Taskforce on Telehealth Policy Members

Peter Antall, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Amwell

Dr. Peter Antall is the Chief Medical Officer at American Well, where he is responsible for the clinical direction of the platform, as well as guidance and training for all American Well’s clients. He is also the founder and President of the Online Care Group, the nation’s first national telehealth medical group, where he manages over 700 clinicians in a variety of disciplines, providing telehealth services in all 50 states. Dr. Antall has developed innovative programs to measure and ensure quality in telehealth, developed a national telehealth credentialing program, and has played an active role in national efforts to modernize telehealth laws and regulations. Dr. Antall has a track record of disruptive innovation in the areas of care delivery, medical management, business development, technology and telehealth. He has built and managed medical practices, founded a hospitalist company, written software for mobile apps and for phone-based triage, and has been actively building telehealth programs since 2009. Dr. Antall received his M.D. from George Washington University in 1995. He completed his pediatric residency at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, and a year of fellowship in Hematology Oncology at Stanford University. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and has practiced general pediatrics from 1999 to 2015.

Regina Benjamin, MD, Founder, BayouClinic/Gulf States Health Policy Center, former U.S. Surgeon General

Regina M. Benjamin, MD, MBA is the 18th Surgeon General of the United States. As America’s Doctor, she provided the public with the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and the health of the nation. Dr. Benjamin also oversaw the operational command of 6,500 uniformed public health officers who serve in locations around the world to promote, and protect the health of the American People. In addition, Dr. Benjamin served as chair of the National Prevention Council – 17 cabinet-level Federal agencies that developed the road map for the Nation’s health – the National Prevention Strategy.

From her early days as the founder of a rural health clinic in Alabama – which she kept in operation despite damage and destruction inflicted by hurricanes Georges (1998) and Katrina (2005) and a devastating fire (2006) – to her leadership role in the worldwide advancement of preventive health care, Dr. Benjamin has forged a career that has been recognized by a broad spectrum of organizations and publications.

Dr. Benjamin has a B.S. in chemistry from Xavier University, New Orleans, an M.D. degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an MBA from Tulane University. She attended Morehouse School of Medicine and completed her family medicine residency in Macon, Ga. Dr. Benjamin is the recipient of 22 honorary degrees.

Dr. Benjamin is former associate dean for Rural Health at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in Mobile and past chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States. In 1995, she was the first physician under age 40 and the first African-American woman to be elected to the American Medical Association Board of Trustees. She served as president of the American Medical Association Education and Research Foundation and chair of the AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. In 2002, she became the first African-American female president of a state medical society in the United States when she assumed leadership of the Medical Association State of Alabama.

Dr. Benjamin is a member of the Institute of Medicine – the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, which was chartered under President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. She was chosen as a Kellogg National Fellow and a Rockefeller Next Generation Leader. Past board memberships include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, Catholic Health Association, and Morehouse School of Medicine.

She was named by Time magazine as one of the “Nation’s 50 Future Leaders Age 40 and Under.” She was featured in the 1995 New York Times article, “Angel in a White Coat;” the December 1999 cover of Clarity magazine; in the 2002 People magazine’s article, “Always on Call;” and was featured on the January 2003 cover of Reader’s Digest as one of the national publication’s “Everyday Heroes.” She was also named “Person of the Week” on ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, and “Woman of the Year’ by CBS This Morning.

In 1998, Dr. Benjamin was the United States recipient of the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights. She received the 2000 National Caring Award which was inspired by Mother Teresa and was recognized with the Papal honor Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice from Pope Benedict XVI. In 2008, she was honored with a MacArthur Genius Award Fellowship. In 2011, Dr. Benjamin became the recipient of the Chairman’s Award during the worldwide broadcast of the 42nd NAACP Image Awards. In May 2012, Reader’s Digest, ranked her #22 of the “100 Most Trusted People in America.”

Kate Berry, Senior Vice President, America’s Health Insurance Plans

Kate Berry is Senior Vice President of Clinical Innovation with America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).  AHIP is the national association whose members provide coverage for health care and related services to millions of Americans every day.  Through these offerings, we improve and protect the health and financial security of consumers, families, businesses, communities, and the nation.  Ms. Berry oversees clinical programs such as chronic disease prevention and management and works with AHIP member health plans to highlight their innovative programs in areas including behavioral health, women’s health, diabetes prevention, asthma management, telehealth, and the social determinants of health.  She leads AHIP’s member engagement with health plan chief medical officers and leads a work group on opioid addiction prevention and treatment.  Ms. Berry has 30 years of experience in healthcare.

Ms.  Berry was the Chief Executive Officer of National eHealth Collaborative (NeHC), a public-private partnership to encourage widespread adoption of health information technology to improve patient-centeredness and drive greater value.  Prior to that, Ms. Berry was Senior Vice President of Surescripts, a national network for electronic prescribing and health information exchange.  While at Surescripts, Ms. Berry also created and led the Center for Improving Medication Management, a collaborative focused on leveraging technology to improve outcomes of medication management.

Ms. Berry had a career in healthcare management consulting and as a non-profit executive.  As a consultant with McManis Associates, Ms. Berry conducted strategic planning engagements to develop integrated health systems.  At the American Red Cross, Ms. Berry was Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President of External Affairs.

Ms. Berry holds a master’s degree in public policy from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and English from Goucher College in Maryland.

Krista Drobac, Executive Director, Alliance for Connected Care

Krista Drobac has twenty years of experience in federal and state government, and in public affairs. She now provides strategic advice on a broad range of state and federal legislative and regulatory issues around Medicaid, Medicare, accountable care, commercial insurance, digital health, public health and other areas.

In addition to providing consulting services, Krista serves as the Executive Director of the Alliance for Connected Care, a 501(c)(6) organization dedicated to ensuring that all patients are able to realize the benefits of connected care. She also serves as Chair of Aligning for Health, a coalition advancing social determinants of health policy at the federal level.

She was previously the director of the Health Division at the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices where she directed technical assistance for governors’ health advisors in the areas of health IT, health insurance Exchanges, Medicaid, delivery system reform and public health programs.

Prior to NGA, she was a Senior Advisor at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) working in Medicaid and private insurance regulation. She also served as Deputy Director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services where she worked on policy related to Medicaid and state employee health benefits programs. Prior to NGA, Krista spent five years on Capitol Hill as a health advisor.

Krista holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MPP from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.

Yul Ejnes, MD, MCAP, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Brown University; Board of Regents Chair-Emeritus, American College of Physicians

Dr. Ejnes, a board certified internal medicine specialist, is in private practice at Coastal Medical, Inc. in Cranston, Rhode Island. Coastal Medical is Rhode Island’s largest private practice, an NCQA-recognized Patient Center Medical Home.

In addition to practicing full-time, Dr. Ejnes is Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, where he teaches medical students and residents. In 2016, Dr. Ejnes chaired the NCQA’s PCMH 2017 Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), and in 2019 was elected Chair-elect. He is also on ABIM’s internal medicine specialty board. From 2002-2015, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Rhode Island Quality Institute, and served as its Chair from 2012-2014.

From 1998-2012 at the American College of Physicians, Dr. Ejnes served as Chair of the Board of Regents, Chair of the Board of Governors, Rhode Island Chapter Governor, and as member or Chair of numerous committees. He is past-president of the Rhode Island Medical Society and the Rhode Island Society of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Ejnes earned his medical degree from Brown Medical School in Providence, Rhode Island in 1985 and did his internal medicine residency and chief medical residency at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

Rebekah Gee, MD, Chief Executive Officer, Louisiana State University Health System

Dr. Rebekah Gee is an Obstetrician/Gynecologist and CEO of Health Care Services for LSU Health. She is the former Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the state’s largest agency with a budget of $14 billion. Her oversight responsibilities included public health and other direct service programs for citizens in need such as behavioral health, developmental disabilities, aging and adult services, emergency preparedness, and the Medicaid program.

Under Dr. Gee’s leadership, over 500,000 Louisianans became newly insured under Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion, and for the first time, many started receiving much needed primary and preventive health care. Her Medicaid expansion work also resulted in the launch of a dashboard to measure access to healthcare services, which has become a national model used in other states. She has been a national leader in tackling pharmaceutical pricing, including spearheading an innovative effort to eliminate hepatitis C in Louisiana by negotiating with manufacturers on a subscription model for drug access.

Dr. Gee has also led national discussions on maternal mortality and established one of the first state-run perinatal quality collaboratives focusing on maternal mortality. As a result of her efforts, complications due to heavy bleeding—the leading preventable cause of maternal death, have been reduced by 32% in the past two years. Because of her efforts, from 2016 to 2019 the state saw a 32% drop in the severe health consequences of bleeding in moms who are giving birth.

Dr. Gee brings a caregiver’s perspective to the people she serves. In addition, she is a trained policy expert who has served in numerous state and national policy roles. Prior to her role as Secretary, she served as the director for the Birth Outcomes Initiative. Her work on birth outcomes led the charge to decrease infant mortality and prematurity statewide – this resulted in a 25 percent reduction in infant mortality; an 85 percent drop in elective deliveries before 39 weeks; and a 10% drop in NICU admissions statewide. In 2017 Dr. Gee was elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

She is the mother of five energetic children and lives in New Orleans, where she continues to see patients

Nancy Gin, MD, Executive Vice President of Quality & Chief Quality Officer, Kaiser Permanente Federation

Dr. Nancy Gin is the Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Office for The Permanente Federation, overseeing Quality and Safety for 23,000 physicians nationwide and more than 12 million Kaiser Permanente members.  She also serves as the Medical Director of Quality and Clinical Analysis for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG).

Dr. Gin’s teams are responsible for leveraging the integration of Kaiser Permanente’s care delivery systems with digital solutions and innovations to support ongoing excellence in population health, including prevention and acute and chronic disease management, as well as quality and safety across the care continuum from home health, ambulatory, inpatient, procedural and palliative care. She also oversees SCPMG’s Research & Evaluation that publishes more than 400 peer reviewed articles a year in health outcomes and health services research.  Dr. Gin supports Kaiser Permanente as a learning organization through leadership of continuing medical education nationally as well as graduate medical education in Southern California.

Prior to these roles, Dr. Gin served as the Medical Director and Chief of Staff for Kaiser Permanente Orange County. She has more than 30 years of Internal Medicine and leadership experience. She was also instrumental in the development and opening of the Kaiser Permanente Orange County Irvine Medical Center in 2008. Dr. Gin joined the group in 1997 following her tenure as clinical faculty at the University of California, Irvine College of Medicine.

She is board certified in Internal Medicine and a member of the California Medical Association and the American College of Physicians. Dr. Gin earned her Bachelor of Science and Medical Degrees from the University of Arizona, and completed her internship, residency, and fellowship in Internal Medicine at the University of California, Irvine.

She is a well-respected clinician who has co-authored and published clinical papers and book chapters on topics including domestic violence, hypertension, and health policy in bioethics. She is an advocate for public service and a dedicated educator, recognized with several awards for teaching and outstanding academic contributions.

Dr. Gin and her husband live in Orange County, California.

Kate Goodrich, MD, Senior Vice President Trend and Analytics, Humana

Kate Goodrich, MD, MHS, is SVP for Trend and Analytics within the Clinical and Pharmacy Solutions segment of Humana, Inc. In this role, she is accountable for the development and implementation of the clinical trend pipeline strategy. She leads the clinical business analytics necessary to deliver better health outcomes at lower costs for Humana members. Prior to coming to Humana, Kate was at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services where she was the Director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) and CMS Chief Medical Officer (CMO).  This Center is responsible for 18 quality and value-based purchasing programs including the Quality Payment Program, quality improvement programs in all 50 states, development and enforcement of health and safety standards of all facility-based providers across the nation, and coverage decisions for treatments and services for Medicare.  Prior to CMS, Kate was on the faculty at the George Washington University Medical Center (GWUMC) and served as division director for Hospital Medicine.  She continues to practice clinical medicine as a hospitalist and professor of medicine at the GWUMC.

Chuck Ingoglia, President & Chief Executive Officer, National Council for Behavioral Health

With more than 20 years of experience in behavioral health, Charles Ingoglia has worked as a provider, advocate, and educator for government and public sector organizations. Prior to becoming President and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, Ingoglia served as the Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Practice Improvement, where he directed the federal and state affairs function of the National Council, and oversaw practice improvement and technical assistance programs offered to more than 500,000 behavioral health professionals across the U.S. His efforts have centered on key issues such as parity, healthcare reform, and improving the experience of mental health and addictions care and treatment engagement. Before joining the National Council, Ingoglia provided policy and program design guidance to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. He also has directed state government relations and service system improvement projects for the National Mental Health Association, served as a policy analyst for the National Association of Social Workers, and designed educational programs for mental health and addictions professionals at the Association of Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare. He has worked in a transitional shelter with homeless persons and provided individual, group and couples counseling at the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, DC. Ingoglia is adjunct faculty at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management.

Ann Mond Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, American Telemedicine Association

Ann Mond Johnson was named Chief Executive Officer of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) in February 2018. With 25 years of healthcare leadership and entrepreneurial experience, Mond Johnson’s background includes launching, building and leading companies that have been innovators in using health care technology and data to improve consumer experience and maximize consumer benefit.

Prior to her appointment as CEO of ATA, Mond Johnson served as CEO of Zest Health, a technology-enabled service that enables consumers to optimize their benefits by combining a mobile first solution with access to live support. Under her leadership, Zest solidified its value proposition and doubled its base business in one year. Prior to joining Zest, she served as Board Chair and Advisor to ConnectedHealth, a leading provider of private insurance exchanges. Working closely with the cofounders, she was responsible for strategy and business development as well as evangelizing consumerism and the benefits of exchanges in the media and through industry events.

In 2000, Mond Johnson co-founded and served as CEO of Subimo, a pioneer in healthcare cost and quality transparency tools for consumers. Under her leadership, Subimo’s reach extended to major national and regional health plans (including a majority of the Blues plans) as well as Fortune 500 companies. Mond Johnson raised start-up funds, led the management team through significant growth and positioned the company as a market leader. Subimo was acquired by WebMD in 2006.

Previously, Mond Johnson was Senior Vice President at Sachs Group (now part of IBM Watson/Truven Health), the leading provider of healthcare information for health organizations. She led the product development and operations for the company, providing data and applications for hospital systems, payers and medical device companies. Mond Johnson drove the expansion of the company into new markets (including carriers) and the transition from a desktop software company to a data information company.

Mond Johnson’s ability to inspire and lead diverse teams has helped build both profitable organizations and innovation in the industry. Widely acknowledged as a thought leader, she presents at a range of professional meetings and conferences. Mond Johnson maintains an active professional network and affiliations, including membership in the Healthcare Executive Leadership Network and Women Business Leaders of US Healthcare. She has served on the board of Round Earth Media, a non-profit organization focused on journalism. And she served on the Healthcare Advisory Council for UMB Bank and as an advisor to several start-ups. In 2016 she was inducted in the Chicago Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.

Mond Johnson graduated from Carleton College and received both her Master’s in Business Administration and Health Care Administration from the University of Minnesota.

Megan Mahoney, MD, Chief of Staff, Stanford Health Care, Clinical Professor, Division of Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford University

Dr. Megan Mahoney is Chief of Staff of Stanford Health Care and Clinical Professor in the Division of Primary Care and Population Health at Stanford University. She relies on a close collaboration between health care administration, researchers, and medical education which is essential for ensuring a learning health system at Stanford. She served as Section Chief of General Primary Care from 2015-2020 and the Medical Director and Clinic Chief of Stanford Family Medicine, Stanford’s academic family medicine practice at Hoover Pavilion 2014-2016. She has a passion for teams and technology in health care and leads team-based care redesign efforts and the precision health initiative called Humanwide (humanwide.stanford.edu). Her career has focused on developing innovative and transformational approaches to integrated, team-based care that empowers patients, health care providers, and communities in the U.S. and globally. Before joining Stanford, she was a faculty member at UCSF for 10 years where she served in several leadership capacities in clinic operations, medical education and research.

Dr. Mahoney endeavors to provide patient-centered and compassionate services that enable patients to reach their health and wellness goals. Her academic focus is to develop innovative and transformative approaches to proactive and personalized team-based primary care that empowers patients, health care providers, and communities in the U.S. and internationally.

Chris Meyer, Director of Virtual Care, Marshfield Clinic

Chris Meyer is the Director of Virtual Care and Telehealth at Marshfield Clinic Health System. Chris spent most of his career working in the Information Technology industry, primarily in higher education, before moving to Healthcare in 2016. In his role at MCHS, he is responsible for developing new care delivery models using telemedicine technologies. MCHS launched a telephone based episodic care service in 2014 and in March 2017 added virtual visits, allowing patients to interact with providers using their mobile device and two-way audio and video. MCHS has used Telehealth since 1997 to connect patients and providers in North Central and Western Wisconsin, an area that is very rural.

Chris holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and a graduate degree in Behavioral Economics from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Ricardo Munoz, MD, Chief, Division of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine, Executive Director, Telemedicine, Children’s National Health System; Co-director, Children’s National Heart Institute; Professor of Pediatrics, The George Washington University School of Medicine

Dr. Muñoz is a leading authority internationally known for his contributions to pediatric cardiac intensive care and telehealth worldwide. He has written three major textbooks in the field of cardiac critical care medicine, and has been the visiting professor or plenary speaker at nearly 200 venues around the world.

In recent years, Dr. Muñoz’s work has encompassed teaching and critical care in a far-reaching enterprise which he modestly refers to as Tele-CICU. He established telehealth programs for pediatric cardiac outcomes, and implementation of care delivery using remote telehealth technology. His recent publications in the telemedicine literature emphasized the value of this care delivery model in pediatric intensive care with improvements in survival and reduction in associated cost.

Dr. Muñoz is board certified in pediatrics, pediatric cardiology, and pediatric cardiac critical care medicine. He is an expert clinician, bedside physician and teacher, who separated with success the cardiac intensive care unit from general intensive care unit, substantially reducing the outcomes for mortality and morbidity. During his tenure, this innovative achievement ranked the cardiac intensive care units he led among the top programs in the country and was the referred physician for critical ill or complex patient with congenital heart disease.

Dr. Munoz successfully established the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at the University of Miami (Jackson Memorial Hospital) where he served as its first Director. He then joined Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh where he founded the first pediatric critical care unit. He served as the head of the Division of Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care, Director of International Affairs for the Heart Institute, and became Medical Director for Global Business and Telemedicine. Presently he serves as Division Chief of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine and Executive Director of Telemedicine for the Children’s National Health System, and Co-Director of the Children’s National Heart Institute.

Dr. Munoz has published extensively on the care and outcomes of critically ill patients, and is the senior author of a number of important articles and publications, and the senior editor of “Handbook of Pediatric Cardiovascular Drugs”, and “Critical Care of Children with Heart Disease, Basic Medical and Surgical Concepts,” also translated into Spanish with wide distribution in Latin America.

He graduated from University del Norte in Barranquilla, Colombia with a medical degree, and completed his training in pediatrics at Hospital Militar in Bogotá, Colombia. Later he joined Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School to pursue fellowships in anesthesia, and pediatric critical care. He continued his cardiology fellowship training at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Peggy O’Kane, President, National Committee for Quality Assurance

Since 1990, Margaret E. O’Kane has served as President of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), an independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of health care everywhere. Under her leadership, NCQA has developed broad support among the consumer, employer and health plan communities. About three-quarters of the nation’s largest employers evaluate plans that serve their employees using Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) data. In recent years, NCQA has received awards from the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, the American Diabetes Association and the American Pharmacists’ Association.

In addition to her leadership of NCQA, Ms. O’Kane plays a key role in many efforts to improve health care quality. Recently, she was awarded the 2009 Picker Institute Individual Award for Excellence in the Advancement of Patient-Centered Care for her leadership of NCQA and lifetime achievement in improving patient-centered health care. In 1999, Ms. O’Kane was elected as a member of the Institute of Medicine. She also serves as co-chair of the National Priorities Partnership, a broad-based group of high-impact stakeholder organizations, working together to bring transformative improvement to our health care system. Ms. O’Kane began her career in health care as a respiratory therapist and went on to earn a master’s degree in health administration and planning from the Johns Hopkins University.

Kerry Palakanis, DNP, FNP-C

Dr. Kerry Palakanis is the Executive Director of Connect Care at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah where she heads up the direct to consumer telehealth product lines.  She is a Family nurse practitioner who has worked for over 28 years in family practice specializing in rural health and telemedicine.  Dr. Palakanis has served as a featured speaker at State and National programs on issues related to rural health care delivery and telemedicine, has provided testimony to state and federal legislature on telemedicine, has received state and federal grants for telemedicine programs, piloted remote patient monitoring and telehealth programs; consulted in the development chronic disease management platforms and collaborates with various organizations to develop/initiate innovative programs to provide connectivity and telehealth solutions.

Michelle Schreiber, Federal Liaison, US Department of Health & Human Services (non-voting)

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

In addition to her health system roles, Dr. Schreiber has served on numerous quality committees including Michigan Hospital Association statewide quality committee, and Board of Directors for the MHA Keystone Center and the Patient Safety Organization, the Board of Directors of MPRO (Michigan Peer Review Organization – the Michigan QIO), the Board of Directors of Health Alliance Plan insurance company, the National Quality Forum Patient Safety Metrics Committee, and the National Quality Partners. She has worked with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) including as part of its Leadership Alliance, the Pursuing Equity initiative, and an initiative to enhance Board of Trustees engagement in quality through a partnership with IHI and National Patient Safety Foundation. Dr. Schreiber has also served as a member of the Epic Safety Forum, and the Cerner Academic Advisory Group.

Dr. Schreiber’s interests are quality improvement, quality measures, and the intersection with electronic medical records to advance quality and quality measures.

Dorothy Siemon, Esq., Senior Vice President, AARP Office of Policy Development and Integration (OPDI)

Dorothy Siemon leads the development and integration of public policies at AARP, which empower teams from across the organization to deliver on the values embedded in AARP’s mission. These public policies address the major issues facing older Americans including health and economic security.

Prior to leading policy development and integration, Ms. Siemon served as the Vice President of OPDI from 2013 to 2017 and as Director of Health and Long-Term Services and Supports from 2007 to 2013.

Prior to joining OPDI, Ms. Siemon was a senior litigation attorney for over a decade for the AARP Foundation, writing amicus briefs in federal and state courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition, she served as counsel in numerous class action cases involving Medicare, Medicaid, and long-term care facilities.

Ms. Siemon is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance and served as a Commissioner for the American Bar Association’s Commission on Law and Aging.

Ms. Siemon graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Julia Skapik, MD, MPH , Medical Director, Informatics, National Association of Community Health Centers

Julia Skapik, MD, MPH, is Medical Director at the National Association of Community Health Centers. She was previously a staff physician at Inova Health System in Mount Vernon, VA. She also has served as Chief Health Information Officer for Cognitive Medical Systems, Senior Medical Informatics Officer at the Department of Health and Human Services, and a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. She completed her M.D. and M.P.H. in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Johns Hopkins University, her residency in general internal medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Jason Tibbels, MD, Chief Quality Officer, Teladoc Health

Dr. Tibbels is currently the Chief Quality Officer at Teladoc Health, the global leader in virtual care.  He is responsible for leading Teladoc Health’s strategy related to the delivery of excellence in clinical quality through established improvement methodology, research, and other initiatives to deliver sustained change.  He provides a clinical interface for network physicians, clients, policymakers and other stakeholders.  Dr. Tibbels is also the co-founder and President of The Institute of Patient Safety and Quality of Virtual Care, the first Patient Safety Organization dedicated to quality improvement in the virtual setting.  Additionally, he frequently provides virtual care subject matter expertise across the country for government entities, regulatory bodies, healthcare organizations and media.  Dr. Tibbels is a family physician in Decatur, TX where he continues to maintain clinical practice.  He is an AOA graduate of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and completed his residency training in family medicine in Waco, TX.

Nicholas Uehlecke, Federal Liaison, US Department of Health & Human Services (non-voting)

Nicholas Uehlecke is currently an Advisor in the Immediate office of the Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services. In his role, issues that he works on include Medicare, Medicaid, commercial and general insurance issues, health care reform and a range of other issues under the jurisdiction of CMS and HRSA. Nick also spends time working on issues related to regulatory burden relief, and efforts to make health care more value-based in America. He is also currently the HHS staff-lead on the Advancing American Kidney Health Initiative. Prior to this work, he was at the Committee on Ways and Means at the House of Representatives as Professional Staff for 8 years, working on issues ranging from Medicare’s Parts A and B, Medicare Advantage and Part D, and commercial insurance and ACA reforms. Before Nick’s time on Capitol Hill he spent nearly three years as an analyst for the Marwood group, working on health care as well as financial services, education, and energy policy. While having lived in many places Nick calls Texas home, and is a graduate of the University of Richmond.

Andrew Watson, MD, Vice President, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center

Andrew Watson, MD is a practicing surgeon in the Division of Colorectal Surgery, and a leader in applying health care technology to the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered medicine. A fourth-generation surgeon and faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Watson practices nearly a third of his own clinical care using telemedicine to increase access and convenience for patients. He also plays a leading role in developing telemedicine strategy and technology across UPMC and is the past president of the American Telemedicine Association.

As vice president of Clinical Information Technology Transformation, Dr. Watson assists UPMC International in developing innovative health information technology solutions to address the needs of UPMC’s global partners and is part of a team leading the development of UPMC’s IT Advisory Services. He speaks frequently around the world on the transformation of health care as highlighted by his UPMC experience.

Dr. Watson attended Trinity College and subsequently received his master’s degree at the University of Oxford. After receiving his medical degree from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, he completed his surgical training and a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at UPMC, where he specializes in colorectal and inflammatory bowel disease surgery.

Cynthia Zelis, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, MD Live

Cynthia B.R Zelis, MD, MBA is Chief Medical Officer at MDLIVE. She has 20+ years of clinical leadership as a health care executive and primary care physician.  A Board Certified Family physician, Dr. Zelis has demonstrated across numerous roles in health systems the ability to impact health care transformation through physician collaboration, change management and innovative technology development.

Just prior to MDLIVE, Cindy served as the Vice President of Ambulatory Operations and Telehealth at University Hospitals Cleveland where she was the strategic and operational lead for 50+ Ambulatory Health Centers and Telehealth across the $4B Dollar Health System.   In this role, Dr. Zelis was responsible for the partnership between MDLIVE & University Hospitals Cleveland, managing implementation and adoption, as well as serving as a member of MDLIVE’s strategic client council.  Dr. Zelis has a solid track record of leading high value health care strategies including a comprehensive approach using data, digital tools, and process improvement to advance physician alignment resulting in over $140M in net revenue growth.

An innovator at heart, Dr. Zelis co-invented and served as operational leader for a self-scheduling platform resulting in thousands of appointments scheduled monthly across a single health system.  While at University Hospitals, Dr. Zelis increased telehealth volumes by over 80% and created foundational work to support the additional exponential growth during the recent COVID Pandemic.  Recognized numerous times as a “Top Doctor” as well as one of University Hospitals Cleveland Distinguished physicians, Cindy earned her Medical Degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University and Health Care MBA from Baldwin Wallace University.