Chris Leibman

Senior Vice President, Value, Access, Public Policy and Government Affairs, Biogen

Chris Leibman is the Senior Vice President of Value, Access, Public Policy and Government Affairs at Biogen, where he leads the global value demonstration, patient access and pricing strategy development and execution across the Biogen portfolio, as well as, the Public Policy and Government Affairs organization.  Prior to this role Chris lived in Zug, Switzerland where he led market Access and pricing at Biogen for Europe and Canada.

Mr. Leibman joined Biogen in 2014 from Janssen Pharmaceuticals (J&J), where he served as head of Market Access and Policy: Neuroscience and led the team responsible for the development and execution of market access strategies and value evidence generation across the Neuroscience franchise.   Prior to this, first with Élan Pharmaceuticals and then with Janssen AI following their program acquisition, Chris led the market access launch readiness activities across the Alzheimer Immunotherapy Program in partnership with Pfizer.

J.K. Wall

Senior Director, Neuroscience Communications, Eli Lilly

J.K. Wall is senior director of neuroscience communications at Eli Lilly and Company, primarily overseeing communications of clinical trial data and commercial updates related to Alzheimer’s disease. His previous roles at Lilly include new product planning and value assessment for Lilly’s U.S. payer marketing organization, during which he was a co-author on journal articles about value assessment of Alzheimer’s disease therapies and diagnostics. He also previously served as speechwriter to Lilly’s CEO. Prior to Lilly, he was a business journalist for 15 years, focused primarily on health care finance. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history, respectively, from DePauw University and Indiana University.

Cassandra Ricci

Senior Manager, Alliance Development and Federal Government Affairs, Roche Diagnostics

Cassie Ricci brings nearly a decade of experience in the medical imaging and diagnostics industries to her position as Senior Manager, Alliance Development and Federal Government Affairs for Roche Diagnostics. Her work has focused on improving patient outcomes and increasing access to innovative technologies through legislation, policy and advocacy. In her current role, she created Roche Diagnostics' first Alliance Development program, where she builds meaningful and strategic partnerships with patient advocacy and stakeholder groups to advance the value of diagnostics in disease areas including Alzhiemer's disease and cervical cancer. Prior to joining Roche, Cassie was the Federal Sector Policy and Strategy leader at GE HealthCare, leading the veterans health policy portfolio and contributing to key legislation and policy to expand access to breast cancer screening for Women Veterans. She is also a founding member of the Brem Foundation to Defeat Breast Cancer's Young Professional Advisory Council. Cassie earned a BS in Biology from Bucknell University and currently resides in Arlington, VA.

Sharon Phares

Associate Director for Research, NEWDIGS

Sharon Phares, PhD, MPH, is the Associate Director for Research at the Center for Biomedical System Design (CBSD) at Tufts Medicine and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. She directs CBSD’s research strategy and oversees all quantitative and qualitative research activities. Previously, Dr. Phares has had a number of roles including Chief Scientific Officer of the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC), Senior Vice President of Research and Education at the Pharmaceutical Benefit Management Institute, Director of Analytic Consulting at Pharmaceutical Strategies Group (PSG), an EPIC company, Vice President of Research & Advanced Analytics at Express Scripts, as well as senior positions in research and analytics at Laboratory Corporation of America and Walgreens.

Matt Fickie

Senior Medical Director, Medical Policy, Highmark Inc.

Dr. Matt Fickie is Senior Medical Director for Medical Policy at Highmark. As the plan’s internal expert on precision medicine, Dr. Fickie focus has been on advancing the use of genetic technologies to improve health outcomes. He oversees Highmark’s Medical Policy Department which includes Highmark’s innovative Coverage with Evidence Determination program. Prior to joining Highmark, he served as an attending physician at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA. Dr. Fickie is board certified in internal medicine, general pediatrics, and clinical genetics.

Amy Bassano

Managing Director, Medicare, Health Management Associates

A senior executive and nationally recognized health policy expert, Amy Bassano has more than 20 years of experience in developing organizational vision and strategic plans, designing, and implementing payment systems, and driving change in the healthcare delivery system. Ms. Bassano joined HMA in November 2021 after serving as the deputy director for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). As senior executive at CMMI for more than seven years, she oversaw the development and implementation of value-based purchasing models for Medicare and Medicaid, including accountable care organizations; bundled payment programs; and specialty initiatives in oncology, kidney care, prescription drugs, state-based models and dual eligibles. She collaborated with states, health plans, purchasers, and international organizations to lead the national and international movement for value in healthcare.

Prior to CMMI, Ms. Bassano spent more than 10 years at CMS leading payment and regulatory initiatives for Medicare acute fee-for-service payment systems including inpatient and outpatient hospitals, physicians, rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers, Part B prescription drugs and clinical laboratories. Ms. Bassano earned a master’s degree in policy studies from John Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in history from Tufts University.

Matthew Baumgart

Senior Vice President, Health Policy, Alzheimer’s Association

Matthew Baumgart is senior vice president of Health Policy for the Alzheimer’s Association, leading a range of projects at the intersection of policy and programs to achieve an aggressive agenda that serves all those affected by the disease. He oversees much of the Association’s public health work, including two grant programs funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Association’s programmatic risk reduction efforts. In addition, Baumgart directs the Association's global public policy efforts, working in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Disease International, the World Dementia Council and the World Health Organization. Prior to joining the Association, Baumgart spent nearly 20 years working in the U.S. Senate, including as the legislative director for Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and a legislative assistant for over a decade to Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.).

Sean Dickson

Senior Vice President, Pharmaceutical Policy and Strategy, AHIP

Sean Dickson leads Pharmaceutical Policy & Strategy at AHIP, the national association for health plans. Sean’s work focuses on policies that promote affordable access to prescription drugs. Previously, Sean led prescription drug spending research at the West Health Policy Center and the Pew Charitable Trusts, where he authored numerous peer-reviewed analyses of prescription drug policies. Prior to his research career, Sean represented both manufacturers and purchasers of prescription drugs, representing large branded manufacturers in government price reporting at Sidley Austin LLP and coordinating price negotiations for public health programs at NASTAD (National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors).

Ian Kremer

Executive Director, LEAD Coalition

Ian N. Kremer, JD, has worked on federal, state, and local dementia for over 27 years. Since 2012, Kremer has served as Executive Director of the LEAD Coalition (Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer’s Disease: http://www.leadcoalition.org), the uniting voice of over 260 member and allied organizations, along with hundreds of university-based researchers. The LEAD Coalition works collaboratively through federal public policy to improve quality of life for all people facing dementia while advancing the social and biomedical sciences to prevent, treat, and ultimately cure all forms of dementia.

Currently, Kremer serves on the CMS Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee, the Public Policy & Aging Report editorial board, and on steering and advisory committees for eight NIA and CDC-supported projects, the Alzheimer’s Disease Patient and Caregiver Engagement initiative, the Digital Medicine Society's ADRD Core Digital Clinical Measures project, the Dementia Friendly America initiative, and the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative Champions Cabinet. Previously, Kremer served on the steering committees for the NIH’s 2017 and 2020 National Research Summit on Care, Services, and Supports for Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers, the CDC-Alzheimer’s Association Healthy Brain Initiative’s Leadership Committee developing the 2018-2023 and the 2023-2027 Public Health Roadmaps, and the FDA Stakeholders Working Groups for PDUFA VI and PDUFA VII. Kremer holds degrees from Washington University in Saint Louis and the University of Michigan School of Law.

Annie Acs

Senior Director, Value-Based Healthcare Policy, Eli Lilly

Annie Acs, MPH, is the Senior Director of Value-Based Healthcare Policy at Eli Lilly and Company. She is a recognized expert in U.S. federal and global health policy, specializing in value-based healthcare strategies, including pricing, assessment, and payment reform initiatives. In her role, Annie collaborates across the organization to design and implement innovative policy solutions tailored to critical therapeutic areas such as obesity, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.

Chelsea Mehalic

Director, Medical Policy, Highmark Health

Chelsea Mehalic is a master's prepared registered nurse, professional medical coder, and certified scrum master. Nursing was the perfect career because she wanted to help people. She started her career at the bedside caring for some of the most vulnerable populations. She now is the Director of Medical Policy for Highmark Health, helping individuals on a larger scale than she could have ever imagined. She leads a team that develops medical necessity criteria and monitors new technology, some of which could be life changing. Chelsea has worked for Highmark since 2018. Prior to Highmark, she worked as a nursing educator and as a legal nurse for a local Pittsburgh law firm. She aims to start every day fulfilling the mission of creating a remarkable health experience, freeing people to be their best while reinventing health. During her free time, she loves spending time with her two children, ages 14 and 10, and enjoys riding her Peloton bike.

Joel Braunstein

Co-Founder and CEO, C₂N Diagnostics

Dr. Braunstein, MD, MBA is Co-Founder and CEO of C₂N Diagnostics and has led the company's growth and commercial efforts since its inception. Dr. Braunstein has played a senior executive role in numerous emerging life sciences companies since 2004. He received his M.D. with Highest Distinction from Northwestern University Medical School in 1996. Subsequently, he trained in internal medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and was a Fellow in Cardiovascular Medicine and Robert Wood Johnson National Clinical Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Additionally, he completed an MBA with management and health policy focus and maintained an Assistant Professorship in Cardiology at Johns Hopkins University. In 2010, he was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Johns Hopkins University.

David Stark

Managing Director / Chief Medical Officer, Morgan Stanley

David Stark is a physician, executive, and technologist with a track record of developing and deploying data-driven products and services to improve the quality, experience, and affordability of healthcare. Currently he is a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley and serves as Chief Medical Officer and Global Head of Benefits where he leads a team responsible for the health and wellbeing of Morgan Stanley's 83,000 employees and their families in 40 countries. Additionally, David advises on population health internally and externally and co-led the Firm's global Covid-19 response. David is also a Trustee of the Morgan Stanley Foundation and serves on the advisory board of the Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children's Mental Health, which funds research on children's mental health, promotes thought leadership, and orchestrates specific programs in schools, hospitals, and physicians' offices. He also serves on the Investment Committee of Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab, a startup accelerator that promotes early-stage tech and tech-enabled companies led by underrepresented founders.

Tom Hubbard

Senior Vice President, Policy Research, Network for Excellence in Healthcare Innovation (NEHI)

Tom Hubbard joined NEHI in 2005 from one of its founding organizations, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, where he served as Vice President of Technology Analysis. NEHI is a non-profit and nonpartisan organization of stakeholders from across all key sectors of U.S. health care. Its mission is to advance innovations that improve health, enhance health care quality and achieve greater value for money spent. At NEHI Tom manages projects on payer-manufacturer value-based arrangements, medication adherence, and comparative effectiveness research among other topics, and frequently serves as NEHI’s external voice among policymakers. He is the principal author of NEHI’s two recent reports on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, Detecting Dementia: Emerging Innovations and Their Implications for American Adults and Their Health Care, and Diagnosing Hope: The New Era of Alzheimer’s Disease Treatment Hinges on Innovations in Diagnostics.

Before joining the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Tom served on the staff of then-U.S. Senator John Kerry, as an economic development aide and Undersecretary of Economic Affairs for Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, and as Director of Community Development for the City of Gardner, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and serves on the Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Mark Trusheim

Strategic Director, NEWDIGS, Tufts Medical Center

Mark Trusheim is Strategic Director, NEWDIGS, Center for Biomedical System Design at Tufts Medical Center where he also co-leads the Financing and reimbursement of Cures in the US (FoCUS) Project.

Mark’s research focuses on the economics of biomedical innovation, especially precision financing for patient access, precision medicine, adaptive pathways, platform trials, biosimilars, and digital health advances. Mark has served as a Special Government Employee for the FDA’s Office of the Commissioner. Mark is also President of Co-Bio Consulting, LLC. His career has spanned policy as the President of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, diagnostics as founder of Cantata Labs, genomics as President of Cereon Genomics, eHealth as Vice President of Monsanto Health Solutions, managed care marketing at Searle Pharmaceuticals, and big data at Kenan Systems.

He holds degrees in Chemistry from Stanford University and Management from MIT.

Gigi Hirsch

Director, Center for Biomedical System Design & NEWDIGS, Tufts Medical Center

Gigi Hirsch, M.D. is the Director for the Tufts Center for Biomedical System Design and its flagship program NEWDIGS (New Drug Development Paradigms) at the Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies and Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Prior to her arrival at Tufts Medical Center, Dr. Hirsch was the Executive Director of the MIT Center for Biomedical Innovation (2007-2022) where she founded and led NEWDIGS. Her prior experiences in clinical care and the biopharmaceutical industry led to her vision for NEWDIGS, a multi-stakeholder “think and do tank” that re-engineers connections between the upstream (research and development) and downstream (access to/use of drug therapies) systems to make both more patient-centered and sustainable. Under Dr. Hirsch’s leadership, NEWDIGS has advanced innovations in adaptive licensing of new drug therapies, outcomes-based payments models for durable cell and gene therapies, and real-world learning health systems designed to advance precision medicine. Her work in regulatory innovation led to her appointment on the Expert Advisory Committee of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) for a special report commissioned by President Obama on “Propelling Innovation in Drug Discovery, Development, and Evaluation” (2011-2012).

Dr. Hirsch trained in Internal Medicine (Brown University College of Medicine) and Psychiatry (Harvard Medical School), and practiced Emergency Medicine (Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Community Health Plan) before transitioning to her role in commercial strategy at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. In addition, leveraging insights from her non-traditional career path in medicine, she was founder and CEO of a boutique entrepreneurial venture (MD IntelliNet), funded by Boston’s Beth Israel Hospital, where she coached physicians from pre-med through retirement on career management in the rapidly changing healthcare industry.