ATA's EDGE Policy Conference

United States Senator Roger F. Wicker has represented the state of Mississippi in the U.S. Senate since 2007. Wicker is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for the 117th Congress. He is the second-highest ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. His other committee assignments include the Environment and Public Works Committee and the Rules and Administration Committee.  Wicker is ranking member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and serves as Vice-President of the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly. Wicker also serves as a member of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Congressional Board of Visitors.

From 1995 to 2007, Wicker served in the U.S. House of Representatives. He started his career in public service in the Mississippi Senate representing Lee and Pontotoc counties. He also served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, retiring from the reserve in 2004 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He received his bachelor and law degrees from the University of Mississippi. Wicker and his wife, Gayle, live in Tupelo and have three children and eight grandchildren.

Born and raised in Glenside, Pennsylvania, to Bob and Mary Dean, Madeleine got her start in politics around the dinner table with her five older brothers and one older sister. She was graduated from Abington High School, and at age 18 won election to serve as a local committee-person.

Madeleine completed her undergraduate studies at La Salle University in Philadelphia, and earned her law degree at Delaware Law School of Widener University. She returned home, practicing law in a small Philadelphia firm and with the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association and eventually serving as executive director. Madeleine then opened a small, three-woman law practice in Glenside.

While she and her husband PJ were raising three young sons, Madeleine changed careers. From 2001 until 2011 she was a member of the English Department at LaSalle University — teaching composition, persuasive writing and rhetoric, business writing, legal writing, and ethics. She also contributed to The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Daily News, The Patriot-News, and other publications.

With her children grown, Madeleine took the chance to enter public service — something she had long wanted — after studying politics and public service at Penn’s Fels School of Government. In 2011, Madeleine ran for and served as Abington Township commissioner, before winning a special election to the Pennsylvania State House in 2012.

During her six-and-a-half years in Harrisburg, Madeleine was an outspoken champion of public education, healthcare access, environmental protection, equal rights, ethics, criminal justice reform, combating addiction, and ending gun violence. Following the Sandy Hook shooting, Madeleine founded and served as Co-Chair of the PA-SAFE Caucus — an active coalition of legislators and advocates dedicated to ending gun violence.

Throughout her career in the Legislature, Madeleine also worked closely with local officials to bring home millions of dollars in infrastructure projects that promote safer, greener, more livable communities. And with her extraordinary coworkers, her office served tens of thousands of constituents with problems big and small.

In 2015, Governor Tom Wolf appointed Madeleine to the Pennsylvania Commission for Women, advising the Governor on policies and legislation to improve the lives of women and their families.

Madeleine’s concern for equality — and a broader desire to expand her public service — eventually inspired her run for Congress. In 2018, Pennsylvania had 18 Congressional seats — and 0 women. Along with a cadre of other women from across the state, Madeleine set out to change that. She ran for the Fourth Congressional District seat and won.

In Congress, Madeleine remains focused on decency and the common good. That means working hard to address issues that affect Americans deeply — including stopping gun violence and guaranteeing health care for all. In Madeleine’s view, building a more compassionate society means making smart, humane policy choices. It also means working to ensure that government functions smoothly and delivers the services constituents need.

Madeleine is a lifelong parishioner of St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Glenside, and has served as a board member for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. She and her husband PJ Cunnane live in Jenkintown, Abington Township, and have three grown sons – Patrick, Harry and Alex; two daughters-in-law – Stephanie and Juliet; and two granddaughters and one grandson – Aubrey, Ella, and Sawyer.

With his mother Congresswoman Madeline Dean, Harry Cunnane is  co-author of two books: “Under Our Roof,” an addiction and recovery memoir, and “You Are Always Loved,” a children’s picture book aimed at reducing the stigma of substance use disorder within the household. Harry has been an active member of the recovery community since his recovery began. He participates in a 12-step program and has volunteered at treatment centers and jails to spread a message of hope.

Eric D. Hargan served as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 2017 to 2021; he also served as Acting Secretary for several months in 2017-2018. HHS is the largest department in the federal government and has an annual budget in excess of $1.3 trillion and over 80,000 employees across 26 divisions. As Deputy Secretary, he oversaw the development and approval of all HHS, CMS, and FDA regulations and significant guidances; as well as the day-to-day operations and management of the department,and led policy and strategy development. From 2003 to 2007, Mr. Hargan also served at HHS in a variety of capacities, including holding the position of Acting Deputy Secretary.

He served on the Board of Operation Warp Speed, starting in Spring of 2020, helping to develop the project and coordinate HHS agencies. Worked with multiple public and private sector entities to facilitate efforts across the entire endeavor, both vaccines and therapeutics. Coordinated and signed document for the first major Warp Speed project. Also in response to the pandemic, in March 2020, he launched the $175 billion Provider Relief Fund, overseeing it until July 2020. Convened HHS-White House team; coordinated with HRSA to administer, and United Health Group to service, fund’s operations, resulting in $26 billion in relief sent to providers in under two weeks from passage of the CARES Act.

In the area of regulatory reform, he coordinated the comprehensive HHS telehealth response in 2020, including simultaneous regulatory reforms among three HHS agencies: CMS on reimbursement; OCR on HIPAA standards for communications; and OIG on regulatory waivers, enabling telehealth to grow by a factor of over a thousand in a few months. From 2017 to 2021, initiated, sponsored, and led four agencies in the Regulatory Sprint to Coordinated Care, a four-agency project to reform regulations to enable better coordinated care, including reforms to the Anti-Kickback Statute (by OIG); the Physician Self-Referral Statute (or “Stark law”) (CMS); HIPAA (OCR); and 42 CFR Part 2 (SAMHSA) regulations.

In the area of innovation, he coordinated and led the successful launch of the interoperability rule by the HHS Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (establishing national standards and prohibiting information blocking, among other things). In 2018-2019, initiated, sponsored and led the Innovation and Investment Summit, a first-of-its-kind summit dedicated to bringing together top investors and innovators in U.S. healthcare with Federal healthcare leadership.

In the area of public health, he convened and led the Federal Quality Summit in 2019 with national leaders on healthcare quality from for-profit and non-profit sectors. Prepared National Health Quality Roadmap, which spelled out the pathway for further reform, announced in May 2020, and laid the groundwork for finalizing Roadmap reforms. Led rural health initiative within HHS in 2019-2020: reforms in telehealth expansion; rural broadband; new reimbursement model for rural health; and a large number of other initiatives across the Department. Served as Commissioner on the WHO’s High-Level Commission on Non-Communicable Diseases (2018-2019).  Convened work stream integrating public-private partnerships for the first time into WHO recommendations for non-communicable diseases.

He currently serves on the boards of University Hospitals, based in Cleveland, Ohio; Alio Medical, based in San Francisco, California; Tomorrow Health, based in New York, New York; and HealthTrackRx, based in Denton, Texas. He also joined the Health Evolution Forum as a Fellow, and is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

He received his B.A. cum laude from Harvard University, and his J.D. from Columbia University Law School, where he was Senior Editor of the Columbia Law Review. In between tours of duty at HHS, Mr. Hargan was a law partner in healthcare regulation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and government relations. He taught at Loyola Law School in Chicago, focusing on administrative law and healthcare regulations. Mr. Hargan was born and raised in Mounds, Illinois, a small town in southern Illinois. He currently lives in Virginia with his wife and their two sons.

As a nationally recognized leader in healthcare information technology, a physician executive, public speaker, and author, Dr. Geeta Nayyar loves sharing her unique perspectives that bridge clinical medicine, business, communications, and digital health.

She currently serves as Chief Medical Officer for Salesforce.

As a specialist in rheumatology, Dr. Nayyar maintains a volunteer associate professorship with the University of Miami and serves on the University of Miami Medical School Alumni Association Board. She has held several positions in media and with professional societies, including as a medical contributor for CNN and as a member of the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) board of directors.

In her free time, she enjoys volunteering and helping train medical students at the University of Miami Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Department of Community Service (DOCS). When she’s not at work or in clinics, she’s spending time with her daughter and family, or out on the court playing a game of tennis.

Tina Smith serves as United States Senator for Minnesota.

Since coming to the Senate since 2018, she has been a fierce advocate for the people and communities across the state. She has traveled the state, listened to Minnesotans and turned what she’s heard into laws to help the American people.

With more than 50 bills and provisions signed into law in just over three years, her successful bipartisan record has benefited working families, farmers, veterans, businesses, and Tribal communities. Her work has helped make health care more affordable and accessible, expanded much-needed broadband services across the state, and boosted the efforts of schools and teachers to prepare students for in-demand careers.

Since early 2020, with the nation gripped by an unprecedented pandemic, she enacted several bipartisan measures that have helped hard-hit families, businesses, communities, and health care workers navigate the crisis and recover from the health and economic fallout.

With the climate crisis upon us, she has pushed hard to transition the nation to a clean energy future and has become a key national player in efforts to do so.

Senator Smith serves on four Senate committees: Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; and Indian Affairs.  In 2021, she was named Chair of two Senate subcommittees.

Prior to coming to the Senate, she served as Minnesota’s Lieutenant Governor under Governor Mark Dayton, after previously serving as Dayton’s Chief of Staff.  She also served as Chief of Staff to Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.

Senator Smith was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is a graduate of Stanford University and earned her MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. In the 1980s, she moved to Minnesota to raise a family with her husband, Archie.

Prior to her public service, she worked at General Mills, started her own business, and worked as a vice president at Planned Parenthood.  In the 1990s, she got involved in state and local politics.  When Senator Paul Wellstone died in a plane crash weeks before the 2002 election, Smith managed former Vice President Walter Mondale’s abbreviated campaign for the seat.

She and Archie have two sons, Sam, who is married to Julia, and Mason, who is married to Emily.  The couple has two grandchildren.

Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD is an accomplished, strategic leader with a deep understanding of health economics and a heart-felt commitment to outstanding patient care. Her diverse background as a health care executive, health economist, physician and health policy expert has given her a unique perspective on how health policy impacts the real lives of patients. She most recently served as Vice President of Clinical Care Transformation at MedStar Health, where she conceptualized, designed, and implemented population health and value-based care initiatives and served on the senior leadership of the 10 hospital, 300+ outpatient care site health system. The care models and service lines under her leadership, including community health, geriatrics, and palliative care, have been nationally recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and others. She also cared for patients as an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Georgetown University School of Medicine.

Dr. Seshamani also brings decades of policy experience to her role, including recently serving on the leadership of the Biden-Harris Transition HHS Agency Review Team. Prior to MedStar Health, she was Director of the Office of Health Reform at the US Department of Health and Human Services, where she drove strategy and led implementation of the Affordable Care Act across the Department, including coverage policy, delivery system reform, and public health policy. She received her B.A. with Honors in Business Economics from Brown University, her M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and her Ph.D. in Health Economics from the University of Oxford, where she was a Marshall Scholar. She completed her residency training in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and practiced as a head and neck surgeon at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco.

Congresswoman Doris Matsui has represented the city of Sacramento and its surrounding areas since 2005.  As a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, she serves on the Health, Environment and Climate Change, and Consumer Protection and Commerce subcommittees and is the Vice Chair on the Communications and Technology subcommittee. She is committed to strengthening Sacramento’s flood protection, ensuring quality, affordable health care for all, promoting a clean energy economy, and creating a vibrant region where families can live, work, and play.

Sitting at the confluence of two rivers, the Sacramento area has one of the highest flood risks in the country. Congresswoman Matsui is a stalwart champion for increased flood protection, levee improvements, keeping flood insurance rates affordable, and rebuilding smarter and more resiliently in the face of a changing climate. She was at the forefront of the effort to build the Joint Federal Project at Folsom Dam by working to secure $1 billion for this critical project that became the model of cooperation and efficiency. In addition, she worked rigorously to federally authorize the Natomas Levee Project. More recently, the Congresswoman was instrumental in securing $1.8 billion last year to help strengthen the Sacramento region’s levees and raise Folsom Dam. She also fights to preserve the region’s water rights. With climate change being a primary cause of more intense and unpredictable weather patterns her role in securing funding for flood control and infrastructure projects is even more critical.

Congresswoman Matsui passionately works to increase public transportation options in Sacramento. She is engaged in the planning and execution of an intermodal transportation center in downtown Sacramento and secured federal funds to extend Sacramento’s light rail system, including helping to provide critical federal resources to link Sacramento and West Sacramento. She also helped secure passage in the U.S. House of autonomous vehicle technology in the 115th Congress and plans to continue to lead in the effort to safely deploy intelligent and automated transportation technologies that will transform how we conduct business, transact and travel.

She has worked tirelessly to improve access to high-quality, affordable, accessible health care and was instrumental in crafting the Affordable Care Act (ACA), as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. She is a leader in Congress on the rapidly growing issue of telehealth and is the author of the bipartisan Excellence in Mental Health Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in 2014. A $1.1 billion federal investment, the Excellence in Mental Health Act demonstration will revitalize the community-based mental health system by creating a network of high-quality, evidence-based Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) in communities across the country. Congresswoman Matsui is the co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Aging and Families, where she addresses the full spectrum of issues that affect seniors, from retirement security to long term care. Congresswoman Matsui also serves on the bipartisan Telehealth Working Group, helping to open up reimbursement for telehealth within the Medicare program.

Congresswoman Matsui has been a leader in Congress on promoting policies that address the climate crisis.  Under her leadership as a co-chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), the Caucus has spearheaded numerous initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable infrastructure, tax incentives for clean energy, and blocking harmful directives from the Trump Administration that would undermine protections for human health and the environment. She has also authored a number of legislative proposals aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions while boosting clean energy manufacturing and financing to help smaller clean energy companies grow and create jobs. This includes commonsense new legislation, H.R. 978 that preserves higher fuel economy and vehicle emissions standards as well as a bill that ensures our healthcare system is ready and able to rapidly respond to the climate crisis.  She also sponsored legislation that allows her constituents to participate in the clean energy economy through specifically designated treasury bonds that fund renewable energy and energy efficiency programs at the Department of Energy. Thanks in large part to her efforts, the Sacramento region has been transforming into a clean-tech capitol, with over 200 companies in the region.

Congresswoman Matsui is also a leader on technology and internet policy. She is a Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Spectrum Caucus, having authored laws that facilitated record-breaking spectrum auctions. She continues to focus on promoting the deployment of next-generation wireless technologies, such as 5G. She is also a leading proponent of net neutrality and ensuring access to the free and open Internet, previously writing legislation that would prohibit so-called Internet fast lanes from harming consumers, small businesses and innovators. As the co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional High Tech Caucus, she advocates for policies to expand the innovative use of technology across every sector of the economy. She also is an ardent supporter of advancing STEM education, especially for women and girls.

Because she has always felt the arts connect innovation with creativity and passion, Congresswoman Matsui has been a strong supporter of the arts not only in the Sacramento community but nationwide. She currently serves as a Member of the Board of Regents for the Smithsonian. She is also on the Council of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Council of the National Museum of American History. She has previously served on the National Symphony Board and the Arena Stage Board.

Before coming to Congress, Doris Matsui served as Chairwoman on the Board for the KVIE public television station in Sacramento, and in leadership capacities for the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento Children’s Home, and the Sacramento Symphony Orchestra.

After growing up on a farm in California’s Central Valley, Congresswoman Matsui graduated from the University of California at Berkeley.  She served as one of eight members of President Clinton’s transition board and later served as Deputy Assistant to the President in the White House Office of Public Liaison. Congresswoman Matsui succeeded her late husband Robert Matsui (who served in Congress from 1979-2005) in a special election in March 2005.

Congresswoman Matsui has a son Brian Matsui and a daughter-in-law Amy Matsui. She has two grandchildren, Anna and Robby. In the Spring of 2020, Congresswoman Matsui married Roger Sant, adding four children, their spouses, and six grandchildren to her family.

A fifth-generation Montanan, Steve Daines brings 28 years of private-sector business experience to Washington, D.C. as he serves the people of Montana in the U.S. Senate.

Steve is a lifelong sportsman and grew up in Bozeman, Montana. After attending public schools (K-12) in Bozeman, Steve worked his way through college at Montana State University and graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. He spent thirteen years in a management role for Procter & Gamble, and then returned to Bozeman in 1997 to work in a family construction business.

In 2000, Steve took on the role of VP at RightNow Technologies, a Bozeman-based cloud computing start-up company.  The company grew rapidly and became a publicly traded software company with 17 offices around the world, and products in over 30 languages. The company was acquired by Oracle in 2012 and remains one of Montana’s largest commercial employers.  Steve was elected to serve as Montana’s United States Representative in 2012. During his time in the House, Daines championed legislation to expand responsible development of Montana’s energy resources, move forward meaningful forest management reform, increase transparency and accountability in government, and require members of Congress to balance the budget – or see their pay terminated.  Additionally, he passed the most significant public lands bill for Montana in over 30 years.   He was ranked the most effective first-term House member in 2013 and again in 2014.

In the U.S. Senate, Daines is working on issues of critical importance to growing good-paying Montana jobs, developing our state’s energy resources, managing and protecting our public lands and supporting the needs of Montana’s veterans and tribes. He serves on the Senate Committees on Finance, Banking Housing and Urban Affairs, Energy and Natural Resources, and Indian Affairs.

Steve has been married to his wife, Cindy, for 34 years. They are the parents of four children and proud grandparents of two. Steve and his family are actively involved in their church and community volunteer organizations and enjoy backpacking, hunting, skiing and fishing.

Nathaniel (Nate) Lacktman is a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP and Chair of the law firm’s national Telemedicine & Digital Health Industry Team. He advises entrepreneurial health care providers and technology companies on business arrangements, compliance, and corporate matters, with particular attention to telehealth, digital health, and health innovation. Working with hospitals, health systems, providers, and start-ups to build telemedicine arrangements across the United States and internationally, his practice emphasizes strategic counseling, creative business modeling, and fresh approaches to realize clients’ ambitious and innovative goals.

Nate was awarded the American Telemedicine Association’s 2019 Champion Award, which recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to ATA’s strategy of advocating for public policy changes that open payment support and provide regulatory pathways for telemedicine and digital health.

He speaks and writes frequently on issues at the forefront of telehealth and is often quoted for his insight about legal and business developments in this area. He has written telehealth legislation, regulations, comments, and policy input to lawmakers, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Congressional Research Service, state Medicaid Agencies, and state boards of medicine across several states.

State Senator Gustavo Rivera has represented the 33rd Senate District in the Bronx since November of 2010. The 33rd Senate District includes the neighborhoods of Kingsbridge Heights, East Tremont, Crotona Park, Fordham, Mount Hope, Belmont, Van Nest, Claremont, and Morris Park.

Since taking office, Senator Rivera has focused his efforts on addressing issues of health inequity both legislatively and on the ground. In 2011, Senator Rivera launched the Bronx CAN (Changing Attitudes Now) Health Initiative. The goal of this community oriented health initiative is not only to encourage Bronx residents to develop healthy behaviors, but to shape policies that will help tear down some of the institutional barriers that stand in the way of Bronxites having a healthier lifestyle.

In 2018, his passion to improve the health of New Yorkers lead Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to appoint Senator Rivera as the Chair of the New York State Senate’s Health Committee. As the Chair, Senator Rivera’s goal is to collaborate with his colleagues, stakeholders, and constituents to improve health outcomes, increase access to coverage, and ensure a financially viable system for the 20 million New Yorkers he proudly serves.

Prior to his appointment to Chair, Senator Rivera served as the ranking member of the Senate Health Committee for six years. As a sitting member of the committee, Senator Rivera passed three laws to ban smoking around schools, afterschools, and libraries, and has been a champion of public health and harm reduction policies. In March 2017, he became the main sponsor of the “New York Health Act,” an innovative bill to create a single payer health system in New York State.

Previously, Senator Rivera served as the ranking member of the Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Committee. During that time, he introduced and passed legislation to allow charitable organizations throughout the state to post bail bonds for individuals who cannot afford to do so themselves and was able to secure the transfer of the Fulton Correctional Facility to the Osborne Association to be converted into a comprehensive reentry center during the 2013-2014 State Budget.

Senator Rivera has also championed and empowered Latino communities across New York State and the United States. In 2018, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) elected Senator Rivera to serve an initial three-year term on the nonpartisan organization’s 35-member Board of Directors. NALEO’S mission looks to foster civic engagement in Latino communities, increase the effectiveness of Latino policymakers, and promote policies that advance Latino political engagement. For over a decade, Senator Rivera has also served as a mentor for the annual Model State Senate program, “Somos El Futuro”, sponsored by CUNY, SUNY, the NY State Assembly, and the Puerto Rican Hispanic Task Force.

Prior to becoming an elected representative, Gustavo worked as a community organizer for several local and state candidates including Jose Marcos Serrano and Andrea Stewart-Cousins’ campaigns for State Senate, as well as Fernando Ferrer’s 2001 campaign for Mayor of New York City. In early 2008, SEIU hired Gustavo to manage their activities on behalf of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama in several crucial primary states. Gustavo traveled to Indiana, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, and his home of Puerto Rico on behalf of Senator Obama. Gustavo was then tapped by Senator Obama to serve as his Constituency Director in the crucial swing state of Florida. After the election, Gustavo returned home to New York State to serve as the Director of Outreach for U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Additionally, Gustavo has also served as an adjunct professor at Pace University and Hunter College, where he has taught courses in political science.

Gustavo was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. In 1998, Gustavo graduated from the University of Puerto Rico and moved to New York to begin a doctoral program in political science at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. A proud Bronxite, he has lived in Kingsbridge Heights for almost 20 years.

Meghan O’Toole is the health policy advisor for Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI). Prior to joining Senator Schatz’s staff, she worked on Medicare policy and legislation at the Office of Legislation at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and on the health policy team at the Center for American Progress.  She also has experience working in the Chicago city government, at an education nonprofit, and in policy research at Mathematica Policy Research.  Meghan has an undergraduate degree in public policy from Duke University and a master’s degree in public affairs from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs.

John R. Curtis proudly represents Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, serving on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Chairman of the Conservative Climate Caucus and Vice-Chairman of the Western Caucus. Since being elected to Congress on November 13, 2017, John has had 11 of his bills signed into law.

The Congressman cares deeply about hearing the diverse perspectives and feedback from his constituents: he held over 100 town halls during his first full year in office. Utah’s third district is the youngest in the country, with an average age of 26 years old. John is also sensitive to the many constituents that live in rural Utah and has focused on legislation that can fit the needs of both demographics.

Congressman Curtis and his wife Sue have six children and twelve grandchildren. He loves to hike and waterski, practice his Mandarin Chinese and maintains a closet full of stately socks.

Dr. Joe Kvedar has been driving innovation, creating the market, and gaining acceptance for connected health for nearly three decades. He is now applying his expertise, insights, and influence to advancing adoption of telehealth and virtual care technologies at the national level. Dr. Kvedar continues to guide the transformation of healthcare delivery as a respected thought leader, author, and convener.

Dr. Kvedar is Chair of the Board of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA). As Editor-in-Chief of npj Digital Medicine, a Nature Research journal, he is working to establish the evidence base needed to guide innovation and the implementation of virtual care.

He is co-chair the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Digital Medicine Payment Advisory Group (DMPAG), which works to ensure widespread coverage of telehealth and remote patient monitoring, and successfully established several new provider codes for telehealth reimbursement through the CPT process. Dr. Kvedar is also a member of the AAMC’s (Association of American Medical Colleges) telehealth committee, creating tools that will enable medical schools and residency programs to integrate telehealth into the training of future practitioners.

Dr. Kvedar is the author of two books: The Internet of Healthy Things (2015) and The New Mobile Age: How Technology Will Extend the Healthspan and Optimize the Lifespan (2017). The cHealth Blog provides his insights and vision for connected health.

Dr. Kvedar is a Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School.

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Kyle Zebley is Vice President of Public Policy at ATA, working with and on behalf of ATA members and like-minded organizations to eliminate barriers to the expansion of telehealth and ensure patients, providers, and payers can realize the benefits of virtual care. Previously, Kyle was the Chief of Staff in the Office of Global Affairs (OGA) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Kyle collaborated with senior leadership from HHS, the White House and other cabinet departments to develop, advise, and promote U.S. global health policy, including in such policy areas as drug pricing, global health security, and non-communicable diseases. Prior to HHS, Kyle worked in Congress as a Legislative Director, leading a legislative team in developing policy and drafting legislation, particularly on matters concerning the House Committee on Ways and Means, the House Budget Committee and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Bill Johnson was born and raised on family farms, where he learned early the values of hard work, honesty, and sacrifice.
Johnson entered the U.S. Air Force in 1973 and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after a distinguished military career of more than 26 years.
Following his retirement from military service, Johnson turned to creating and building high technology businesses and also served in the executive leadership team as Chief Information Officer of a global manufacturing company.
In 2010, Johnson was elected to his first term to represent the people of Ohio’s 6th Congressional District, which covers much of eastern and southeastern Ohio. He was reelected to his sixth term in November of 2020.
Since first taking office, Johnson has been fighting to create jobs in Eastern and Southeastern Ohio, improve services to our nation’s heroes – our veterans, and to make our federal government more effective, efficient, and accountable to the American people. 18 bills authored by Johnson have been signed into law by presidents of both parties. He currently serves on the House Energy & Commerce Committee and he is the Co-Chairman of the House Natural Gas Caucus and a member of the House Shale Caucus.
Bill and his wife LeeAnn currently reside in Marietta with a son, Nathan. He is also the proud parent of three grown children and is a grandfather of six.

Conor serves as a Health Policy Advisor on the Minority Staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, where he advises on a range of health care issues, including those related to Medicare Part B and Part D. Prior to taking on his current role, Conor served as Deputy Legislative Director in the Office of U.S. Senator Tim Scott, where he assistant-managed the legislative staff and advised the Senator on health, education, labor, retirement, human services, nutrition, and Aging Committee policy. Conor held a variety of legislative roles in Senator Scott’s office over a four-year period. Before coming to the Hill, he completed his term as a Teach For America corps member in the Bronx, NY. Conor attended the University of Virginia as a Jefferson Scholar and an Echols Scholar, graduating with a B.A. in English with distinction and a 3.99 GPA. He earned his Master’s degree at Relay Graduate School of Education.

Anand is a respected global digital health leader—most known for his insights on and experience with technology, strategy and regulatory policy. Anand has been instrumental in Welldoc’s success and the development of BlueStar®, the first FDA-cleared mobile prescription therapy for adults with type 2 diabetes. Since joining Welldoc in 2008, he has held core leadership positions that included Chief Data Science Officer, President and Chief Operations Officer. In 2013, Anand was named “Maryland Healthcare Innovator of the Year” in the field of mobile health.

Prior to joining Welldoc, Anand was already an established thought leader in the field. He had served as the Director of PRTM’s wireless practice, where helped companies take advantage of disruptive technologies, business models and process models offered by and enabled by advanced wireless communications.

Anand was the founder and immediate-past president of the In-Building Wireless Alliance, and teaches advanced wireless courses to senior officers in the US Department of Defense at the Institute for Defense and Business. Prior to joining PRTM, Anand was a member of the scientific staff at Bell Northern Research and Nortel Networks. He holds an MS and a PhD in electrical and computer engineering, and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. He also holds a BS in electrical and computer engineering from Carleton University.

Brad Schneider represents Illinois’s 10th District in the United States House of Representatives, where he is serving his fourth term. He is a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means and House Committee on Foreign Affairs. He has previously served on the House Judiciary and Small Business committees.

As a member of Congress, Brad is focused on building a thriving economy that works for all Americans, and ensuring every family has affordable health care, quality education and a rising standard of living.  He knows that our communities are stronger when small businesses invest and grow, our environment is healthy, and people are working together for a better future.

Brad is committed to tackling the challenges we face as a nation, including protecting Medicare and Social Security for future generations, reforming our broken immigration system,  passing sensible gun safety legislation, and critically, urgently taking action to reduce the rate and address the impacts of global climate change.

He is also a staunch advocate for the rights of women, including ensuring equal pay for equal work and protecting every woman’s right to make her own health care decisions about her body. Brad also favors extending federal civil rights protections to the LGBTQ community and was a strong supporter of marriage equality long before he held public office.

Brad remains an influential voice on foreign affairs in Congress and believes our nation and world benefit when the United States exercises leadership and engages with the international community. A longtime proponent of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, Brad consistently leads on efforts in Congress to promote cooperation on security, counter Iran’s nefarious influence, and condemn efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state.

Prior to being elected to Congress, Brad spent more than 20 years in business and management consulting, helping both large and family-owned businesses address the challenges of a changing economy and plan for the future.  His professional experience has allowed him to see first-hand the challenges small businesses face when trying to hire new workers and grow their company, as well as the effect thriving small businesses can have on a community’s overall well-being.

At home, Brad has deep ties to the community, including service with organizations such as the Jewish United Fund, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Waukegan Public Library Foundation, B.E.S.T., the Coalition to Reduce Recidivism, and the Civic Leadership Foundation.

Brad earned a BS in industrial engineering and his MBA from Northwestern University.

Brad and his wife, Julie, have been residents of Deerfield for almost 30 years, where they created a home, built their careers, and, most importantly, raised two sons, Adam and Daniel.

One of Brad’s favorite pastimes was coaching his sons’ baseball and soccer teams for over 12 years. He now enjoys exploring the bike trails throughout the district.

Quinn Shean leads the virtual care and digital health engagements for Tusk Strategies and Tusk Ventures, the first venture capital fund and political strategy firm dedicated to working with and investing in promising startups operating in regulated industries. Her experience includes strategic regulatory counsel on issues concerning telehealth, mobile medical applications, medical device requirements, privacy, marketing, and consumer protection, as well as crafting cohesive. messaging, building strategic partnerships, and facilitating grassroots outreach. Her varied background in the healthcare– from advising on policy during political campaigns to serving as legal counsel to major pharma companies to working as a strategist to innovative startups – has shaped a unique perspective of both the priorities and the challenges and opportunities confronting stakeholders as they consider emerging healthcare technologies. She recently was appointed by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to the Uniform Law Commission (ULC), which researches, drafts and enacts uniform and model laws on subjects for which uniformity of law among the states is necessary or useful, and serves on the Telehealth Committee. Prior to joining Tusk, Quinn was a litigation associate at two major international law firms, where she represented pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer products clients in several multi-jurisdictional mass tort actions, consumer fraud class actions, and internal and regulatory investigations. Quinn began her career at Hart Research Associates in Washington D.C., where she conducted public opinion research on behalf of political and advocacy campaigns.

Ann Mond Johnson joined the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) as CEO in 2018. Her experience includes building, launching and leading client driven companies that have been innovators in healthcare technology and data to support consumers using healthcare.

Prior to joining the ATA, Ann served as CEO of Zest Health, a technology-enabled service; as Board Chair and Advisor to ConnectedHealth, a leading provider of private insurance exchanges; and as co-founder and CEO of Subimo, a pioneer in healthcare cost and quality decision support tools for consumers. Ann began her career in healthcare data and information as Senior Vice President at Sachs Group (now part of IBM Watson/Truven Health). She also worked at a multi-hospital system in Minneapolis which is now part of Allina.

Ann’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. She also maintains an active professional network and affiliations, including membership in the Healthcare Executive Leadership Network and Women Business Leaders of US Healthcare. Ann served on the Healthcare Advisory Council for UMB Bank and as an advisor to several start-ups. She was inducted in the Chicago Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame in 2016.

Ann’s involvement also extends to non-profit service organizations, including serving on the board of Round Earth Media, a non-profit organization focused on journalism (now part of the International Women’s Media Foundation).  She is a member of the Ambassadors Council for N Street Village in Washington, DC and currently serves on the board of Pathfinder International, a non-profit organization committed to country-led solutions to achieve universal sexual and reproductive health and rights.

C-level trend-shaper at the intersection of technology and healthcare, Laurie McGraw leads executives, investors, founders and Boards in propelling the future of healthcare through innovation across the sector. Laurie currently leads the American Medical Association (AMA) in simultaneous roles. As Senior Vice President of Health Solutions, she drives the unit that provides AMA’s data solutions used for innovation and standard-setting across the entire healthcare industry. As leader of the AMA’s innovation arm, she convenes leaders from Silicon Valley and across the nation to foster cross-industry innovation that will drive the future of medicine and improve the health of the nation.

Recently appointed as Executive Advisor to HLM Venture Partners, tapped to evaluate, advise and recommend growth and investment strategies for the firm’s portfolio companies. In tandem with her leadership at the AMA, McGraw has served on numerous advisory committees and advisory/board roles. She was named one of Crain’s Notable Women Executives for 2020 and to the Forbes Technology Council in 2021. A longtime advocate for women, she launched and hosts the Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw podcast to provide insights for women seeking to make a positive impact in the world. McGraw is a graduate of Brown University, where she earned a Sc.B. in cognitive science. She is also a passionate outdoor enthusiast who served on the Yellowstone Park Foundation’s Advisory Board for many years. She currently resides in Colorado.

Leslie Prellwitz, MBA, CCS, CCS-P is the Director of CPT® Content Management & Development at the AMA. Leslie’s work focuses on setting the strategic direction for publishing and maintenance of CPT content, as well as serving as Secretary to the CPT Assistant Editorial Board; and providing advice on the proper use and application of CPT to key stakeholders, including educational content presented in CPT Assistant and Clinical Examples in Radiology. Certified in both CPT and ICD-10 coding, Leslie has over 20 years of experience in healthcare management, coding analytics and consulting, with a focus on the academic medical center environment.

Alexis Gilroy, a national leader in the digital health industry, advises on complex transactional and health regulatory issues with an emphasis on virtual health methods, such as telemedicine, telehealth, and mobile health. Alexis is co-leader of the Firm’s Health Care & Life Sciences Practice.

Focused on transactions in the digital health and health information technology (HIT) sectors for more than a decade, Alexis pairs practical experience with a keen understanding of often novel federal and state regulatory requirements. Hospitals, health systems and other health providers, virtual health companies, technology organizations, e-commerce, pharmacy and retail leaders, life science businesses, and investors from across the United States seek her legal counsel on various e-health topics, including multijurisdictional business strategy and implementation, state-specific telehealth regulation, corporate practice of medicine, reimbursement, international second opinion and telehealth programs, online prescribing, patient consent, credentialing by proxy, remote supervision, and fraud and abuse considerations. She frequently develops and negotiates telehealth specific services and affiliation contracts and manages health regulatory matters for M&A and equity transactions with both investor/buy-side and company/target-side experience.

Alexis speaks and writes extensively on matters involving digital health, including testimony before legislative and regulatory bodies. She served on the board of directors and as the VP of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) and is a member of the ATA College of Fellows. She was an appointee to the Maryland governor’s Telemedicine Task Force, member of the Federation of State Medical Boards’ workgroup on telehealth, leader of the American Bar Association’s Science & Technology Practice Group, and leader of the American Health Lawyer Association’s (AHLA) E-Health and Telemedicine Affinity Group.

Dr. Maia Hightower, MD, MPH, MBA is the Chief Medical Information Officer and Sr. Director Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for The University of Utah Health.

She joined the UUH team in March of 2019.

Prior to joining the University of Utah Health team, she was the Chief Medical Information Officer and Interim Chief Population Health Officer for The University of Iowa Health Care. She joined the faculty of the University of Iowa’s Carver College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine in August of 2015, after serving as Associate Medical Director for Stanford Health Care’s University Healthcare Alliance. Dr. Hightower received her Medical Degree, as well as a Master of Public Health, from the University Of Rochester School Of Medicine, followed by residencies in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego. She also holds an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

As UUH’s Chief Medical Information Officer, Dr. Hightower and her teams transform data into value and drive the exceptional digital experience for patients, faculty, staff, and students. Her teams include the enterprise data warehouse, business intelligence, research IT, FHIR clinical applications, provider informatics and digital health teams that support University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics, University of Utah School of Medicine, and University of Utah Health Sciences. Dr. Hightower is a champion for health equity, diversity, and inclusion awareness and initiatives. She developed the Healthcare IT Equity Maturity Model (HITEM) to dismantle structural bias hardwired in healthcare IT and develop an inclusive and equity minded healthcare IT culture.

Dr. Hightower was recently recognized by Health Data Management as one of the “Most Powerful Women in Healthcare IT” and “25 leading CMIOs at healthcare organizations.” She was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of “50 hospital and health system CMIOs to know 2017”.

She enjoys spending time with family in the great outdoors and is an avid skier, tennis player and runner. She loves gadgets of all kinds and can be found wearing more than one fitness tracker at all times.

Dr. Andrey Ostrovsky is an investor, senior operating leader, and health policy expert with over a decade of experience applying human-centered design, agile development, lean management, quality improvement, and entrepreneurial principles to eliminate disparities and sustainably achieve the Quadruple Aim.

He has proven leadership experience setting growth strategy and translating research into practice for early stage technology startups, growth stage services companies, and regulatory organizations.

Dr. Ostrovsky’s health expertise includes population health, value-based payment, social determinants of health (SDOH), quality measurement, care coordination, home and community-based services (HCBS), pediatrics, and behavioral health. He is a board-certified and practicing physician.

Adam J. Hepworth is a senior counsel and health care lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. His practice focuses on Medicaid and Medicare, internal audits and investigations, health privacy laws and compliance with health care fraud and abuse laws.

Adam has represented hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other providers in numerous Medicaid administrative appeals. He argued Tulare Pediatric Health Care Center v. State Department of Health Care Services, resulting in a decision from the California Court of Appeals recognizing the State’s obligation to pay FQHCs a Medi-Cal per-visit rate that reflects their full costs when they contract with an outside medical group.

Adam has written, presented and counseled clients on how to navigate federal and state health privacy laws—including HIPAA and the federal substance-use-disorder privacy regulations at 42 CFR Part 2—when developing integrated models of care that address the social determinants of health. He has also helped clients pursue reimbursement opportunities available for innovative delivery systems under Medicaid waiver programs and advanced payment models.

Adam has often assisted health care providers to comment on federal and state rules addressing Medicaid managed care, Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement, the 340B Drug Pricing Program, HIPAA, the federal substance-use-disorder privacy regulations and Knox-Keene licensing requirements. He has also worked on state legislation addressing FQHC reimbursement, telehealth, Medicaid waiver programs and mental health delivery systems.

Prior to joining Foley, Adam was a law clerk for Judge Harris L Hartz on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

Brad Wenstrup was elected in 2012 to represent the people of Ohio’s Second Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.  He brings experience as a doctor, Army Reserve officer, Iraq War veteran, and small business owner to help Congress tackle the economic and security challenges facing the nation.

In the 117th Congress, Brad serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He previously spent six years on the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. As a member on the Ways and Means and Intelligence Committees, Brad is working to address the national health and systemic poverty issues, while strengthening our national security. He has long been a voice of support for southern Ohio’s veteran community. He also serves as a Co-Chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus.

A Cincinnati native, Brad graduated from Saint Xavier High School and the University of Cincinnati.  He went on to earn a medical degree in Chicago as a podiatric physician and after completing his surgical residency he established private practice in Cincinnati, treating patients for 26 years.

Brad has served in the U.S. Army Reserve since 1998, currently holding the rank of colonel.  In 2005-06, he served a tour in Iraq as a combat surgeon, and was awarded a Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge for his service.   In 2018, Colonel Wenstrup was awarded the Soldier’s Medal for heroism.

During his time in Congress, Brad is fulfilling his Reserve duties by serving as the Medical Policy Advisor for the Chief of the Army Reserve as well as seeing patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda.

Brad and his wife, Monica, reside in Cincinnati with their two children.

Senator Cheryl C. Kagan (D-District 17) represents Rockville and Gaithersburg and serves as the Vice Chair of the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee. Sen. Kagan has earned a reputation as an independent-minded legislator with a strong voice for her constituents on public safety, consumer protection, transportation, government transparency, and more. While in the Senate, Kagan has passed landmark laws to help nonprofits; enhance our 9-1-1 emergency response systems; become the first State in the nation to ban “Styrofoam” food and beverage containers; and advocate for local governments. In addition to serving as Chair of Maryland’s Next Generation 9-1-1 Commission, Kagan established the National Nonprofit Legislative Caucus.

Senator Kagan was named a “Municipal Super Star” for the 5th time in 2020, citing her effective leadership on behalf of Maryland’s 157 cities and towns. She was grateful to receive the “2019 Legislator of the Year Award” by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters with Delegate Brooke Lierman for their work banning Styrofoam products from our food services. She was honored by the Maryland State Firemen’s Association with the 2019 Senator William H. Amoss Memorial Legislative Award and the Next Generation 911 Institute’s National Leader of the Year in 2018. She was named a “Winner” by Maryland Matters for her “slew of legislative victories” during the 2019 session. She was recognized (along with Del. Pena-Melnyk) as the first-ever Legislative Champion by Maryland Nonprofits for her leadership on behalf of this vital sector. Sen. Kagan was selected three times as one of Maryland’s “Top 100 Women” and was inducted into The Daily Record’s “Circle of Excellence.” She has been named a “Green Champion” by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters. Most recently, the American Jewish Committee honored her with the Hyman “Bookie” Bookbinder Award for her advocacy, coalition-building, and community leadership.

In her “free” time, Sen. Kagan hosts Folk ‘N Great Music house concerts featuring national touring singer/songwriters and is a nationally ranked Scrabble player. She is also the Founder and Executive Producer of the UnNaugural Concert featuring five performers and raising money for five unique progressive causes each year– focusing on issues most affected by the Trump Administration.

Ankit Gupta, MS, is the Founder and CEO of Bicycle Health. He is passionate about the power of technology to create patient-centered experiences that can deliver high quality outcomes at scale.

Prior to Bicycle Health, Ankit was Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Pulse News. With over 30 million users and a shoutout by ex-Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Pulse was acquired by LinkedIn and now serves as the LinkedIn newsfeed. Ankit graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay with a Bachelor’s in Computer Science, and he earned his Master of Science (MS) in Computer Science from Stanford University, specializing in machine learning.

In his spare time, Ankit volunteers for his non-profit organization, Docs and Hackers, which aims to bridge the gap between the technology and healthcare fields. He also enjoys a good cup of coffee, a hike, and a good brew, ideally in that order.

Michael has led the coordination of health equity efforts across UnitedHealth Group since June of 2010.  He is responsible for the development and execution of enterprise efforts, initiatives and interventions to identify health disparities, as well as the enhancement or implementation of programs, services and strategies to address identified health disparities. He has held roles in both the public and private sectors with responsibilities related to disease prevention, wellness and health benefits, and has spent close to 30 years focused on population health management. Michael has contributed to numerous health equity and health disparities related articles, publications and podcasts, been a guest lecturer at public and private organizations including academic institutions, and continues to serve on various local and national boards and committees focused on addressing barriers to health care and improving health outcomes.  He completed his undergraduate studies at Morehouse College, received his MPH from George Washington University and his MBA from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Jennifer M. Peña, MD is currently serving as Chief Medical Officer of Nurx. She is board certified in internal medicine, an Army veteran, a former physician in the White House Medical Unit under both the Obama and Trump administrations, and expert in digital and telehealth.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Yale University in 2004 with degrees in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, and Spanish Language and Literature. She was commissioned in the United States Army in 2004, and entered active duty in 2008 after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She completed an internal medicine residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC in 2011.

Dr. Peña’s Army experience includes tours of duty as Staff Internist and Medical Director in the Executive Medicine Clinic at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital (FBCH), Chief of the inpatient Hospitalist Service at FBCH and a deployment to Afghanistan in 2012 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom rendering medical care to detainees in the Detention Facility in Parwan.

From 2014-2018 she served a tour of duty at the White House Medical Unit (WHMU) under both the Obama and Trump administrations. Her roles included Officer in Charge of WHMU’s largest clinic in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Senior Physician, Medical Director at Camp David, and most recently as Physician to the Vice President of the United States. Dr. Peña ended her service to the Army in January 2019.

After leaving military service Dr. Peña joined Oscar Medical Group in February of 2019 as Medical Director for Virtual Primary Care. Between May and December of 2020, she took some time off her primary role at Oscar to join the COVID-19 pandemic relief effort as a Hospitalist at INOVA and with Sound Physicians. Additionally, Dr. Peña served as a part-time consultant for Private Medical, Global Executive Medicine and provider for the INOVA VIP 360 executive medicine practice.

Dr. Peña has also participated in medical contributions for CNN, MSNBC, BBC, Yahoo! Finance, Univisión and Telemundo, among other TV and radio networks. She has been a featured speaker at various national, international, and virtual conferences on digital and telehealth, COVID-19 and Veterans affairs.

She holds an appointment as Assistant Professor of Medicine for the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Assistant Professor of Medical Education for the University of Virginia School of Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (ACP), and a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the ACP’s Virginia Chapter. She is also a member of the ATA’s Advisory Group in Eliminating Health care Disparities and Inequalities.

Ty Howard is a partner resident in Bradley’s Nashville and Dallas offices and serves as chair of the firm’s Government Enforcement and Investigations Practice Group. Drawing on 20 years of experience as a state and federal prosecutor and leading defense lawyer, Ty helps clients with white-collar criminal defense, False Claims Act matters, sensitive internal investigation, and high-profile litigation.

His areas of focus include:

• Telehealth and Telemedicine: Ty is a leader in the emerging telehealth industry. He represents clients of all types in criminal and civil enforcement matters involving telehealth issues. He also regularly speaks and writes on telehealth legal and policy issues, including authoring the only telehealth-specific legal blog TyHoward TeleHealth. Physicians, companies, and others call on Ty for guidance on telehealth compliance and in cases involving alleged telemedicine schemes. He represents clients and writes frequently about telehealth enforcement involving DME, compounded drugs, cancer-genomic testing (CGx) and related topics.
• White Collar Defense: As both a prosecutor and a defense lawyer, Ty has focused almost exclusively on white collar matters. He has deep experience in matters involving securities fraud, healthcare fraud, mail and wire fraud, banking crimes, false statements, and public corruption. He has tried nearly 50 trials and navigated hundreds of government investigations involving alleged fraud or white collar violations. He regularly represents clients charged with or being investigated for federal crimes.
• False Claims Act and Healthcare Fraud and Abuse: A large portion of Ty’s practice relates to the healthcare industry. He has represented clients in nearly every corner of the industry, including corporations, individual physicians, physician-owned entities, nurses, and healthcare executives. Healthcare fraud and abuse often involve the False Claims Act and parallel criminal-civil investigations, and clients regularly seek his extensive experience in those areas. He has handled some of the region’s most significant cases involving skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), pharmacies, hospice providers, ophthalmologists and optometrists, orthopedic practices, and primary care providers. Ty also founded and edits Bradley’s annual False Claims Act Year in Review, a leading FCA publication for nearly a decade, and speaks regularly on FCA enforcement issues.

Megan Herber partners with clients to analyze and develop strategies related to legislative and regulatory policy developments impacting the health care industry. Megan managed the House Energy and Commerce Committee health care portfolio for U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-06) for four years, most recently as Legislative Director. While pursuing her Master of Public Health, Megan served as health policy legislative fellow for former Sen. John Rockefeller IV (D-West Virginia). Prior to moving to D.C., Megan worked in hospital consulting in California, where she performed revenue cycle auditing and strategic advising. She leverages her in-depth understanding of the processes and pressure points that drive federal health care policy to help clients adapt and thrive in an ever-changing regulatory environment.

In January 2013, Angus King was sworn in as Maine’s first Independent United States Senator,
filling the same seat once held by storied Maine leaders Edmund Muskie, George Mitchell, and
Olympia Snowe.
A strong believer in the need for greater bipartisan dialogue and relationship building, Senator King
is proud to join the long line of thoughtful, independent leaders from the State of Maine, and he
works hard every day to bring Republicans and Democrats together to find common-sense solutions
for Maine and America. He is a proven consensus-builder who “calls ‘em like he sees ‘em”, putting
civility and respect ahead of political ideology.
Senator King is a member of the Armed Services Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence,
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on the Budget, and the Committee
on Rules and Administration. He has made it a priority not to miss Committee hearings, earning him
praise from his colleagues and the reputation as a workhorse in the Senate. Armed Services
Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) once called Senator King “one of the most serious and hardworking members” of the Committee.
In his time in the Senate, Senator King has worked to strengthen America’s national security,
conducted critical oversight of the nation’s Intelligence Community, supported common-sense
budget priorities that promote prosperity and reduce the national debt, fought the national opioid and
heroin epidemic, coordinated efforts to revitalize Maine’s forest economy, advocated for policies that
contribute to cleaner, cheaper energy and mitigate climate change, railed against the corrosive effect
of unchecked money in politics, fought to improve access to health care, worked to strengthen the
government’s support of veterans, and promoted increased access to critical community resources
like rural broadband.
Senator King has already achieved significant legislative victories. In 2013, when students across
America faced the financial threat of a significant increase in their student loan interest rates,
Senator King spearheaded the effort to draft and pass through both the Senate and House the
compromise legislation that not only averted rate hikes, but that also put the program on long-term
stable financial footing. That hard-fought bipartisan solution, the Student Loan Certainty Act of
2013, has since been projected to save millions of students across the country more than $50 billion
in interest payments.
During the government shutdown of 2014, Senator King worked tirelessly with a small group of
moderate senators, led by his colleague and friend Senator Susan Collins, to formulate the action
plan that eventually led to the reopening of the government.
In fact, it is in small working groups like this that Senator King has focused much of his work.
He cofounded the Former Governors Caucus, which brings together the Senate’s former Governors to
chart pragmatic approaches to solutions, as well as the Senate Arctic Caucus, which hones in on
Maine and America’s growing interest in the Arctic. Senator King also tries to informally bridge the
partisan divide in Washington by frequently bringing his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to his
home for barbeque dinners, where political talk is banned and the focus is getting to know one
another. The bonds that are formed through these relationships often lay the foundation for
successful legislation.
Senator King also served as the 72nd Governor of Maine, and during his two terms in the Blaine
House, he focused on economic development and job creation. Then-Governor King also achieved
significant reforms in education, mental health services, land conservation, environmental protection,
and the delivery of state services. He was re-elected in 1998 by one of the largest margins in
Maine’s history.
Senator King is married to Mary Herman and has four sons, Angus III, Duncan, James, and Ben,
one daughter, Molly, and six grandchildren. He attended Dartmouth College and the University of
Virginia Law School. In his free time, he enjoys exploring the Maine outdoors – either on his Harley
or with his family in their camper.

Andrea G. Barthwell, MD, DFASAM, is the Founder of Encounter Medical Group, P.C., manages and consults through the global health care policy firm EMGlobal.  Reflecting her long-term commitment to individuals with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), she was named as the founding Chair of the Board of the Foundation for Opioid Response Effort (FORE) with a $100 million endowment.

She served as a member of President George W. Bush’s sub-cabinet as Deputy Director for Demand Reduction in the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), where she was a principal advisor on policies aimed at reducing the demand for illicit drugs.

Dr. Barthwell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Wesleyan University, and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Michigan Medical School.

In 2003, Dr. Barthwell received the Betty Ford Award, given by the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse (AMERSA). In 1997, Dr. Barthwell’s peers named her one of the “Best Doctors in America” in addiction medicine.

Kristi Henderson is a digital health leader and clinician with over 25 years of experience designing, implementing and optimizing the health care delivery system using digital health tools and technology. She is the SVP of The Center for Digital Health & Innovation for Optum Health, where she is creating a first-of-its-kind connected health ecosystem using industry-leading digital health tools and telehealth. She most recently led clinical operations for Amazon Care, a healthcare initiative for Amazon employees and their families. Before joining Amazon, she designed and launched a national solutions center for patient access, virtual care, and care coordination for Ascension Health. She has a proven track record of delivering successful programs at scale that improve health and save money. She is an adjunct faculty member in Population Health at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas-Austin and at the University of Washington School of Nursing.

Henderson thrives with complex challenges and consistently delivers results that exceed expectations. She is known for her ability to execute and sustain these models in advance of them becoming an industry standard as evidenced by her first launch of a telehealth program in 2003 which is recognized as one of only two of HRSA’s Centers of Excellence. She is resourceful, collaborative and known for her creative solutions that engage patients and empower clinicians. She has testified before multiple U.S. Senate committees and given numerous presentations across the country, including a TEDx, to advance telehealth policy and share innovative new models of care.

A few of her other leadership roles include currently serving as chair-elect, and former executive board member for the American Telemedicine Association; Association of American Medical Colleges Telehealth Committee member, American Nurses Association co-chair for Committee on Connected Health and National Quality Forum Telehealth Committee. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the Emergency Nurses Association.

Henderson received her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham where she was recognized as the 2019 Distinguished Alumna from the School of Nursing. She maintains national certification as a family and acute care nurse practitioner.

David J. Houghton, M.D., M.P.H., earned his Medical Degree from the Medical College of Georgia and his Master’s in Public Health in epidemiology at Emory University. He completed his internship, neurology residency, and movement disorders fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.  After then serving as Assistant Professor and Neurology Residency Program Director at the University of Louisville, Dr. Houghton joined the staff at Ochsner Health System in 2012 as Section Head of Movement & Memory Disorders and Vice-Chair of the Department of Neurology.  Since 2016, he has also served as the Medical Director of Telehealth – harnessing technology to create unique virtual forward-facing clinical connections between Ochsner’s providers and patients across the Gulf South.  His role expanded to include growth of Digital Medicine for chronic disease management in 2019.  At Ochsner, Dr. Houghton has been awarded System Physician of the Month, Ochsner “Top 75” Physician, and Neurology Teaching Faculty of the Year, and he completed The Health Management Academy Physician Leadership Program in 2018.  Dr. Houghton is board-certified in neurology and his publications have appeared in peer-reviewed journals, an online medical text, a patient resource from the National Parkinson’s Foundation, and a textbook on deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s disease.

Jacky Rosen is a U.S. Senator representing the state of Nevada. Rosen previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives during the 115th Congress where she was rated one of the most bipartisan freshmen members and was a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus. Rosen serves on the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Special Committee on Aging, and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. She has been a champion for encouraging early childhood education in STEM, especially for young girls. In her first year in the Senate, Rosen also launched the Bipartisan Comprehensive Care Caucus.

Prior to running for elected office, Rosen started her career as a computer programmer and software developer. Rosen is also the former President of Congregation Ner Tamid, the state’s largest synagogue.

Rosen and her husband Larry have one daughter, Miranda. Rosen received her undergraduate bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis in 1979. Rosen also received an associate’s degree in computing and information technology in 1985 from Clark County Community College — what is now the College of Southern Nevada.

Earl L. “Buddy” Carter is an experienced businessman, health care professional and faithful public servant. For over 32 years Buddy owned Carter’s Pharmacy, Inc. where South Georgians trusted him with their most valuable assets: their health, lives and families. While running his business, he learned how to balance a budget and create jobs. He also saw firsthand the devastating impacts of government overregulation which drives his commitment to ensuring that the federal government creates policies to empower business instead of increasing burdens on America’s job creators.

A committed public servant, Buddy previously served as the Mayor of Pooler, Georgia and in the Georgia General Assembly where he used his business experience to make government more efficient and responsive to the people. Buddy is serving his fourth term in the United States House of Representatives and is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Budget Committee. As a pharmacist serving in Congress, Buddy is the co-chair of the Community Pharmacy Caucus and is dedicated to working towards a health care system that provides more choices, less costs and better services. As the representative of the entire coast of Georgia, he is also a member of the Select Committee on Climate Change.

A lifelong resident of the First District, Buddy was born and raised in Port Wentworth, Georgia and is a proud graduate of Young Harris College and the University of Georgia where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. Buddy married his college sweetheart, Amy. Buddy and Amy now reside in Pooler, Georgia and have three sons, three daughters-in-law and six grandchildren.

Carla is a member of the Johnson & Johnson Government Affairs & Policy (GA&P) policy team where she leads a variety of global regulatory policy issues across the pharmaceutical, consumer and medical device sectors including importation, harmonization, and biosimilars.  Regularly convening and leading cross functional team on key issues, Carla works with partners in legal, privacy, commercial, regulatory affairs, and supply chain. She leads on global policy issues related to digital technology, data governance, and AI for GA&P, is the co-lead of the Digital and Emerging Technology Platform Team and is a member of the Johnson & Johnson Data Science Council. Carla was previously a part of the Federal Affairs team where she led on FDA matters and supported the oncology and immunology portfolios and worked for Janssen’s Global Regulatory Policy and Intelligence team where she was the US policy lead on topics including clinical trial innovation, patient engagement, expedited approval pathways, disease interception, and combination products.  Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Carla was an attorney and team leader in FDA’s Office of the Chief Counsel where she advised the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research on legal and policy issues, working closely with the Offices of Policy and Legislation.  She serves on the board of the Food and Drug Law Institute and her son’s Parent Teacher Student Association. Carla is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and has a JD from Yale Law School and an LLM from Georgetown University Law Center.

Dr Tania Elliott is an expert in telemedicine and digital health, leveraging connected care technologies to bring care to patients, wherever they are.  Passionate about the quadruple aim, she creates solutions to improve quality, efficiencies, access, and patient and care team experiences. She has a wealth of experience and unique expertise in driving strategy, operational excellence, and quality across a range of healthcare sectors, including health plan, health system, startup, and employer.  She is currently Chief Medical Officer of Virtual Care at Ascension, advancing adoption of virtual visits and remote patient monitoring across the care continuum and developing new care delivery models for chronic disease management, behavioral health, and hospital-level care at home. Ascension is one of the largest healthcare systems in the country with 150,000 associates and 40,000 providers at 2600 sites, including 150 hospitals in 20 states.
She currently chairs the Telemedicine and Technology Taskforce for The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology and has published multiple peer reviewed journal articles on direct to consumer healthcare delivery and implementation of virtual care into clinical practice. She serves regularly as a healthcare broadcast media expert regularly featured on top shows including Good Morning America, Rachael Ray, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, The Doctors, and CBS This Morning.

As Chief Compliance Officer and co-founder of Wheel, Griffin is motivated by his passion for innovation in digital healthcare delivery models and democratizing access to affordable and high-quality care. Griffin brings significant experience to Wheel in healthcare policy and entrepreneurship, most recently serving as General Counsel and VP of Strategy at telemedicine company Medici and founder of digital health company Med2You. He started his career with the Department of Health and Human Services and practiced healthcare law at Epstein, Becker & Green.

Laura Laemmle-Weidenfeld vigorously defends health care and life sciences clients against federal and state fraud enforcement actions and also draws on her experience to provide practical compliance advice on federal and state health care fraud and abuse issues. She has defended against numerous investigations and litigation brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ), various U.S. Attorneys offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), state attorneys general, and other state and federal agencies. Laura also helps clients navigate challenging compliance issues, including analyzing arrangements under the Stark Laws and Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), conducting internal investigations, and preparing self-disclosures. She has been recognized as a leading health care lawyer by Chambers USA and Super Lawyers.

Laura has represented a broad spectrum of health care providers, including hospitals and health systems, home health care agencies, telehealth entities, physician practices, clinical laboratories, post-acute care providers, and pharmacies, as well as pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers and electronic health record software developers.

Earlier in her career, Laura served as a trial attorney in the Frauds Section of DOJ’s Civil Division, where she investigated and litigated health care fraud matters brought under the False Claims Act (FCA) and its whistleblower (or qui tam) provisions.

An active member of the American Health Law Association (AHLA) and Law360‘s health editorial advisory board, Laura frequently speaks and writes on health care fraud issues. She is the author of Legal Issues in Health Care Fraud and Abuse, Fifth Edition, published by AHLA in 2020.

April is the Senior Vice President of Public Policy at Hims & Hers, where she oversees government relations, public affairs and policy partnerships for all 50 states and at the federal level. She was drawn to Hims & Hers because of their commitment to consumer-driven care and strong values. Previously, April was Director of Public Policy at Lyft. She prides herself on working collaboratively with government, corporate and non-profit stakeholders to solve problems and advance public policy for the 21st century. April has built her career advocating for innovative companies and projects and has participated in various panels and public hearings throughout the United States. She is a New York attorney with a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Brian is the past President and CEO of Business Group on Health, the leading advocate for large employers in healthcare policy and benefits strategy. At the Business Group, Brian established the Health Innovations Forum, which helped accelerate market traction for promising digital health startups, and the Executive Committee on Value Purchasing, a cross-industry council focused on shifting the market toward value-based pricing and provider accountability.

Prior to the Business Group, Brian was Vice President of Compensation and Benefits for Honeywell International with responsibility for executive compensation, global compensation and benefit programs, and implementing innovative solutions to manage the companies $500M annual health care spend while helping employees maximize their experience with the healthcare delivery system.

Brian understands the interplay between health industry stakeholders, start-ups and large employers.  He is currently working in a board or advisory capacity with a number of companies including; Carrot Fertility, Castlight Health, Sword Health, Socrates AI, WithMe and Recuro Health.

Paul Melmeyer serves as the Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy, at the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). In this role, Paul leads MDA’s policy and advocacy initiatives pertaining to public health, therapeutic development, access to care, and disabilities. Prior to joining MDA, Paul spent over six years with the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD). At NORD, Paul led the Federal policy operations in developing and advocating for the enactment and implementation of pro-rare disease patient policy. Paul also holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the George Washington University. Paul is constantly seeking opportunities to make a positive difference through compassionate and effective policy change.

Mujadala (MJ) Abdul-Majid is an Associate General Counsel at Facebook helping to build social value through how individuals connect to one another. Prior to joining Facebook, she was a Director at Ro, a telehealth company that handles everything from an online visit with a healthcare provider to the delivery of medication to patients, and the head of Amazon’s Regulatory Intelligence, Compliance, and Engagement team.

Passionate about the intersection of law, technology, and healthcare, MJ served on the biomedical research committee of Georgetown University Medical Center’s Institutional Review Board and was a regulatory attorney with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration where she focused on regulatory policy development, compliance, and enforcement in the agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. She holds a master’s in Biotechnology with a concentration in Bioinformatics and has lectured, presented, and authored publications on topics such as regulatory oversight and legislative developments affecting healthcare product development and access to medicine.

Mercer works in the areas of government affairs, research and analysis and strategic communication. With six sessions of General Assembly experience in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and working with local elected officials across Central Virginia, Mercer has a strong understanding of policy, process, and the people involved in high-level strategic decision-making in Virginia. Here at Capital Results, Mercer primarily works representing clients in the industries of healthcare, technology, local government, real estate, and energy.

Prior to joining Capital Results, Mercer worked in the offices of State Senators and Delegates, as well as with state agencies and institutions. These include the Attorney General’s Office, Virginia Commonwealth University, the Senate Majority Leader’s Office, and a large natural gas distribution company’s General Counsel Office. After attending law school at the University of Richmond, he represented developers and homebuilders in the Central Virginia region, working collaboratively with various stakeholders to find successful outcomes to highly technical and complex issues. He also worked with a large national law firm as a contract attorney. Mercer has represented clients in front of the Virginia General Assembly, local Boards and Councils, state commissions and agencies, and with various stakeholder groups. During this time, Mercer has developed specialties in government relations, navigating the regulatory system, mediation, research and analysis, communications, and advocacy.

In his spare time, you can find Mercer surfing, playing soccer, or enjoying one of the many excellent Richmond restaurants.

Adam is Director of Global Policy and Communications at Babylon, one of the world’s fastest growing digital healthcare companies. He has gained over 15 years experience in communications, public affairs and community engagement across a number of high profile organisations and was drawn to Babylon by its mission to bring high-quality, accessible and affordable healthcare to every person on earth.

Before joining Babylon, Adam was Head of Engagement for UK and Ireland at Uber working to bridge the gap between partner-drivers and the organisation, and served as Head of Community Relations at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, where he was responsible for the delivery of communication and community engagement plans to support the Club’s major corporate projects.

Adam’s first foray into the world of work was as a UK Parliamentary Researcher to several Liberal Democrat MPs before he moved into the world of public affairs where he worked with a number of blue chip companies, local authorities, charities and trade associations. Away from work, Adam is married to Sara and has two sons, he is a nationally qualified Level 2 Swim Teacher and coaches his sons’ swimming club (as it beats the alternative of sitting poolside on social media for hours on end several days a week!).

Joseline Peña-Melnyk has represented Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties as state delegate for ten years. She feels privileged to work on behalf of her constituents and a passion for public service is at the core of her character.

As a child Joseline emigrated from the Dominican Republic to the U.S. with her single mother and sister.  Her mom worked in New York’s garment industry, often struggled to make ends meet, and there was a time when the family was on welfare because Joseline’s father did not pay child support. But despite tough circumstances, Joseline succeeded in school and learned English. She was an Equal Opportunity Program scholar and the first in her family to attend college. “When I look back on it now, I see how much I benefited from programs that open doors for minority students.”

Joseline feels an obligation to fight for people on society’s margins – the ones who are often overlooked. One summer during law school she worked in Alabama to represent prisoners on death row. Another summer she was in Ohio farm country visiting migrant farm workers and fighting for basic living conditions, a safe work environment, and fair wages.   After Joseline got her law degree, she took court appointments to represent abused and neglected children, and to provide criminal defense for the poor. Later she joined Eric Holder’s U.S. Attorney’s Office and prosecuted criminals; building cases by working closely with police officers, witnesses and victims in the community.

Dr. Stephen R. Gillaspy is a licensed psychologist and since August of 2019 has served as the Senior Director for the Office of Health & Health Care Finance within the Practice Directorate at the American Psychological Association APA).  Prior to joining APA, Dr. Gillaspy was a Professor of Pediatrics within the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center since 2005. Within the Section of General & Community Pediatrics he served as the Associate Section Chief and Director of Clinical Psychology.  Dr. Gillaspy also served as the Director of the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline.  He completed his graduate training in Clinical Psychology at Oklahoma State University and completed his Clinical Internship and a Post-doctoral fellowship in Primary Care and Health Psychology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.  At the state level Dr. Gillaspy has served on the Board of the Oklahoma Psychological Association and served as President.  Nationally, Dr. Gillaspy has served as the American Psychological Associations Advisor for the Health Care Professional Advisory Committee to the American Medical Association’s Relative Value Update Committee (RUC).