materials at accredited national, regional, and local continuing legal education programs for attorneys. Additionally, Linda is a former president of the Capital District Women's Bar Association and a founding member of Barclay Damon's Diversity Committee.
Charles (Chuck) E. Collins Jr, MS, MBA, is the president of Healthcare Stakeholder Solutions LLC, a managed market consultancy in its seventh year focusing on the health care delivery disparities across multiple therapeutic areas, such as oncology, hematology, rheumatoid arthritis, hyperkalemia, obesity, diabetes, multiple myeloma, anaphylaxis prevention, bleeding disorders, vaccines, and chronic noncancer pain. With a deep industry network, Healthcare Stakeholder Solutions works across all managed market channels and partners with various health care delivery organizations to develop customized managed market solutions. Collins has over 29 years of experience in the life sciences industry and brings a vision of multidisciplinary expertise and stakeholder alignment to the organization. He serves as a senior consultant to multiple clients and as a senior fellow to Medonomics, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank specializing in health policy, finance, and operations.
Collins graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University. He also holds a master’s degree in clinical chemistry from Old Dominion University and a master’s degree of business administration in pharmaceutical marketing from Saint Joseph’s University.
Amy Cotton Peterson is chair of Quarles & Brady's Health Law Practice Group. As a licensed physical therapist and health care attorney, she has a unique perspective on issues that face health care providers and entities. Her practice focuses on health care transactions, regulatory and compliance issues, business development and provider defense.
Nancy B. Crowell, RPh, began her career in pharmacy in 1987 after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin. She owned and operated Royse City Pharmacy in Texas from 1992 until 2014. Crowell has been part of Senderra Specialty Pharmacy since 2015, when she joined its clinical pharmacist team. She transitioned into operations and is currently vice president of operations.
Since joining ReCept in 2009, Carmine has been responsible for overseeing ReCept’s long term national growth, developing a multi-disciplined team focused on patient care, and integration of strategic initiatives to expand specialty pharmaceutical care to large health systems.
With more than 30 years of executive leadership in both retail and specialized pharmacy services, he was a key industry contributor in defining the “specialty” pharmacy model. Prior to joining ReCept, Carmine served as Chief Operating Officer for TheraCom, a service division of CVS Caremark, and Vice President of CVS Caremark Specialty Operations, overseeing all specialty retail locations across 25 states. Mr. DeNardo earned a BS in Pharmacy from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts
Recognized Internationally as a thought leader, industry expert, frequent media contributor, sought after key note speaker & educator of all things Specialty Pharmacy & Rare & Orphan Disease related ; Suzette's strategic insight on marketplace trends help align & enlighten this continually pivoting industry.
Suzette is the founder of CSI Specialty Group, serving as President/CEO for 17 years. Under her leadership, honors include being named as one of Consulting Magazine's Fastest Growing Firms, Goldman Sach’s Top Growing Businesses & Recipient for an unprecedented 4 years in a row, of the coveted CommonWealth Institute’s Top 50 Women Led Business , from 2014-2018
As a reflection of her dedication to the industry & servant leadership philosophy, Suzette received APPA’s Hall of Fame Award, honoring the ways she champions to improve patient care & access, as well as always mentoring women to gain their rightful seat at the table through the Women in Specialty Pharmacy Organization she founded in 2013. She also started the industry's first dedicated podcast, focused on uncovering ways to make the specialty pharmacy journey more successful for patients worldwide.
Suzette serves as a Board Member for NASP, AMCP & PQA, as well as the State of FL Innovation Caucus Board since 2008. She’s also a member of NHIA, WBL, HBA, BIO, WBENC, ASHP & A Proud Mom of a West Point Class of 2019 Graduate!
Martin ("Marty") Robert Dix is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law and practices with Akerman LLP in Tallahassee, Florida. He is a member of the firm's Health Care Practice Group, its HIPAA Committee, and its Cannabis Practice. He is on the Board of Directors of the American Society for Pharmacy Law (ASPL) and has been a member of ASPL since 1997.
Mr. Dix handles regulatory and transactional legal issues for clients involved in the legal drug distribution and delivery system. He represents clients on a variety of pharmacy and drug distribution licensing, disciplinary, reimbursement, transactional and health care regulatory issues. Mr. Dix represents two chain pharmacies on all Florida Board of Pharmacy disciplinary cases and has represented clients before the Board of Pharmacy since 1988. He also represents eight Florida hospital systems (primarily on pharmacy and drug distributions issues), two drug manufacturers, several drug and veterinary drug wholesalers, and a variety of other providers and entities. He regularly handles matters before the Florida Board of Pharmacy, the Florida Division of Drugs, Devices and Cosmetics, the Agency for Health Care Administration as well as federal drug, health care and privacy agencies.
Lauren M. Downing, PharmD, is the neurology clinical pharmacist coordinator for specialty pharmacy services within Atrium Health. She received formal training from the University of Florida, where she earned her doctor of pharmacy degree. Following pharmacy school, Downing completed an acute care PGY1 residency at Atrium Health before transitioning into a career in specialty pharmacy. As the clinical lead of the neurology service line, she collaborates with providers within the Atrium Health Neuroscience Institute to support patients with multiple sclerosis, movement disorders, and Parkinson disease by making therapeutic recommendations, ensuring patient access and financial assistance coordination, and providing comprehensive patient management services. Her role within specialty pharmacy includes clinical service line development, staff education and training, and research leadership for initiatives in neurology.
Jesse C. Dresser, Esq. joined Frier Levitt in 2010 and has been with the firm since graduating magna cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law. Since that time, Jesse has developed a thorough knowledge of State laws as they pertain to pharmacy practices, insurance billing practices, and PBM regulation. In addition, Jesse routinely lectures to compounding, specialty and retail pharmacies regarding a variety of topics, including proper submission of claims to insurance companies, compliant pharmacy and compounding practices, and methods of growing a pharmacy business while avoiding scrutiny from both payors and regulators. Through his experience with the Pharmacy Law team, Jesse has developed an in-depth knowledge of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and its implementing regulations. Jesse has represented numerous clients in connection with audits, network admission efforts, and network terminations. Jesse regularly communicates on behalf of pharmacies with management and general counsel for numerous pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and insurance companies.
In addition to his work with pharmacy clients, Jesse also represents a variety of other entities including other healthcare providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, healthcare technology companies, and wholesalers. Through this work, Jesse has focused on the intersection between the law and economic considerations, including drug pricing, marketing techniques, and benefits management. Jesse is a Partner in the Pharmacy Law Group with a focus on payor issues and litigation.
Simone Colgan Dunlap is national chair of the Quarles & Brady's Health & Life Sciences Industry Team and leads the firm's Specialty Pharmacy team. Simone's practice is focused on regulatory compliance, related risk management, and corporate/contracting matters for a variety of clients, with a particular emphasis on specialty pharmacy. Simone provides practical and strategic advice to clients on a diverse array of regulatory compliance issues including HIPAA, state privacy laws, AKS, CMP and state pharmacy laws. She also has significant experience drafting and negotiating agreements including distribution agreements, BAAs, GPO agreements, data use agreements, licensing agreements, specialty pharmacy services agreements, HUB agreements, marketing agreements, Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) consulting agreements, independent contractor agreements, and numerous other commercial contracts. Simone was recognized as a Southwest Super Lawyers® Rising Star in Health Care in 2017 and 2018. She graduated cum laudeM/i> from the University of Michigan Law School in 2008.
Lily P. Duong, PharmD, RPh, chief clinical officer, is responsible for the development of Therigy’s drug therapy management program and clinical reporting. Duong provides clinical expertise and oversees the team that develops custom clinical and adherence programs, as well as adherence metrics and outcomes reports for different patient populations and various disease states.
Before joining Therigy in 2013, Duong held a variety of positions at Express Scripts, including senior director of clinical operations, senior director of pharma account management, and senior director of clinical business development. She also served on Express Scripts’ Therapeutic Assessment Committee.
Duong received both her bachelor of science and doctor of pharmacy degrees from Temple University School of Pharmacy and completed residencies at hospitals and clinics in New Jersey and New York, New York. She also holds a bachelor of science in chemical engineering from Drexel University and has provided English-Vietnamese interpretation services for patients at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth Duruz, RPh, CSP, is the director of the clinical program service, pharmacy, providing policy and procedure creation, update, and review; patient adherence program development and oversight; CPR+ clinician training; comprehensive review of new therapies added to formulary; and involvement in the performance improvement team. She has been a pharmacist for 19 years, with experience including hospital, long-term care, and mail-order pharmacy.
Duruz has 10 years of experience in specialty pharmacy with BioRx/Diplomat Specialty Infusion Group. During this time, she has gained knowledge in hereditary angioedema, hemophilia, α1-antitrypsin deficiency, intravenous and subcutaneous immunoglobulin (both neuro and primary immunodeficiency disease diagnoses), and other medications used to treat rare conditions.
Duruz received her bachelor of business administration degree in 1992 from the University of Cincinnati, where she majored in marketing. In 2000, she received her bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Cincinnati. In April 2016, she obtained her certified specialty pharmacist credentials. Duruz currently serves on the Pharmacist Steering Committee for the Immunoglobulin National Society and is a board member for the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board.
Kenneth Engels is a cofounder of WorkUp, an integrated patient engagement and specialty medication workflow company acquired by D2 Consulting in July 2019. Currently an executive vice president at D2, Engels develops products for specialty pharmacy, physician office, and manufacturer markets.
Benito Fernandez, joined Onco360 in 2012 and is responsible for the development, execution, and maintenance of Onco360’s limited distribution and trade operations, which encompass contracting, program implementation, reporting, and account management. Under Fernandez’s leadership, Onco360 has experienced exponential growth in limited distribution products and patient support program offerings.
Over the past 2 years, Onco360 has added more than 20 new specialty drugs to its portfolio, establishing new partnerships with both big and small pharma/biotech manufacturers. Onco360’s current pipeline is also now more robust than ever in the company’s history. In addition to increasing Onco360’s product access, Fernandez has driven revenue growth through exceptional fee-for-service programs, cutting-edge clinical programs, and industry-leading data and technology services.
Prior to joining Onco360, Fernandez served in a variety of progressively senior roles with Medco Health Solutions and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, supporting finance, data reporting, and analytics services. He has more than 12 years of health plan and pharmacy benefit management experience, with a track record of driving operational excellence by optimizing business processes, adapting to change, and challenging existing practices.
Debra Fickert has 20 years in the pharmaceutical and health care industry, of which 13 years are with Pfizer Inc. She is currently the director team lead of Pfizer’s Specialty Pharmacy Strategy & Innovation division supporting inflammation and immunology, oncology and rare disease product portfolios. She is focused on delivering innovative, patient-centric solutions to help prescribed patients access therapy and keep patients on their prescribed medication, as clinically appropriate. She has held several leadership roles at Pfizer, including payer brand marketing, national account marketing, and consumer brand marketing across specialty and primary care product portfolios. Prior to joining Pfizer, she was head of Aetna’s Innovative Health and Marketing Division. She led a team that collaborated with Harvard Medical School and The Johns Hopkins University to develop digital-based health and wellness consumer programs. The programs were implemented through Aetna’s national employer customers to improve worksite productivity and manage total cost of care. She has also held several strategic marketing roles with a national advertising agency, technology firm, and education corporation. She received her bachelor of sScience degree from Mansfield University. Fickert is a member of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association.
Ron Friedman is a shareholder at Karr Tuttle Campbell, LLC in the Pacific Northwest assisting pharma and health care clients in federal and state actions and proceedings -- civil, criminal, and administrative, and with compliance. Prior to entering private practice, Ron served as a federal prosecutor in Seattle for 22 years concentrating in the pharma sector. Ron is a graduate of the Harvard Law School.
Ron Friedman is a shareholder at Karr Tuttle Campbell, LLC in the Pacific Northwest assisting pharma and health care clients in federal and state actions and proceedings -- civil, criminal, and administrative, and with compliance. Prior to entering private practice, Ron served as a federal prosecutor in Seattle for 22 years concentrating in the pharma sector. Ron is a graduate of the Harvard Law School.
Jay Garvey is a senior National Account Director in Trade Specialty & Distribution for Boehringer Ingelheim. Jay has been with BI for over 14 years.For the first 10 years, he was responsible for wholesale/distribution as well as national retain chain operations.Over the past 3.5 years, Jay's responsibilities changed with a core focus on Specialty Pharmacy.In addition, Jay has spearheaded the Boehringer Ingelheim Customer Satisfaction survey which was a driving reason for him to become a contributor to the NASP Customer Experience Committee.
Douglas Gebhard, PharmD, MBA, serves as general manager for RareMed Solutions. In this role, he is responsible for management and oversight for all operations, client services, specialty markets, and business development. RareMed Solutions focuses on transforming lives of patients afflicted with rare and devastating conditions by accelerating access to biomedical breakthroughs.
Previously, Gebhard served as the vice president of pharmacy services for PANTHERx Specialty Pharmacy. In this role, he was responsible for the management and oversight of overall pharmacy operations, quality, compliance, clinical, and educational departments. During his tenure at PANTHERx, Gebhard launched and served as program director for its Specialty Pharmacy Fellowship Program.
Prior to joining PANTHERx, Gebhard led a cross-functional multidisciplinary team within Enterprise Product Innovation and Development at CVS Health, responsible for the research, development, and implementation of patient-oriented health care initiatives and services. His portfolio had a specific focus on developing products, services, and initiatives to redefine the role that CVS/Pharmacy plays in improving health outcomes for its patients and partners by directly addressing medication nonadherence.
Gebhard graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy with his doctor of pharmacy degree. Additionally, he received his master of business administration degree from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh.
Erik Halstrom, MBA, serves as the managing director of Turning Point Rx. Turning Point Rx is the largest independent network of high-performing specialty pharmacies. Prior to his appointment at Turning Point, Halstrom led the Specialty Division of MHA, a diversified health care and technology company. Before that, he was vice president of corporate business development for FFF Enterprises, a diversified health care company, and held various leadership roles with Merck and Eli Lilly and Company in sales, product marketing, market access, pharmacy benefit manager and managed care corporate accounts, strategic planning, and the creation of new distribution models.
Halstrom is a board member and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP) and is the acting treasurer for both NASP and the NASP Political Action Committee.
Halstrom holds a bachelor of science in business management from St. John’s University in Minnesota and an master of business administration from St. Joseph’s University.
Brett Healy, PharmD, MS, CSP, is a clinical pharmacist with University of Utah Health at the Pharmacy Ambulatory Clinical Care Center (PAC3), which provides centralized ambulatory pharmacy support to the health system, including refill authorization, prior authorization, transitions of care, and specialty pharmacy services. He joined PAC3 in 2017 after completing a community pharmacy residency at Idaho State University. Healy holds a bachelor of science interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in nutrition and chemistry and a master of science in nutrition and food science from Utah State University and a doctor of pharmacy from Temple University School of Pharmacy. Healy earned specialty pharmacy certification from the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy in 2019.
Jessie Heaton, PharmD, is vice president of specialty and infusion for Maxor National Pharmacy Services, LLC (MNPS). He earned a doctor of pharmacy degree at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and is a registered pharmacist in Texas and 18 additional states. He serves as an adjunct faculty for home infusion and specialty pharmacy services through Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Pharmacy.
Heaton has worked in home infusion and specialty pharmacy for over 11 years with the MNPS family of companies and has 20 years of pharmacy experience. He has directed pulmonary services through Maxor Specialty, which serves a large number of patients living with cystic fibrosis/bronchiectasis nationwide and provides home infusion therapies. He has extensive knowledge of accreditation and regulatory requirements for clinical specialty and infusion pharmacy services. In addition, he works closely with rare and orphan drug manufacturers regarding limited drug distribution program implementation and management.
Michael Hess leads the firm's Specialty Pharmacy & Pharmaceuticals Practice Group. His ability to balance legal issues with business issues has earned him a reputation as a go-to lawyer in the specialty pharmacy industry.
His practice involves a range of legal counseling for leaders in the pharmacy industry, including:
Lindsay Holmes focuses her practice on regulatory and transactional matters, primarily in the healthcare and life sciences industries. She has experience advising clients on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory matters, including food, drug, device, dietary supplement and cosmetic issues, as well as matters related to 503B outsourcing facilities operating pursuant to the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA), and entities subject to the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). She also has experience assisting clients with matters related to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) compliance. In addition, Lindsay helps pharmacy, wholesaler and third-party logistics provider clients navigate state licensing and pharmacy practice act issues. Her background also includes counseling clients on data privacy and security matters, fraud and abuse, and Medicare Part D.
Brad Howard is a health care attorney with Brown & Fortunato, PC, specializing in health law, with emphasis on governmental investigations, employment law, and litigation. He is a 1991 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. He advises durable medical equipment companies, pharmacies, drug wholesalers, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers on compliance and employment matters and frequently represents them in proceedings before the US Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, and Department of Labor and most federal and state agencies, as well as in court proceedings around the country. Howard is certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and a member of the American Health Lawyers Association. He frequently speaks to national, state, and local organizations on employment and compliance matters, including how to avoid government investigations. He and his wife, Nicole, have 4 boys and 2 grandsons, and as a family they enjoy running races and staying active.
Thomas P. Jeffrey serves as president of SullivanLuallin Group and has been part of the organization for more than 15 years. Prior to assuming the role of president, Jeffrey served as director of the survey division. In this role, he also worked closely with the information technology division to design SullivanLuallin Group’s powerful data collection and reporting tools. During the past decade, Jeffrey has become a trusted adviser to many of SullivanLuallin Group’s largest clients through his successful implementation of patient measurement programs that have led to operational transformation.
With significant experience in specialty, retail, and hospital pharmacy, Jacob A. Jolly, PharmD, CSP, combines insight with forward-facing concepts to develop unique solutions. Jolly completed his prepharmacy coursework at Louisiana State University and received his doctor of pharmacy degree from Mercer University. In his current role as director of strategy and market access, Jolly creates and fosters meaningful partnerships with a variety of stakeholders on behalf of Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy. His efforts help lead Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy in delivering progressive, patient-focused specialty pharmacy care. Jolly lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Julie, and 2 sons, Luke and Miles.
John W. Jones, Jr. is a partner and chair of the Health Care Transactions and Regulatory Practices and a member of the Leadership Team of the Health Sciences Department of Pepper Hamilton LLP, resident in the Philadelphia office. He is a past member of the firm's Executive Committee. Additionally, he leads the firm's Pharmacy, Supply Chain, Group Purchasing and Buying Cooperative Practices, Acute Care and Hospitals and Health Systems Practices, Physician Practice Management, and Long-Term Care Organizations and Post-Acute Industry Practices, and is a member of the White Collar and Corporate Investigations Practice Group.
Mr. Jones concentrates his practice in corporate and health care matters. He represents specialty, retail and institutional pharmacies, as well as pharmaceutical, medical device, biotech companies, providers and suppliers on a wide range of regulatory issues including fraud and abuse, supply chain, and compliance pre-and-post product launch. He has significant experience in nonprofit and for-profit health system affiliations, member substitutions and strategic transactions.
Cory Kidd, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Catalia Health, a patient care management company. Catalia Health develops a hardware and software platform that uses a combination of psychology and artificial intelligence to engage patients through interactive conversations. These conversations happen through mobile, web, and interactive robotic interfaces; together these interfaces create a relationship that can reach patients anytime they need support. The data reported back through the system gives Catalia Health’s customers valuable information to understand the daily activities and needs of its patients.
Kidd is a serial entrepreneur who has been working in health care technology for nearly 2 decades. He received his master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees at the MIT Media Lab in human-robot interaction and his bachelor of science in computer science at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Vaughn Kinosian, RPh, joined the ReCept Pharmacy team in 2012 to lead store and pharmacy operations as part of the organization’s growth strategy. Prior to joining ReCept, Kinosian spent 16 years with CVS Caremark in Specialty and Retail Operations. His most recent role was in the Retail Strategic Product Development group, leading projects to advance CVS’ specialty pharmacy and inventory management priorities. Kinosian also served as director of specialty operations, responsible for a $400 million region with 25 locations throughout the East Coast and the Midwest in a variety of practice settings, including clinic-based, hospital-based, and standalone pharmacy locations. Kinosian’s experience includes retail and specialty operations, business development, multisite management, and strategy. He received a bachelor of science in pharmacy degree from The University of Rhode Island.
Ronald W. Lanton III, Esq, has over 25 years of experience focused on government affairs, including activities at the municipal, state, and federal government levels, with 15 years dedicated to the health care sector. He founded the health care government affairs and lobbying firm True North Political Solutions. He also served as the executive director and head lobbyist at Frier Levitt Government Affairs, creating a government affairs practice for the firm, and as senior counsel for Frier Levitt law firm. Currently he is consulting for the health care industry.
Prior to creating True North, he created a government affairs department for wholesale distributor H.D Smith and served as the company’s exclusive lobbyist while also advocating for various health care customers, including retail and specialty pharmacies and those related to home infusion, long-term care, and institutional and home medical equipment.
Lanton has also worked at Stateside Associates, a greater Washington DC–area government affairs consulting firm, where he handled health care, energy, commerce, and transportation issues. He has clerked for a federal magistrate and was appointed as a municipal commissioner on beautification and environmental issues. He frequently consults Wall Street firms on financial issues related to the health care sector.
As a featured industry speaker on issues such as pharmaceutical safety and health care cost containment, Lanton has presented at conferences of organizations such as the National Association for Specialty Pharmacy, the National Home Infusion Association, LogiPharma, Securepharma, WellSky, and Innovatix. He has authored numerous articles regarding pharmacy and health care law and is a regular contributor to Specialty Pharmacy Times®, Biosimilar Development, and The Center for Biosimilars®.
He is also the chair of the biologics committee for the New York State Bar Association. He is a recipient of the Springfield Business Journal 40 Under 40 award. He is currently admitted to practice in Illinois; Washington, DC; and New York.
Cheryl Larson is president and CEO of the nonprofit Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), a coalition of 130 midsized, large, jumbo, self-funded, public, and private companies that represent more than 4.5 million people. She oversees all coalition activities—including advocacy, membership, administration, research projects, and educational activities—working closely with MBGH’s employer-led Board of Directors to establish the strategic direction of the coalition. She also leads MBGH’s National Employer Initiative on Specialty Drugs, the first major purchaser-driven research project that supports employers in managing the higher costs of biologic and specialty drugs by helping them make critical and informed decisions.
Larson joined MBGH in 1983 as the director of membership development, returning in 2006 as vice president, after spending 10 years with a population health management company. In 2018, she became president and CEO.
Larson is a nationally recognized speaker on employer best practices in managing specialty drugs, value-based benefit design, well-being, consumerism, engagement, and benefit communications. She currently serves on multiple boards and committees representing the purchaser perspective, including the Institute of Medicine Chicago on the Board of Directors and as a fellow, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchasing Coalitions on the Board of Governors, University of Michigan Value Based Insurance Design National Task Force on Low-Value Care.
Jonathan E. Levitt, Esq. co-founded the boutique healthcare law firm of Frier Levitt, LLC in 2000. With over thirty attorneys, Frier Levitt has a national presence in Life Sciences, Pharmacy Law and Healthcare Law, and has been counsel to multiple nationwide class actions of independent pharmacies. In addition to featuring multiple industry thought leaders, Frier Levitt's growing rank of attorneys has numerous clinicians with years of hands-on experience, including multiple pharmacists, a registered nurse, a physician's assistant, and a podiatrist. After graduating from Rutgers College, Rutgers University, Jonathan pursued a Juris Doctorate degree from New York Law School, where he edited the New York Law School Law Review and graduated cum laude.
At Frier Levitt, Jonathan has dedicated his practice to representing pharmacies and in-office physician dispensers nationally regarding federal and state healthcare laws and regulations, audits and appeals, and corporate transactions. Jonathan advises public companies in the Pharmaceutical, Pharmacy and Wholesaler spaces on Regulatory, Transactional and Litigation Issues. Jonathan regularly speaks at pharmacy and physician conferences across the country in an effort to share his firm's specialized knowledge. In addition to lecturing, Jonathan has been published in internationally-circulated publications and commits himself to pro bono and public service assignments. He is also the author of the LinkedIn Group "Hot Topics in Pharmacy Law."
For the last 12 years, Jonathan's peers have elected him as a Super Lawyer. Jonathan is Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney. Jonathan has competed in triathlons, including the 2012 New York Ironman U.S. Championships, and also trains in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Kathy Lewis, MPH, is a health care and technology leader with over 30 years of experience leveraging information technology, electronic health records, and clinician workflow to drive clinical improvements, organizational change, and business value. At Surescripts, Lewis is responsible for specialty medication product strategy and execution, business direction for the accelerator technology platform, and the company’s participation in Carequality.
Sabrina Livezey, PharmD, CSP, graduated from The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy in 2006. After graduation, she completed a PGY-1 residency at the Nashville Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Nashville with a focus in ambulatory care. After working in retail pharmacy for 10 years, in April 2017, she joined Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy, where she is the clinical pharmacist in the neurology clinic. Her focus is on specialty medications indicated for movement disorders, seizures, amyloidosis, and other neuromuscular disease states.
Doug Long, MBA, is vice president of industry relations at IQVIA (formerly QuintilesIMS), one the world’s largest pharmaceutical information companies. IQVIA offers services to the pharmaceutical industry in over 101 countries.
Long has been with IQVIA since 1989. His fundamental task is to help secure data for all existing and new databases supported by IQVIA; manage supplier, manufacturer, and association relationships; and develop information for data partners. Through his direct involvement in these areas, Long has gained considerable experience with and a unique perspective on the changing US and global health care marketplace and pharmaceutical distribution.
Long is a frequent industry speaker for the Health Distribution Management Association, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), the Food Marketing Institute, the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, the National Community Pharmacists Association, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, BIO, the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Healthcare Supply Chain Association, and many others. Long was the opening speaker at the 2015 US Department of Health & Human Services Pharmaceutical Forum on Innovation, Access, Affordability and Better Health. His topic was the balance between innovation and smarter spending.
Long is the recipient of the 2016 International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (IFPW) Leadership Award. This award is given to an industry leader who has demonstrated a commitment to international collaboration and information sharing to assist IFPW in its mission to help members and stakeholders advance the safe, efficient, and continuous access to pharmaceuticals worldwide through the promotion of good distribution practices and services.
Long also received the distinguished 2011 NACDS Harold W. Pratt Award, which recognizes individuals whose activities have contributed to the promotion, recognition, and improvement of pharmacy practice within the chain drug industry. NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE, stated, “Doug Long has earned a reputation as one of the foremost go-to sources when it comes to the numbers and trends behind this industry. He has built a reputation of synthesizing the latest industry information and forecasting ‘what’s next’ in ways that help stakeholders understand what it means for their day-to-day businesses.”
Prior to receiving the Pratt Award, Long was honored with the Healthcare Distribution Alliance Nexus Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2004, the prestigious IMS Summit Award in 2003, and the IMS CEO Team Award in 2013. He was also honored with the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs Champion Award for 2019. Before joining IMS Health, Long held positions at Nielsen Market Research for 16 years in various sales and marketing capacities. A native of Illinois, Long received a bachelor of arts degree from DePauw University and holds a master of business administration degree in business and management from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Stephen M. Lund, RPh, is an established senior executive, consultant, and board member with over 40 years of expertise in the health care, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries. He is the executive vice president and chief clinical officer at Senderra Specialty Pharmacy. With 12 years of experience in specialty pharmacy, he has been active in technology solutions for patient care and clinical outcomes measurement and reporting. His additional areas of expertise include FDA and pharmacy compliance/regulations, strategic business development, product launches, and organizational strategies.
Lund previously held leadership roles with Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, Rite Aid Corporation, and Perry Drug Stores. He has also served as an independent executive consultant and provided services related to health care, specialty pharmacy, specialty distribution, new/existing business, product development, evaluation, direct and indirect purchasing, contract development, negotiations, and implementation.
Lund obtained his bachelor of science in pharmacy from Ferris State University, and he is a licensed pharmacist in Michigan. He is also co-owner and chairman of STAT Emergency Medical Service.
Meetings & Conventions magazine lists Allison Massari as one of the top 10 best speakers for “motivation” in the United States. She teaches the secrets she discovered to triumph despite tragedies, thrive in turbulent times, and forge your own path to success. Allison is a trusted business coach, personal development expert, international speaker and artist. She has been featured on ABC News, NBC, FOX, and in Family Circle Magazine.
Allison assists people at deep levels, equipping them with tools to better manage their lives, to be in the world vital and grounded. She has become a fiery voice for the potent power of compassion, kindness, and indestructible perseverance.
Massari’s professional career began with diverse achievements as an entrepreneur. She created four successful businesses over the course of 25 years. It began with a thriving fine arts business and jewelry line, Massari Fine Arts, LLC. Among her accolades were commissions for Fortune 500 companies including Lockheed Martin, General Mills and US Airways. With characteristic vigor, she launched her coaching and speaking career. Within months she was coaching CEO’s, and was preparing to appear in an international documentary focused on overcoming challenges. Within a year and a half, she was invited to give a TEDx talk in Spain on “The Future of Happiness”. And within two years she was voted the “#1 Rising Star in Speaking” by the National Speakers Association, and was traveling internationally, speaking and coaching full-time.
Her more serious credentials come from her life experience. Allison Massari found peace, purpose, and happiness after overcoming two extraordinary personal tragedies. In 1998, she survived a 60 mph car crash where she was trapped and burned alive; conscious the entire time. Just three years later she was hit again at 60 mph and sustained a closed-head brain injury. Allison has always believed in the miraculous. Her fiery determination and the love of family and friends helped bring her to a full recovery years later. She says, “I didn’t want to just heal. I wanted to feel peaceful. I became relentless in my pursuit to find the answers to life and to master it in totality.” The triumph of her physical and emotional recovery inspired Allison to propel her business to pinnacle achievements. She revived her art business with a 100% increase in sales and was awarded placement in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, FL.
Allison has dedicated her speaking career to wellness, well-being, change, adversity and success– inspiring people with tools to more effectively manage their lives. Her mission is to bring transformation to individuals, businesses and communities. She also enjoys delivering keynotes to healthcare audiences for CE credits – to heal burnout in medical workers and to enhance patient-centered care. Her message focuses on the power of the human connection. In her own words, “Compassion heals the places that medicine cannot touch.”
As a sought-after private coach, her highly effective methods have enabled her to form bonds as a trusted confidante to CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs. Allison captures the hearts of audiences and clients as she demonstrates how to move forward with speed and grace. She is one of ten people in the world chosen to teach how to successfully overcome challenges in the international documentary film “ReSolve” by Polaris Global (release date soon). The film is hosted by the Head of Special Forces for the U.S. Military in Afghanistan and focuses on solutions to come through post-traumatic stress. Massari is also the founder of revolutionary programs for teenagers with severe burn injuries that continue to transform young people’s lives at the Adaptive Sports Center in Crested Butte, Colorado.
“I’ve come to a place where my heart pounds with excitement instead of fear. I learned how to transform my pain and how to take control of my life. If I could do this with my own life and under such extreme circumstances…imagine what you can do with yours.”
Allison holds a Masters of Arts degree from School of Visual Arts in New York City and a Bachelor of Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design, as well as being the recipient of an adventurous award to study in Brugge, Belgium and La NaPoule, France.
Lisa Massey works in strategic program development for the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). Massey joined NORD in July 2018 to help develop the Centers of Excellence program. Massey previously worked at the Association of American Medical Colleges with academic medical centers and health systems implementing Medicare value-based care programs. In addition to her professional experience, Massey received a diagnosis of a primary immunodeficiency in 2003 and has extensive experience as a patient advocate.
Roger Morris is the national chair of Quarles & Brady's Health & Life Sciences Industry Team, former chair of the firm's Health Law Practice Group, and a member of the firm's governing Executive Committee. His practice focuses on the representation of pharmacies, including retail pharmacies, pharmacy wholesalers, specialty pharmacies, compounding pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, veterinary pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and pharmacy manufacturers. He also represents health care providers, including hospitals, health systems, and medical staff.
Roger's previous career as a pharmacist enables him to provide unique insight to clients on a wide range of issues, including licensing new pharmacy locations, responding to regulatory inquiries and investigations before state review boards, and the development of complex new programs that include multiple points in the pharmacy distribution process and multi-state jurisdictional matters.
Brandon Newman, PharmD, is the vice president of clinical affairs for Trellis Rx and vice president of the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board. At Trellis Rx, he is responsible for clinical protocol development and execution, as well as outcomes initiatives for health system partners. Newman received his bachelor of science in biology and his doctor of pharmacy from the University of Tennessee, as well as his master of management in health care from Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management. He began his specialty pharmacy career at Nova Factor and remained through the Accredo, Medco, and Express Scripts acquisitions. Prior to Trellis, Newman served as the program director of trade relations and market access for Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy, where he collaborated with payers and manufacturers to gain access to limited distribution medications and preferred network agreements.
Lynn Pezzullo, RPh, CPEHR, is senior director of quality innovation at the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA), a nonprofit organization that develops medication-related quality and performance measures. In her role, she oversees the development of quality measures to address national priority areas and works with PQA’s Patient and Caregiver Advisory Panel to ensure that measures reflect what is important to patients. Pezzullo is the staff lead for the development of PQA’s specialty measure portfolio focused on complex and often high-cost therapies.
Prior to joining PQA, Lynn served as senior program administrator at Healthcentric Advisors, the quality improvement organization for the state of Rhode Island, where she partnered with health care teams to implement quality initiatives to demonstrate improvement on quality measures. She also worked for 14 years at CVS/Pharmacy (now CVS Health), where she held various roles, including manager of organization development & training for pharmacy.
Pezzullo is a member of national professional associations, including the American Pharmacists Association and the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy. She has been actively involved with the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association for over 15 years, served as president in 2015-2016, fulfilled various roles on the Council of Administration, and is currently on the Rhode Island Pharmacy Foundation board of directors. Pezzullo has remained engaged with her alma mater, the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy and is currently vice chair of the dean’s advisory board. She also is on the board of directors for Dress for Success Providence and serves as treasurer for the nonprofit organization.
With over 10 years of technology executive leadership experience, Luis Rodriguez joined Keycentrix as Chief Technology Officer in 2015. Soon after in February of 2018, Rodriguez was appointed President. Today, Rodriguez is responsible for steering Keycentrix’s explosive national growth and enjoys the everyday challenges that come with running a full-service technology company. Altogether, Rodriguez has accumulated an impressive 15 years of technology experience and is well-versed in a variety of other industries including, but not limited to, retail, finance, restaurant, manufacturing, and healthcare. Prior to leading Keycentrix, Rodriguez operated NerdUnit, an IT Service company for small to mid-sized businesses and later served High Touch Technologies, overseeing all software development operations, strategic technology initiatives, research, and development. Rodriguez serves on the Forbes Technology Council, FlagshipKansas.Tech, and has served on the Citrix Advisory Council. He also has provided classroom instruction for Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, in software development and data structures/BI.
Amber Rollo is a specialty clinical pharmacist at Banner Health in Chandler, Arizona. She graduated summa cum laude with her doctor of pharmacy at Midwestern University College of Pharmacy–Glendale in 2013. She has experience in retail pharmacy and ambulatory care pharmacy and as a pharmacy supervisor. Her current role in the Banner specialty pharmacy involves providing patient care through the specialty patient management program for various specialty disease states, clinic coordination with the advanced liver disease clinic, and involvement in ongoing quality improvement. Her professional disease states of interest are hepatitis and HIV. She is participating in a hepatitis C outcomes-based project with Excelera and has been involved in creating educational materials for all Banner Family Pharmacy staff to help improve the cultural sensitivity around gender identity. She is also involved in an ongoing project to help improve HIV postexposure prophylaxis workflows to increase availability of HIV medications for Banner patients. Her favorite aspect of working for an integrated delivery network–based pharmacy is being able to collaborate closely with other health care professionals in the clinics either directly or via electronic medical record communications.
With a background as a defense, regulatory, and registered patent attorney who has also worked as a registered pharmacist, Lee Rosebush provides his clients with legal counsel that is grounded in first-hand experience. Whether his clients are confronted with legal issues related to the naming of a drug, clinical trials, marketing, promotions, or advertising, Lee possesses a strong understanding of the pharmaceutical industry which, combined with his attention to detail and experience working with biologics, medical device, and healthcare companies, gives clients a single source for regulatory and litigation counsel. With post-graduate degrees in finance and business, Lee is frequently sought out to help expedite corporate deals involving healthcare entities. He also advises private equity and public and private companies in due diligence matters and buy-sell transactions.
Lee's ability to smoothly shift between the legal, governmental, and pharmaceutical environments further helps him to efficiently secure operating licenses or assist drug manufacturers avoid compliance actions from governmental agencies. Active with the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA), as well as the Federal Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulation of pharmacy compounding, Lee speaks and writes on both issues, and is passionate about orchestrating and advocating for pharmacists and pharmacies. Additionally, Lee is Leader of BakerHostetler's Pharmacy and Reimbursement team and Co-Leader of the FDA, Products Promotion, and Defense team.
Tim Safley, MBA, has more than 3 decades of experience in the health care profession, including 25 years in the pharmacy industry. Safley was the regional vice president for a national home care company, and his leadership roles encompass the infusion, specialty and HME markets. He was instrumental in helping to add specialty standards to the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) Pharmacy Program in early 2001. As this industry evolved, Safley was able to adapt these standards to address payer requirements in the ever-changing health care sector.
Safley has a great track record of working with payers and pharmacy benefit managers to help tackle the need for both patient monitoring and cost containment within the specialty industry. He led the initiative to release the accreditation in the Distinction Program at ACHC. These distinction programs set companies apart as specialists in their field of care, such as oncology and HIV. He is constantly working to address the needs of ACHC-accredited pharmacies.
Phillip D. Scott is senior vice president of business development for the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP), a not-for-profit multistakeholder forum for developing health care patient safety and business solutions, including American National Standards Institute–accredited standards for the electronic exchange of health care information. He has been involved in health care for more than 40 years. At NCPDP, he oversees business development planning and operations, including engagement strategies for expanding the council’s sphere of impact in health care. He has direct supervision and responsibility for NCPDP’s products—dataQ, resQ, and HCIdea—and its product development and service teams, which help support the important work of the organization.
Prior to joining NCPDP, Scott worked for Miles Laboratories (Bayer) and McKesson Health Systems. He also was a principal with 2 successful start-ups. During his tenure at Bayer, he pioneered numerous positions with increasing responsibilities, from clinical research associate and corporate recruiter to division sales manager. He was also active in the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America speakers bureau. He was recruited to McKesson as a regional manager but was quickly promoted to vice president of hospital and managed care. In that role, he was instrumental in defining and establishing relationships with health plans and pharmacy benefit managers on behalf of McKesson’s independent pharmacy clients. He and his team also reestablished McKesson as a distribution leader in the hospital market. At McKesson, he developed the first network of independent Valu-Rite pharmacies, which evolved into the nation’s first pharmacy services administrative organization.
Before joining the NCPDP team, Scott served on the NCPDP board of trustees for 6 years and held the position of board chair twice. As the board chair, he had oversight responsibilities for the business functions of the organization. He also served on the executive, bylaws, and annual conference committees. In 1998, he received the prestigious NCPDP TIME (The Individual Member Excellence) Award for his service and commitment.
Scott is a member of the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists and a past board member of the Health Industry Federal Advisory Council, the Health Industry Group Purchasing Association, and the Arizona Society of Hospital Pharmacists.
Julie Scott Allen is the senior director of government affairs at Powers Pyles Sutter and Verville, PC and the Washington, DC, government affairs representative for the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (NASP). Allen has worked to advance legislative, regulatory, and business agendas for national organizations for over 2 decades. She provides lobbying support, strategic advice, and analysis to NASP on regulatory and legislative actions affecting specialty pharmacy.
Flaviu Simihaian is the CEO and co-founder of Troy Medicare, the first pharmacy-friendly Medicare Advantage plan that eliminates direct and indirect remuneration fees and uses transparent drug pricing. Previously, he co-founded Amplicare, a software platform that more than 6000 pharmacies use to help millions of senior citizens compare Medicare plans.
Kyle Skiermont is the chief operating officer (COO) for Fairview Pharmacy Services, a leading health-system–based pharmacy organization in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received his doctor of pharmacy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy. As COO, Skiermont is responsible for strategy and overall operations of Fairview Pharmacy’s specialty pharmacy, retail, mail-order, long-term care, compounding, home infusion, and community infusion business units.
Skiermont has spent 20-plus years in pharmacy, in settings such as traditional retail, clinic-based retail, outpatient pharmacy at an academic health center, community and home infusion, specialty, and mail-order. In addition, he is a frequent media and professional spokesperson on a variety of pharmacy topics.
Justin Smerker, PharmD, MSPBA, is senior director of rare markets at PANTHERx and plays a critical role in the prospecting, qualification, and close new business. He has served in a variety of leadership positions with increasing responsibility for both specialty and community pharmacy organizations and has written numerous articles on specialty pharmacy topics. He is a point of contact for manufacturer trade relations and brand teams, serving as a subject matter expert on PANTHERx capabilities and services. Smerker contributes to the capabilities narrative raising the profile of PANTHERx, sets short- and long-term business development strategies against company-wide targets, and actively identifies new business pipelines.
Smerker has extensive experience in trade relations, business development, account management, specialty pharmacy contracting, and exclusive/semiexclusive product launch strategies across a variety of rare disease therapeutic areas. He earned his doctor of pharmacy degree in 2009 and a master of science in pharmacy business administration, an executive-style program designed for leaders in the business of medicines, in 2016 from the University of Pittsburgh.
As Senior Director of Pharmacy Services for US Bioservices, Mischelle Smoot is responsible for the oversight of all specialty pharmacy operations across seven states, including training and educating staff as well as maintaining and expanding accreditations.
Leveraging over thirty years of pharmacy operational and management experience, Mischelle works to achieve the highest level of quality and efficiency across all of US Bioservices’ pharmacy locations. Her clinical expertise and financial knowledge of integrated and non-acute care systems have helped to optimize pharmacy processes and ensure patient safety and satisfaction. Mischelle earned her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Texas at Austin and is licensed in nineteen states.
Jonathan L. Swichar focuses his practice in the area of commercial litigation and is an active trial lawyer, handling, across the United States, matters involving complex commercial disputes, securities law, shareholder disputes, white-collar criminal defense and investigations, insurance defense, healthcare litigation, healthcare fraud defense and internal corporate investigations. Mr. Swichar regularly counsels international corporations and has been lead counsel in hundreds of disputes in state and federal courts as well as in arbitrations and mediation.
Mr. Swichar is co-chair of Duane Morris' Pharmacy Litigation Group. He regularly represents healthcare providers in the investigation and defense against healthcare-related offenses in regulatory, civil and criminal proceedings. He also represents numerous healthcare providers, including pharmacies, throughout the United States in disputes with insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers. Specifically, Mr. Swichar represents such providers in connection with, among other things, violations of non-compete agreements, issues in gaining entry into an insurance network, attempts by insurance companies/pharmacy benefit managers to terminate providers from such networks, reimbursement disputes and refusals by insurance companies/pharmacy benefit managers to abide by state any willing provider laws.
Mr. Swichar is active in a leadership capacity in several community and civic organizations. Admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Mr. Swichar is a member of the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia bar associations. Mr. Swichar is a 1997 graduate of Temple University School of Law, where he was a member of the Temple Law Review, and a graduate of the University of Maryland.
As a member of the ACHC Leadership Team, Barb provides expertise in regulatory affairs, quality initiatives, ISO certification, strategic planning and the integrity of national accreditation standards. She possesses over 35 years of nursing experience with 20 years providing inspirational leadership in the home care and accreditation arenas. She is a noted national speaker exhibiting contagious enthusiasm and passion for improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare. She has been published multiple times including a research study in the Journal of Nursing Care Quality. She is the author of a historical book and a contributing writer for Foundations of Nursing Practice, A Nursing Process Approach. Sylvester is a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor in Business Administration. She earned a Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership & Quality from Marian University.
Ray Tancredi, MBA, RPh, CSP, is divisional vice president of specialty pharmacy development brand Rx/vaccine purchasing at Walgreens, based in Deerfield, Illinois. Tancredi oversees a team responsible for all specialty pharmacy trade functions, including specialty pharmacy product access, limited distribution and relationships, management of manufacturer hub services and referrals, contract negotiation, implementation and compliance, pharma programs and services, data analysis and reporting, request for proposal support, and coordination of clinical, patient services, new drug in-services, and education. Additionally, he oversees management of strategic manufacturer accounts in an effort of maximize contracts and provide exceptional customer service.
Tancredi also oversees the team responsible for brand prescription drug launches and vaccine procurement, including flu vaccine, group purchasing organization relationships, and specialty pharmacy distributors.
Tancredi earned his bachelor of science in pharmacy from Temple University School of Pharmacy in 1983 and is a registered pharmacist in Pennsylvania and Florida. He also earned a master of business administration in management from Eastern University in 2001. He is president of the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board and is a certified specialty pharmacist (CSP certificate 032).
Craig serves as Chief Commercial Officer and is responsible for the strategic development and execution of partnerships with pharmaceutical manufacturers, healthcare service organizations and national health care systems, as well as leading the company’s corporate marketing division. Craig has over 25 years of specialty infusion and healthcare services experience. Prior to joining Soleo Health, he held executive management roles with Guardian Healthcare/Evolution Health, Accredo Health Group and Critical Care Systems. Craig earned his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, majoring in Advertising from The Ohio State University.
Timothy M. Ward, Esq, is an active board member of the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy Board of Directors. He is president of Hercules Pharmaceuticals, a national specialty distributor. Before joining Hercules Pharmaceuticals, he was chief legal officer of a multinational conducting business in highly regulated markets and also directed government affairs efforts covering federal legislative initiatives and federal administrative positions at US Departments of Treasury and State. Tim has served on boards for numerous Washington, DC, trade and industry groups, as well as in an advisory committee capacity for the government on foreign policy and trade issues.
Bradley A. Wasser, Esq is an associate with the law firm Duane Morris, LLP. Mr. Wasser practices in the area of litigation with a focus on health care, private antitrust and business counseling and government advocacy. Mr. Wasser has experience with providing a wide range of legal, regulatory and business advice for national associations of health care providers, individual health care providers and pharmacies, beer wholesalers, retailers, and high technology firms.
Mr. Wasser is a member of Duane Morris' Pharmacy Litigation Group. He represents healthcare providers, including pharmacies, in disputes with insurance companies and pharmacy benefit managers ranging from audits, to network participation rights, to termination of providers from insurance and pharmacy benefit manager networks.
Mr. Wasser is a 2010 cum laude graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law and a graduate of the University of Delaware.
Shannon Wiley, Esq is an attorney at Bass, Berry & Sims' Memphis office. Her practice focuses on healthcare regulatory matters with a specific emphasis in the specialty pharmacy industry. She advises clients on regulatory matters arising in pharmaceutical trade and distribution, such as the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Civil Monetary Penalty Law, and FDA regulations such as the Drug Supply Chain Security Act. Additionally, she assists clients with the development, drafting and negotiation of agreements related to various components of the drug supply chain, such as limited distribution networks, pharmacy services agreements, and hub arrangements. Shannon also provides guidance on mergers and acquisitions.
Shannon is a healthcare regulatory attorney, with a specific emphasis in the specialty pharmacy industry. She advises clients on regulatory and operational matters for clients such as specialty pharmacies, manufacturers, data aggregators, hubs, and GPOs as well as others in the drug service and distribution ecosystem. Shannon assists with the construction of service and distribution networks, drafting and negotiation of agreements, and serves as counsel during corporate mergers and acquisitions.
Julie Zatizabal, MT, ASCP, serves as a leader in business development for Amber and Hy-Vee Pharmacy Solutions (HPS), an independent provider of specialized pharmacy services nationwide. Amber and HPS are headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, with multiple satellite locations across the United States. She joined Amber in January 2012.
Zatizabal leads the trade relations team at Amber and HPS and has established relationships with key stakeholders throughout the specialty pharmacy and pharmaceutical manufacturer industries. She ensures Amber and HPS are at the forefront of industry trends and prepared for new medication launches.
Zatizabal holds a bachelor of science in medical technology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical world, working for The Upjohn Company, Pfizer, and EMD Serono and gaining experience in sales, account management, and sales training. She enjoys tennis, has developed an interest in soccer, and is highly interested in travel and other cultures.
Krista Zodet, MSW, serves as president of the HealthWell Foundation. She is responsible for developing the long-term direction of the organization in collaboration with the board and providing strategic leadership and oversight of the organization’s operations, programs, and staff.
Zodet has been a valuable member of the foundation’s management team since 2005 and has over 20 years of experience in the life sciences, focused primarily on patient assistance and access to care.
Zodet received a master’s degree in social work and a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from the University of Michigan.
*Subject to change