On June 13, 2023, the Health Equity Compact hosted the first Health Equity Trends Summit at UMass Boston. Over 700 people and 36 speakers and panelists from health systems, the business sector, and state government explored ways to bring breakthrough change to advance health equity in Massachusetts.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this critical conversation. We look forward to collaborating with you to truly make this a movement – not a moment.
Below please find several resources relevant to the Summit.
The Health Equity Trends Summit featured influential leaders from government, health, business, and other diverse sectors who are key to advancing health equity statewide.
If you were unable to attend or would like to review the sessions, you can access a recording of the Summit to the right.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this critical conversation. We look forward to collaborating with you to truly make this a movement – not a moment.
Agenda
| 8:00 am – 8:30 am | Registration, Light Breakfast Available |
| 8:30 am – 9:15 am | Welcome & Opening Remarks |
| 9:15 am – 10:45 am | Roadblocks and Resolutions: Healthcare Leaders’ Commitment to Health Equity |
| 10:45 am – 11:30 am | Data Presentation: The Economic Case for Massachusetts Health Equity Reform |
| 11:30 am – 12:00 pm | Break, Boxed Lunch Available |
| 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm | Harnessing The Power of Business Leaders to Advance Health Equity |
| 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | Driving Change at Scale: Health Equity in State Government |
| 2:00 pm – 2:15 pm | Break |
| 2:15 pm – 2:25 pm | Remarks from Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh |
| 2:25 pm – 3:20 pm | Mobilizing a Big, Bold, and Sustained Health Equity Movement |
| 3:20 pm – 3:30 pm | Closing Remarks from Representative Judith Garcia |
PhD, MBA, CDM, SHRM-SCP, Senior Vice President and Chief DEI Officer at Tufts Medicine, Introduction
President and CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, Introductory Remarks
PhD, William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in Health Policy, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Presenter
Vice President of Government Affairs at Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Moderator
Executive Vice President of Public Markets and Government Relations at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Moderator
Spanish Press
Thanks to all the following people for their contribution to planning the Health Equity Trends Summit:
Senior VP, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Tufts Medicine
Dr. Colon-Kolacko is the Senior VP, Chief Diversity and Equity and Inclusion Officer and is responsible for advancing diversity, racial and, health equity, inclusion, the Center for DEI, DEI Academy, and Community Health, setting the strategic direction and implementing and managing all aspects of this strategy.
She is the former NYC Health + Hospitals, SVP and Chief People Officer the largest integrated municipal healthcare delivery system in the country, the past President of the Board and currently serving as the Secretary of the Board of the Delaware Latin America Community Center. Dr. Colon-Kolacko is an entrepreneur and founded Global Learning and Diversity Partners, LLC, a consulting practice that designs and implements diversity, inclusion, racial equity, health disparities, human capital, talent development change management, and organization design, strategies to build inclusive and learning organizations. She has over 25 years’ experience in Global Pharmaceuticals, Health Systems, Academia, Government and Non-Profit Boards. For most of the past decade, she served Christiana Care Health System in Delaware, as SVP of its Learning Institute and Chief Diversity Officer. Earlier in her career she worked at Bristol Myers-Squibb and, SmithKline Beecham (since renamed GlaxoSmithKline), leading change, cultural transformation, supply chain, learning and talent management functions in Asia, Europe, and North America, including Puerto Rico.
Rosa is very involved in many national and state level boards and commissions: Member of the Executive Founders Committee of MA Health Equity Compact, and the national (AAAED), LEAD Fund for Leadership, Equity, Access and Diversity, DE AARP Executive Council. Former member of New York City Health and Hospitals Equity Coalition, Philadelphia Collaborative for Health Equity, AHA Institute for Diversity in Health Management now IFDHE Executive Leadership Council, the board of National Association of Latino Healthcare Executive, the DE Healthy Communities promoting health equity and funding community health workers and past Chair of the DE Governor’s Hispanic Commission Health & Social Services Committee.
She received her Ph.D. in Organizational Development and Change from Benedictine University, an MBA from Henley Business School, University of Reading England, a post-graduate Marketing Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, London, Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) from the Society of Human Resources Management and a Certificate in Diversity Management (CDM) from Georgetown University and the AHA Institute for Diversity and Health Equity. She is a researcher and has held Academic positions as Professor of Professional Practice at Bowling Green State University, adjunct faculty at Georgetown University, University of Delaware. For the last four years Rosa has been Adjunct Professor at Thomas Jefferson University Institute of School of Continuous and Professional Studies. She is also an Equity Fellow of the Delaware Community Foundation.
Marcelo Suárez-Orozco is Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Prior to his return to the Commonwealth, he served as the inaugural UCLA Wasserman Dean and Distinguished Professor of Education. Dr. Suárez-Orozco’s research focuses on conceptual and empirical problems in the areas of cultural psychology and psychological anthropology with a focus on the study of mass migration, globalization and education. He is the author of numerous scholarly essays, award-winning books and edited volumes published by Harvard University Press, Stanford University Press, University of California Press, Cambridge University Press, Columbia University Press and others. His scholarly papers are published in a range of disciplines and languages in international journals. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, W. T. Grant, Spencer, Rockefeller, Hewlett, Ford and Carnegie, and multiple others. He has also served as the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Education and as Member of the Inaugural Executive Committee of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University. At NYU, he served as the inaugural Courtney Sale Ross University Professor.
Dr. Suárez-Orozco earned his A.B. in psychology, M.A. in anthropology, and Ph.D. in anthropology at UC Berkeley. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife, the eminent psychologist of immigration, Carola Suárez-Orozco. Carola and Marcelo’s hobbies include taking Lilly – their Papillon, for long walks in Boston Harbor and, whenever possible, biking in the woods of Western Massachusetts
Serves as President & CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, which represents 52 health centers, serving over one million patients out of over 300 practice sites. He was named a Bostonian of the Year in 2021 (along with his member health centers) by The Boston Globe and Boston Magazine, one of the Boston Business Journal’s Power 50 Movement Makers for 2022, one of Boston’s Most Influential Men of Color by Get Konnected! for 2023, and one of this year’s Boston Magazine 150 Most Influential Bostonians.
During the early battle with the COVID-19 pandemic, Michael was appointed by the Massachusetts Senate to the legislatively created Health Equity Task Force, which he co-chaired, aimed at addressing the health disparities that have been realized and magnified by COVID-19. He was also appointed by then Governor Charlie Baker to the COVID-19 Vaccine Working Group, and served on the Department of Public Health’s Health Equity Advisory Group, the City of Boston’s Health Inequity Task Force, and the City of Brockton’s Social Justice Task Force. He gained a reputation for always being the equity voice in the room. Over the past two years, Michael helped to convene close to 70 leaders of color in health, business and philanthropy to advocate for health equity reform in Massachusetts. The Health Equity Compact (HEC), working in collaboration with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, will release a report this June focused on the economic costs of racial inequities.
He brings over 30 years of experience and results in civil rights advocacy, health reform and health equity. He is also the Immediate Past President of the Boston Branch of the NAACP (2011-2016), and has over 25 years of dedicated service to the NAACP on the city, state-area conference and national levels. He was elected to the NAACP Board of Directors in 2014, 2017, 2020, and was recently reelected in 2023 by members from across the country. He serves on the National NAACP’s Executive Committee, and as the appointed Chair of the National Board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee since 2019, Chair of the Constitution and Bylaws Sub-Committee, and Vice-Chair the Political Action and Legislation Committee. On May 15, 2021, the National Board appointed him as Administrator for the New England Area Conference of the NAACP, overseeing the state-area conference and all branches in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont. He is leading the reorganization and strengthening of the NAACP throughout the region.
Attorney Curry is also an Adjunct Professor at both New England Law Boston teaching Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession and Suffolk University’s Moakley Center and Sawyer School of Management teaching a health care management and policy course.
Michael has received numerous local and national awards for leadership and advocacy, and is frequently requested as a keynote speaker and panelist on a wide range of civil rights and health policy issues. In 2022, he received the Trailblazer Award from the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association (MBLA), a Community Leadership Award from the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA), and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Massachusetts Non-profit Network (MNN). In May, he will receive the 2023 Social Capital Inc’s Idealist Award.
Mr. Curry is a regular commentator on the local Public Radio Broadcast/WBUR Boston, WGBH Radio, as well as on television with WHDH, WGBH, WBZ and New England Cable News/NBC Boston, on a wide range of political, cultural and social issues. He earned a Bachelor’s of Arts from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from New England School of Law, and later graduated from the inaugural class of the Executive Leadership Council’s Pipeline to Leadership Program. In the spring of 2022 Michael delivered three college commencement speeches and received two honorary degrees: a Doctorate in Business Administration from Curry College and Healthcare Administration from Labouré College. In June, he will receive his third honorary degree from William James College.
Since 2005, Senate President Karen E. Spilka has represented the communities of the 2nd Middlesex & Norfolk Senate District, comprised of Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway and Natick. With a strong dedication to the advancement of progressive social causes and pragmatic fiscal policy, Spilka has balanced investments in economic development, education, and infrastructure with savings for the future. She has championed issues such as mental health, regional and racial equity, the innovation economy, and services for the elderly and people with disabilities.
Recently, she championed legislation to support the Commonwealth’s growing green energy sector, expand early and mail-in voting options, and allocate funding to those hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Senate President Spilka has led efforts to decrease barriers to accessing quality mental health care in Massachusetts, including by increasing the mental health workforce pipeline and successfully promoting nation-leading mental health reform.
During her career, Senate President Spilka has been a social worker, small business owner and attorney, and became one of the first legislators in the nation to vote in favor of marriage equality and transgender protections. She is a graduate of Northeastern Law School and holds a B.S. in Social Work from Cornell University. She has been married for forty years to Joel S. Loitherstein, an environmental engineer, and has three adult children, Heather, Scott and Jake, and two rescue dogs, Lincoln and Mikasa.
Attorney General
On January 18, 2023, Andrea Joy Campbell was sworn in to be the 45th Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, pledging to build economic prosperity and stability for all residents, prioritize the mental health and well-being of children, stop cycles of incarceration and violence and ensure the people across the state have access to the AG’s Office regardless of their zip code, language or ability.
Growing up in Roxbury, Andrea’s life was filled with instability. When Andrea was eight months old, she lost her mother to a car accident while going to visit her father in prison. She and her brothers bounced around – living with relatives and sometimes in foster care – until her father got out of prison when she was eight years old, and she met him for the first time.
Andrea and her family relied on public housing and food assistance while her grandmother struggled with alcoholism. Her two brothers sadly cycled in and out of the prison system. She lost her twin brother Andre, when he passed away while in the custody of the Department of Corrections as a pre-trial detainee.
Through all of this, Andrea persevered. Thanks to loving relatives, community support and a network of teachers who encouraged her, she turned pain into purpose. She graduated from Boston Latin School and then worked her way through college with the help of grants and student loans, graduating from Princeton University and UCLA Law School.
After earning her law degree, she worked as a legal services attorney for the EdLaw project, defending the rights of children and their families — particularly those with disabilities.
Andrea also practiced law at Proskauer LLP as an employment attorney, and ultimately left to serve the public as General Counsel at the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, working across 101 cities and towns to address regional challenges like health care access, transportation, affordable housing, and climate change.
Andrea served as legal counsel to Governor Deval Patrick, working to improve our education and transportation systems and move forward an agenda of equity across the state.
In 2015, Andrea successfully ran for the Boston City Council becoming the first woman to represent District 4 on the Council. Her first piece of legislation was the Community Preservation Act, which still generates over $20 million annually for new affordable housing, historical preservation, and parks and open space. In 2018, she was unanimously elected City Council President – the first Black woman to hold the title.
President & Chief Executive Officer
As a proven leader with 40 years of achievement in improving the delivery of health care and human services, particularly for populations who have been marginalized, Audrey assumed leadership of the Foundation in August 2013. She leads the Foundation’s strategic agenda to ensure equitable access to health care through grants, research, and policy initiatives.
Audrey served as interim president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation in 2005, helping to shape the Foundation’s policies and supporting the Roadmap to Coverage initiative that led to Massachusetts’ landmark 2006 universal health care law. She joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts in 2007, where she focused on medical cost and care management initiatives over the next six years before returning to the Foundation to become its president.
Audrey’s other professional experience includes chief operating officer of Neighborhood Health Plan, executive director for the Boston Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Health Care, associate commissioner of Massachusetts’s Department of Mental Health, and assistant budget director for the Massachusetts Executive Office for Administration and Finance.
She is widely recognized for her expertise in all aspects of health care and is often called upon to serve on committees and task forces around the state, such as the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Addiction & Recovery (Boston), the MA House of Representatives Legislative Working Group on Managed Care Organizations, the Attorney General’s Advisory Task Force on Community Benefits and the Middlesex County Restoration Commission. Audrey is also a sought-after speaker on the local and national health care scene.
Audrey holds a master’s degree in management of human services from the Heller School at Brandeis University and a bachelor’s degree with honors in psychology from the University of Connecticut. She serves on the boards of the MA Health Policy Forum and Philanthropy Massachusetts (Chair). She received the inaugural Art of Healthcare Award from the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center in 2014 and the Thomas M. Menino Award in 2016 from the Disability Policy Consortium. In 2018, Audrey was honored by the Lynn Community Health Center with their annual women’s award and by the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health with their Spirit of Compassion award. Audrey was named a 2022 Champion of Health and Wellness by the Massachusetts Health Council. She is an elected member of the International Women’s Forum of Massachusetts.
Darrell J. Gaskin, PhD MS is the William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in Health Policy and Director of the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Gaskin is a health services researcher and health economist. He is an internationally recognized expert in health and healthcare disparities. He seeks to identify and understand how contextual factors influence access to care, quality of care and health outcomes for minority, low socioeconomic status, and other vulnerable populations. His research strives to develop and promulgate policies and practices that address the social determinants of health and promote equity in health and well-being.
Dr. Gaskin is an international leader in health policy. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He is a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. He serves on the Congressional Budget Office Panel of Health Advisors and the Board of Directors of the American Society of Health Economists. He has served in leadership roles in AcademyHealth, the American Public Health Association, the National Academy for State Health Policy, and the National Economics Association. He is a member of the Maryland Health Equity Policy Committee. He is a 2019 recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.
Dr. Gaskin has a Ph.D. in public health economics from the Johns Hopkins University. He holds a MS degree in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a BA degree in economics from Brandeis University.
Ani Turner is Director of the Health Economics and Policy program area at Altarum, where she studies drivers of health spending, trends in the health workforce, and the economic impacts of investments in social and environmental factors that determine health and life outcomes. With more than 30 years of experience in data analysis and policy research, Ms. Turner has developed forecasting models and studied health care resources, costs, and quality for the federal government, states, health plans, and foundations. She leads Altarum’s partnership with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation making a business case for greater racial equity as a path to a stronger workforce and economy at the national and state level. Ms. Turner has presented on panels and workshops hosted by the Institute of Medicine, AcademyHealth, the International Health Economics Association, the National Association for Business Economics, industry associations, federal and local government agencies, and in testimony before the Michigan House and Senate and the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. Ms. Turner has served on the Board of Peace Neighborhood Center, a youth and family services center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and as Chairman of the Board for Trinity Health St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor and Livingston hospitals. Ms. Turner holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, summa cum laude, and a Master of Arts in Applied Economics, both from the University of Michigan.
Dr. Claire-Cecile Pierre is the Vice President of Community Health Programs at Mass General Brigham. Dr. Pierre holds decades of experience in the use of technology to improve the quality of care at community health centers (CHC) and academic medical centers. With a career focused on health equity, Dr. Pierre seeks to encourage healthcare innovations that appropriately center and value the expertise of patients and communities. Her policy and public health activities within and outside of the US include guiding investments for health systems strengthening after disasters and outbreaks. Dr. Pierre has worked at Partners in Health, the World Bank and Babson College. She is also a member of the faculty of Harvard Medical School’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine.
Doug Howgate is President at the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. Doug began as President in January of 2023, after two years as the Foundation’s Executive Vice President. This is Doug’s second stint at MTF, having served as Research Director between 2015 and 2018.
Prior to his time at the Foundation, Doug has held a number of policy positions in Massachusetts. He served as Senior Policy Advisor to Senate President Karen Spilka between 2018 and 2020, and Budget Director at the Senate Committee on Ways and Means between 2010 and 2014. He has also served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the Massachusetts Port Authority and as a Senior Researcher at the Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center.
Doug has a B.A. in Political Science from Holy Cross and holds a Master’s degree from Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy.
Vasundhra joined the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) in February 2020 after working in a variety of roles in both the Massachusetts House and Senate, beginning as a Senate constituent services director in Pittsfield in 2015 and ending as a Legislative Director in the House of Representatives. Originally from San Francisco, California, Vasundhra and her family relocated to the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts in 2003, where they still own and operate a small business. Although she stayed true to her Western Mass roots in the State House, serving only on staffs primarily representing the Berkshires, Vasundhra has been a Greater Boston resident for over ten years since starting her undergraduate career at Boston University, where she first found her passion for good government and effective advocacy. Vasundhra’s main issue areas at AIM have been health care legislation, education policy, and a series of workforce development priorities.
“If I weren’t working at AIM – honestly speaking, I’d love to be a television/comedy writer!”
As President & CEO, JD is responsible for developing and implementing MBR’s agenda on public policy matters, and works collaboratively with opinion leaders, policy makers and other stakeholders on their implementation.
JD has worked in and around Beacon Hill for more than 30 years. In the Legislature, he was the Chief of Staff to the House Committee on Commerce and Labor, and was the education issues analyst and Deputy Budget Director for the House Committee on Ways and Means. After working as both a budget analyst and Assistant to the President at the University of Massachusetts, JD worked as the Legislative Director for State Treasurer Shannon O’Brien and then as Issues Director for the O’Brien-Gabrieli gubernatorial campaign in 2002.
He joined MBR in 2004 after serving as Legislative/Issues Director for the Early Education for All (EEA) Campaign, where he was responsible for developing and driving legislative support for EEA’s legislation and agenda which included the creation of the Massachusetts Board and Department of Early Education and Care. He served on the Board for 10 years, 5 as Chairman.
JD serves on the Boards of Lever, a start up incubator based in Berkshire County where he grew up, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation, and Science from Scientists. He also is on the Advisory Boards of ReadyNation and CEO Action for Racial Equity.
Timothy P. Murray became President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce in June of 2013. He leads a team of professionals serving the region’s business community by focusing on economic development, public policy, member services, and other activities that contribute to a vibrant business climate. The Chamber’s mission of recruit, retain, and incubate aims to bring new businesses to the region, retain existing businesses, and nurture those in emerging sectors.
Prior to the Chamber, Tim was elected Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2006, following a historic grassroots campaign alongside Governor Deval Patrick. As Lieutenant Governor, he worked to promote job growth, delivered landmark reforms in ethics, education, pensions, and the transportation system. Tim led the Patrick – Murray administration’s negotiation with CSX regarding the historic acquisition of tracks across the Commonwealth and facilitated Massport’s acquisition of Worcester Regional Airport. As Lieutenant Governor, Tim chaired the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association.
A life-long Worcester resident, he was a former three-term Mayor of Worcester, New England’s second largest city. Under Tim’s leadership, Worcester experienced unprecedented progress, with $1 billion of new economic development projects, such as Gateway Park and City Square, that are helping to transform an older industrial city into one that is well positioned to lead and grow in the new economy.
As President and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, Murray helped lead the effort to bring the Red Sox Triple A team to Worcester as well as Madison Properties and owner Denis Dowdle who is leading the ballpark redevelopment plan on the 22-acre site that had been dormant for decades.
Tim attended public schools in Worcester and St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury. He studied at Fordham University in New York City and put himself through Western New England College School of Law, attending classes at night, while working days as a substitute teacher and housing advocate. Following law school, he became a partner in the Worcester firm of Tattan, Leonard and Murray.
Tim and his wife Tammy (Sullivan), also a Worcester native, continue to live there and are proudly raising their two daughters, Helen and Katerine.
Nicole Obi is the President & CEO of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA) whose mission is to advance the economic well-being of Black businesses, organizations, and residents in Massachusetts through advocacy, business, and leadership development strategic partnerships. She joined BECMA in 2020 as the Vice President of Member Experience & Engagement. Previously she spent twelve years at Fidelity Investments, leaving the firm in 2018 as the Vice President of Customer Strategy & Engagement. She was also the CEO of her own strategic consulting firm, Enterprise Advisors, after co-founding two venture backed start-up firms. She earned two master’s degrees from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and the Department of Urban Studies Planning.
She serves on several non-profit boards and committees including GBH, the Environment League of Massachusetts, the Intensive Community program of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Browning the Greenspace, and Women’s Foundation of Boston, as well as Longfellow Investment Management’s board of advisors. Nicole is also a member of the Boston Chapter of the Links, Inc. She resides in Chestnut Hill with her family and enjoys playing golf and gardening.
James E. Rooney is president and chief executive officer of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, one of the region’s leading business associations.
Under Rooney’s guidance, the Boston Chamber has become the leading voice of the Massachusetts business community on public policy issues, weighing in on important matters such as our region’s public transportation infrastructure, economic mobility, health care costs, workforce development and policy regarding our state’s competitiveness. Rooney has focused on creating a more inclusive Chamber broadening its membership, staff, and leadership, including introducing innovative programs and initiatives designed to attract and retain next generation leaders, minority-owned and small businesses.
Prior to joining the Chamber in 2015, Rooney was executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority for 15 years, overseeing the development and construction of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC). Before moving to the MCCA in 2001, Rooney served two years as Chief of Staff to Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. He began his public career at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the nation’s fourth largest transit system, where he spent 18 years, starting as a track laborer and served one year as the MBTA’s Interim General Manager during a gubernatorial transition. During the 1990s, Rooney served in senior positions at the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and the Central Artery Project, Boston’s $15 billion “Big Dig” highway project. Rooney has also served in leadership positions on several local and national boards of directors.
Rooney has served in leadership positions on several boards of directors and currently sits on professional and non-profit boards including the Professional Convention Management Association’s (PCMA) North American Advisory Board/Mexico Tourism Board, Vice Chair of the Association of Chambers of Commerce Executives (ACCE), The Partnership, Inc., and the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC).
Rooney has been recognized many times throughout his career for both professional and civic contributions including, a PCMA Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the global meetings industry and a City of Boston Lifetime Achievement Award for leadership and advocacy for immigrant advancement and diversity. Rooney has been named several times as one of Boston’s Top 100 Most Influential People by Boston Magazine, and one of the “Power 50” executives by the Boston Business Journal.
Rooney grew up in South Boston and attended the prestigious Boston Latin School, graduating as
president of his class. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College and attended
the Boston University Graduate School of Management.
The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts
Amie Shei, PhD is President & CEO of The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, a health conversion foundation based in the heart of the Commonwealth. The Foundation’s mission is to improve the health of those who live or work in Central Massachusetts, with a focus on vulnerable populations and unmet needs. Dr. Shei joined the Foundation in 2016 and plays a leading role in its grantmaking and advocacy efforts aimed at improving health, broadly defined, and promoting health equity. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Health Care For All and the Worcester Regional Research Bureau. She is also a member of the Health Equity Compact and actively participates on numerous other steering and advisory committees in her region and field.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Shei worked in health care strategy and health economics and outcomes research consulting at Health Advances and Analysis Group, respectively, and she also taught community health at Tufts University. Her research and writing have been published by varied media outlets and health journals, including the Boston Business Journal, CommonWealth Magazine, Health Affairs, Public Health Reports, and The Boston Globe.
Dr. Shei earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Amherst College, a Master of Science degree in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health, and a doctoral degree in Health Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She received several fellowships to support her dissertation research on the health impacts of an anti-poverty program in Brazil, including a Fulbright Fellowship from the U.S. Department of State.
Audrey Morse Gasteier serves as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, where she has worked since 2012. Prior to her role as Executive Director, she served as Deputy Executive Director and Chief of Policy and Strategy leading strategy and operations related to the Health Connector’s role as the state’s Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace, and oversaw program and health insurance product design, policy research, government affairs, and outreach and communication efforts aimed at engagement with members and the public. Audrey is also an instructor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Prior to joining the Health Connector in 2012, she served as Director of Health Systems Policy at the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy, where she led health coverage research initiatives and directed implementation of employer related elements of state health reform. She also served as a Policy Analyst at the Association of Community Human Service Agencies in Los Angeles, California. Audrey holds a MS in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a BA from Mount Holyoke College.
Executive Director, Center for Health Information and Analysis
Lauren Peters is the Executive Director of the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA), the independent state agency of record for Massachusetts health care information. CHIA serves as the Commonwealth’s primary hub for health care data and analytics and is charged with objectively reporting information about the quality, affordability, utilization, access and outcomes of the Massachusetts health care system to support policy development and the state’s provision and purchase of health care services.
Prior to joining CHIA, Lauren served as the Undersecretary for Health Policy at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS). In this role, Lauren was responsible for overseeing key programs and policies across several EOHHS agencies including the Department of Public Health; the Department of Mental Health; and MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program. During her EOHHS tenure, Lauren played an integral role in the state’s COVID-19 response, the development of programs to support individuals experiencing homelessness and addiction, and advanced strategic policy priorities including long-term care and behavioral health reforms.
Lauren previously served as Associate General Counsel and Director of Healthcare Policy at the Executive Office for Administration and Finance (A&F) where she served as an advisor on healthcare finance, policy, and legal matters. Lauren’s state service also includes prior roles at the Health Policy Commission and the House of Representatives.
Lauren is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School where she concentrated in Health and Biomedical Law; and holds a Bachelor’s degree with honors from William Smith College.
Executive Director
David Seltz is the first Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC). The HPC is a first-in-the-nation independent state government agency charged with bending the health care cost curve and providing data-driven policy recommendations regarding health care delivery and payment system reform. The HPC’s goal is better health and better care – at a lower cost – for all residents across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Since the HPC’s establishment in 2012, health care cost growth in Massachusetts has been below U.S. averages every year, resulting in billions of dollars in savings for local businesses, families, and individuals. Additionally, the HPC has invested nearly $100 million in innovative care delivery models, aimed at addressing the medical, behavioral, and social needs of the state’s most vulnerable and complex patients.
Prior to leading the HPC, Mr. Seltz was the Special Advisor on health care for Governor Deval Patrick (MA) and Senate President Therese Murray. Through these positions, Mr. Seltz advised the passage of historic health care access reform legislation in 2006, a forerunner to the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Subsequently, he worked on landmark cost containment legislation in Massachusetts, which has also become a model of success for many states.
As Executive Director, Mr. Seltz has led the HPC through its growth into a nationally-recognized leader in landmark health policy and health care reform efforts. To date, five other states have established cost benchmarking programs with monitoring agencies modeled after the HPC, and several additional states are actively considering similar measures. These states have continually looked to Mr. Seltz for guidance in crafting these reforms.
Mr. Seltz is a 2003 graduate of Boston College and originally from Minnesota. He was a recipient of Modern HealthCare’s 2015 Up and Comer Award, which recognizes young executives that have made significant contributions in the areas of healthcare administration, management, or policy, as well as a recipient of the Massachusetts Health Council’s 100th Anniversary Health Care Star Award (2020) in recognition of outstanding leadership toward improving and protecting health in Massachusetts.
Mr. Seltz also serves as a designated member of the Oversight Council to the Massachusetts Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) and as a member of the Executive Committee to the National Academy of State Health Policy (NASHP).
Matthew Veno assumed the role of Executive Director of the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission (GIC) on March 16, 2020. The GIC is a quasi-independent state agency governed by a seventeen-member Commission. GIC provides and administers health insurance and other benefits to 460,000 members, including the Commonwealth’s employees and retirees, and their dependents and survivors, as well as participating municipalities, housing, and redevelopment authorities’ personnel, retired municipal employees, and teachers in certain governmental units.
Before taking on the role of Executive Director of the GIC, Matt was the first deputy commissioner at the Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI). While at DOI, Matt served as a close advisor to the commissioner while managing priority interagency initiatives with a focus on health care cost containment and behavioral health. He also served as the Division’s point person for innovation and technology and represented the DOI commissioner on the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission.
Prior to joining the DOI, Matt served as manager of government affairs at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, representing the organization before a range of federal and state regulatory and administrative bodies and the U.S. Congress. While at Harvard Pilgrim, Matt advocated for the company’s legislative and regulatory priorities and assisted in shaping the company’s strategic policy direction.
An active member in his hometown of Salem, Matt served six years on the City Council, and a variety of other boards and commissions. The beginning of Matt’s career was focused on early childhood education policy and advocacy, inside and out of government. During this time Matt spent a year of volunteer service in the Bronx, NY as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, an organization focused on social justice.
Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross, and a Master’s in Business Administration in Health Care Management from Boston University Graduate School of Business (now the Questrom School of Business).
As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kate Walsh leads the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), which provides access to medical and behavioral health care, long-term services and supports, and key nutritional and financial benefits. She represents a team of more than 21,000 staff across 11 agencies and the MassHealth system, who work daily to provide services and programs for nearly 1 in every 3 Massachusetts residents.
Secretary Walsh leads one of the strongest health and human services operations in the country – a safety net that sustains some of Massachusetts’ most vulnerable children, adults, and older adults. Her goal as Secretary is to ensure that the safety net remains strong, flexible, and efficient for those who need it, and serves as a mechanism to elevate people those whose lives have taken a difficult turn.
Prior to her appointment to Governor Healey’s cabinet, Secretary Walsh served as CEO of the Boston Medical Center (BMC) health system for 13 years, overseeing an annual operating revenue of $6 billion. The BMC health system is comprised of a 514 bed, academic medical center that is the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, as well as WellSense Health Plan, a Medicaid Managed Care Organization, and Boston HealthNet, a network affiliation of 14 community health centers.
Before her time at BMC, Secretary Walsh served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Chief Operating Officer for Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, and at Massachusetts General Hospital in positions including Senior Vice President of Medical Services and the MGH Cancer Center. Prior to her tenure at Mass General, she held positions in a number of New York City hospitals including Montefiore, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Saint Luke’s – Roosevelt Hospital Center and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.
Secretary Walsh received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Health degrees from Yale University. She has served as a member of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Boston Public Health Commission, the Massachusetts Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, Pine Street Inn, and Yale University.
Manny Lopes is a transformational and trusted leader in health care and business. Since 2021, Manny Lopes has served as Executive Vice president for public markets and government relations for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the largest private health plan in Massachusetts and one of the largest independent, not-for-profit Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in the country. The company serves nearly 3 million members and more than 20,000 employers and is consistently rated among the nation’s best health plans for overall member satisfaction.
Previously, Manny Lopes served as president and chief executive officer of East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, the largest community health center in Massachusetts and one of the largest in the United States. Under his leadership, the health center significantly increased its number of patients served, was award Top Place to Work by the Boston Globe and Forbes Magazine, and was recognized by NCQA, Joint Commission and HRSA for high quality care.
Manny has a long history of developing innovative programs that improve health care quality, access, and equity. He is the co-founder and former chair of the Community Care Cooperative, the largest Medicaid ACO in Massachusetts which was created and governed by health centers and exclusively focused on advancing community-based care for MassHealth members. Manny also co-founded Advocates for Community Health, a national advocacy organization for innovative health centers focused on equity and impact.
Manny has served on multiple transition committees for Governor Charles Baker, Mayor Marty Walsh, Mayor Michelle Wu, and most recently Governor Maura Healey. He previously served multiple years as Chair of the Boston Public Health Commission where he helped lead Boston’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For his efforts, Manny was recognized at Governor Baker’s final State of the Commonwealth address and was Senator Warren’s special guest for President Biden’s first joint Address to Congress.
Manny has been recognized by the following: Boston Magazine’s List of 100 Most Influential Bostonians, Boston Business Journal’s Power 50: Boston’s 50 Most Influential People, and “Get Konnected,” Boston’s 50 Most Influential People in Healthcare.
Manny currently serves on the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Health Equity Compact, New Commonwealth Foundation, and the Institute of Contemporary Art’s board of directors.
Manny was awarded an Honorary Doctoral Degree from Suffolk University and served as their 2022 commencement speaker. He received his MBA from Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business.
Joseph R. Betancourt, M.D., M.P.H., is president of the Commonwealth Fund. One of the nation’s preeminent leaders in health care, equity, quality, and community health, Betancourt formerly served as senior vice president for Equity and Community Health at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), overseeing the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Disparities Solutions Center, Center for Community Health Improvement, and centers focused on gun violence prevention, community health innovation, immigrant health, and global health. Previously, Betancourt led the Mass General Brigham (MGB) system’s COVID Equity and Community Health response and served as Vice President and Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at MGH. As founding director of MGH’s Disparities Solutions Center, Betancourt partnered with health care organizations to improve quality, address disparities, and achieve equity. The center’s Disparities Leadership Program helped guide more than 350 operating health care systems to improve quality and value in the care of diverse, minority, and vulnerable populations. An author of nearly 80 peer-reviewed articles, Betancourt has served on several Institute of Medicine committees, including the committee that produced the seminal report Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. He is an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and a board-certified internist, focusing on Spanish-speaking and minority populations. He earned his M.D. from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, completed his residency at New York Hospital–Cornell Medical Center, and earned an M.P.H. as one of the first classes in the Commonwealth Fund–Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy.
Mattie Castiel, M.D. has always held a professional and personal mission to work with the underserved. She was born in Camaguey, Cuba and immigrated to the U.S. in 1962 as part of Operation Peter Pan. Raised and educated in California, she completed her medical training at the University of California-San Francisco after earning a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from California State University – Northridge.
Dr. Castiel moved to Massachusetts to complete her residency at UMass Memorial and she has worked as a Board certified physician in Internal Medicine in the Worcester community for over 30 years, including working at UMass Memorial Medical Center and Family Health Center of Worcester and also as an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and Psychiatry at UMass Medical School.
In 2009, Dr. Castiel founded the Latin American Health Alliance (LAHA), a nonprofit organization in Worcester dedicated to combating homelessness and drug addiction and at present she continues to serve as its Medical Director. LAHA’s programs consist of the Hector Reyes House a substance abuse treatment facility for LatinX males and 2 transitional houses which one is named after her. In 2015 LAHA opened Café Reyes on Shrewsbury Street, an innovative jobs training program for the residents at Hector Reyes House and transitional houses.
Dr. Castiel has served on the boards of several Worcester nonprofits, including The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, Centro Las Americas, Abby’s House, Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Quinsigamond Community College, United Way, and the Boys and Girls Club.
In September of 2015, Dr. Castiel was appointed as the City of Worcester’s Commissioner for Health and Human Services, where she oversees the divisions of Public Health, Youth Services, Human Rights and Disabilities, Veterans Affairs, and Elder Affairs, and Homelessness along with advancing important new initiatives that fall under the scope of youth violence and the current opioid crisis, mental health, reentry from jail and Covid19.
Most recently, she has been awarded the UMass Medical School Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Service, 2019, Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Award, 2019, LIFT Community Hero award 2019, WBJ 2021 Hall of fame award 2021, Abby Kelley Foster award 2021.
On Tuesday, November 8th, Liz Miranda was elected to serve as the next State Senator of the 2nd Suffolk District, the seat of Black political power in Boston, representing neighborhoods in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, South End, and the Fenway.
Senator Miranda serves as the Chairwoman for the Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion, and the Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development, as well as serves as a member of the Joint Ways & Means Committee.
Prior to serving in the Massachusetts Senate, Senator Miranda served two terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. In her first term in the House, she was a lead author in the police reform omnibus bill that passed in 2021. She has passed legislation to provide enforceable tools to protect the life and health of environmental justice communities, improve maternal health outcomes of Black women and birthing people, extend postpartum health insurance coverage, end solitary confinement in state prisons, and ensure vaccine equity in the communities most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the daughter of Cabo Verdean immigrants, Senator Miranda has been a tireless advocate for immigrant justice and has led on the safe communities act as well as the work and family mobility act.
In 2017, Senator Miranda lost her 28-year-old brother, Michael Miranda, to gun violence. After her decades long advocacy for gun violence prevention, losing her brother was a catalyst in her entrance to electoral politics. Embracing her lived experience as a survivor of homicide, Senator Miranda has been a champion for violence prevention funding, which has tripled since her first term.
Prior to serving in the Massachusetts Legislature, Senator Miranda was a non-profit executive, entrepreneur, and community organizer, which began as a youth organizer in the Dudley Triangle, fighting to rebuild her community and protect land. Her professional roles have included serving as the Executive Director for the Hawthorne Youth and Community Center and Director of Youth Opportunity Development at Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI).
In 2021, she was inducted into the Academy of Women Achievers of YW Boston, received Progressive Legislator of the Year Award by Progressive Massachusetts, Emerge Women of the Year, Boston Magazine’s Best Leader in 2021, was named one of Boston’s Most Impactful Black Women, and served as Wellesley College’s commencement speaker.
Senator Miranda is a Wellesley College alumna and proud graduate of Boston Public Schools, graduating from the John D O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Boston Alumnae Chapter and the Wellesley Club of Boston.
Kenneth L. Turner President and CEO Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Kenneth Turner is President and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC), an economic development and investment agency dedicated to supporting the growth and development of the life sciences in Massachusetts. He directs and oversees the center’s operations, investment strategy, programs, and partnerships.
Prior to joining the MLSC, Mr. Turner served as Director of Diversity & Inclusion/Compliance with Massport. He oversaw and managed the Authority’s multiple diversity programs, including business and supplier diversity, workforce diversity, and airport concessions, as well as all compliance initiatives associated with Massport’s Disadvantaged/Minority/Women Business Enterprise programs.
Previously, Mr. Turner served as Deputy Secretary for Administration & Finance for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services. He has over 20-years of general management and executive experience in various Fortune 100 media and package goods companies including having served as Senior Vice President of Emerging Markets at AOL Time Warner as well as having held various marketing positions at Hallmark Cards and Hasbro Toys.
A retired U.S. Navy Captain and submarine nuclear weapons system officer with 26-years of service, Mr. Turner holds a B.S. degree in Liberal Arts from Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA.
Judith Garcia was born into a Honduran family in Chelsea, Massachusetts. After graduating from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, Garcia returned to her hometown of Chelsea to begin her career in public service. She is a four-term Chelsea City Councilor for Chelsea’s District 5, and in January, Garcia became the first Massachusetts state representative of Central American descent when she was sworn to represent the 11th Suffolk district. In addition to her elected positions, she has served on multiple diplomatic missions on behalf of the United States and was selected by Vice-President Kamala Harris’ National Security team as an advisor for Honduran affairs.
Maura Healey is the 73rd Governor of Massachusetts. She was sworn in on January 5, 2023, becoming the first woman and first openly LGBTQ person elected Governor in Massachusetts history.
Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll are building an experienced, diverse team that is focused on bringing people together and delivering results for Massachusetts residents. They’re committed to making Massachusetts more affordable and growing the state’s economic competitiveness by prioritizing housing, transportation, job training and child care. They believe that Massachusetts has the greatest collection of human and intellectual capital, business, innovation, and know-how in the world. They are harnessing these resources to deliver for residents, families, and businesses throughout the entire state.
Healey was elected Massachusetts Attorney General in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. As the People’s Lawyer, she took on the issues that impact residents across Massachusetts, including the opioid epidemic, the climate crisis, escalating health care costs, and student loan debt. She was the first Attorney General to sue Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers for their role in fueling the opioid crisis. She also routinely protected the rights of consumers, workers, students, seniors, immigrants and the LGBTQ and disability communities.
Building on her promise to run an office that serves people across the state, Healey launched the Community Engagement Division in May 2015. The first-of-its-kind division brought the Attorney General’s Office and its work into neighborhoods and communities across the state. The Division launched community office hours and has assisted with the rollout of several policy initiatives including the Earned Sick Time law and Domestic Workers’ Bill of Rights.
Healey grew up the oldest of five siblings in an old farm house in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. They were raised by their mother, Tracy, who worked as a nurse at the local elementary school. Her stepdad, Edward, later joined the family and was a teacher, local union president, and coached her high school basketball team, giving her a lifelong love of the game.
Healey attended Harvard College, where she captained the basketball team, and then spent two years as a 5’4” starting point guard on a professional basketball team in Austria. She attended Northeastern University School of Law, motivated by a commitment to public service and desire to help people
She went on to work in private practice before leaving to serve as Chief of the Civil Rights Division in the Attorney General’s Office. She was promoted to oversee two of the office’s most prominent divisions: the Public Protection & Advocacy Bureau and the Business & Labor Bureau. During this time, she led the first state challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act and held banks and lending companies accountable after the 2008 financial crisis.
Dr. Alastair Bell is president and interim CEO of the BMC Health System. He oversees comprehensive system strategy and operations of its entities including BMC, accountable care, and the WellSense Health Plan, a Medicaid Managed Care Organization with more than 400,000 members in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Prior to joining BMC in 2012, Dr. Bell was a leader in the North American Payor and Provider Practice at McKinsey and Company, advising a range of national and international healthcare organizations and leading large scale transformation programs. Alastair received a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Oxford in England, a Master of Arts in physiology from the University of Cambridge in England, and a Master of Business Administration with distinction from Harvard Business School. He currently serves as the vice chair of the board for both Boston Medflight and Boston Children’s Chorus.
As Beth Israel Lahey Health’s inaugural Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Juan Fernando Lopera leads the system’s efforts to transform care delivery for the underserved, while establishing diversity, equity and inclusion capabilities across the system. He is also responsible for the system’s community benefits and community relations efforts.
Before joining BILH, Juan Fernando served as Vice President and Corporate Business Diversity Officer at Point32Health, where he led company-wide diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and co-chaired the company’s Anti-Racism Leadership Taskforce. He also oversaw the Rhode Island Medicaid business and led marketing and community outreach efforts for Tufts Health Public Plans. Previously, he served as the company’s Director of Health Services leading medical cost management and provider contracting strategy and analytics. Earlier in his career, Juan Fernando served as Director of Affordability Strategies at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and held management roles at Deloitte Consulting.
Juan Fernando’s civic engagements include, Vice-Chair of the Dimock Center Board, Trustee of Stonehill College, Co-Chair of The Boston Foundation’s Latino Legacy Fund, Eastern Bank’s Board of Corporators and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Economic Opportunity Board. He has also served on State of Massachussetts Massachusetts appointments, including the COVID-19 Health Equity Advisory Group, Latino Empowerment Council and the Health Policy Commission Advisory Council.
Juan Fernando earned a B.S. from the School of Management at Boston College. He is originally from Medellin, Colombia and resides in Waltham, MA with his wife and two children. In his spare time, Juan Fernando is a competitive cyclist and was the 2019 Massachusetts Masters Road Champion.
Dr. Kevin Tabb serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Beth Israel Lahey Health and is an ex officio member of its Board of Trustees.
As President and Chief Executive Officer of Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH), Dr. Tabb is responsible for leading a pioneering integrated health care system offering a full continuum of health care services, ranging from hospital to ambulatory to urgent to behavioral health care. Beth Israel Lahey Health was created as a transformational approach to health care delivery in the Commonwealth — its unique structure designed to advance meaningful collaboration across organizations, care settings, specialties and geographies to ensure patients receive the treatment they need in the communities where they live and work.
Dr. Tabb was previously the Chief Executive Officer of the Beth Israel Deaconess system and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).
Before joining Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Dr. Tabb was Chief Medical Officer at Stanford Hospital & Clinics in Stanford, California. There, he had broad strategic and operational responsibilities, which included physician network strategy, clinical quality and patient safety initiatives, regulatory and medical staff affairs, and graduate and continuing medical education. He was previously Chief Quality and Medical Information Officer at Stanford. Prior to joining Stanford, Dr. Tabb led the Clinical Data Service Division of GE Healthcare IT.
Raised in Berkeley, California, Dr. Tabb emigrated to Israel at the age of 18 and served in the Israel Defense Forces, the country’s military service. He received his undergraduate degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem and his medical degree from the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School. Dr. Tabb completed his residency in internal medicine at Hadassah Hospital.
Cain A. Hayes, President & CEO Cain Hayes is president and chief executive officer of Point32Health, a $9-billion organization that includes Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan. Serving 2.2 million members across five states, Point32Health is one of New England’s largest non-profit health and well-being organizations and one of the top twenty health plans in the United States.
Cain is responsible for leading the company’s executive team, ensuring a strong culture of quality, innovation and customer service, and defining strategic vision and direction. He is active and visible in supporting community initiatives to further Point32Health’s purpose.
Previously, Cain served as president & CEO of Gateway Health, a leading managed care organization, where he was responsible for all strategy and day-to-day operations of the company. Prior to that, he was president & COO of the Health Business for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.
Cain was also president of the national accounts division for Aetna — serving more than 7 million members throughout the U.S. — where he had full financial and operating responsibility for the $9- billion business. Prior to Aetna, Cain held several executive leadership positions at Nationwide and Principal Financial Group.
As a health care executive, Cain is a passionate advocate for the “total health” of the members and the communities of the organization he leads. He has historically made this approach to whole-person care one of the core components of an organization’s community-focused mission and strategic path forward. By employing this approach, Cain has successfully launched multiple member-centric programs to address issues such as food and housing insecurity, health equity, economic instability and mental health.
Cain holds a master’s degree in business administration from Webster University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Drake University. He also earned the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) designation from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Myechia Minter-Jordan, MD, MBA, serves as the president and CEO of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health. A physician and business executive, Myechia leads a dynamic team of professional and clinical experts committed to building a future where every person can reach their full potential through excellent health.
Through Myechia’s leadership, CareQuest Institute operates as a catalyst for systems change, bringing forth ideas and solutions to create a more accessible, equitable, and integrated health system for everyone. CareQuest Institute collaborates with a wide range of partners to achieve its mission — to improve the oral health of all — through work in grantmaking, research, health improvement programs, policy and advocacy, and education, as well as leadership in dental benefits, care delivery, and innovation advancements.
Myechia also continues to shine a national spotlight on the importance of ending deep social inequity. In 2020, Myechia joined 18 other Black and Brown executives in Massachusetts as a founding leader of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (NCF) to provide philanthropic support to community groups and coalitions fighting systemic racism and racial inequity in the Commonwealth. Originally seeded with $20 million, the NCF aims to raise $100 million.
Before joining CareQuest Institute, Myechia served as chief medical officer and CEO of the Dimock Center, one of the largest community health centers in Massachusetts. During Myechia’s tenure, Dimock was recognized as a national model for comprehensive, integrated health and human services. As CEO, Myechia formed partnerships with world-class institutions to advance person-centered care, including Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Partners HealthCare. Prior to Dimock, Myechia worked for Johns Hopkins Medicine as an attending physician and instructor of medicine.
Myechia also invests personal time in her community, serving on several boards and committees, including BlueShield of California, The Boston Foundation, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Point32 Health, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Previously, she held appointed positions for influential agencies, including the Massachusetts Health Planning Council Advisory Committee and the City of Boston Public Health Commission.
Myechia earned her doctor of medicine degree from Brown University School of Medicine and a master of business administration degree from Johns Hopkins University Carey School of Business. She also received honorary doctorates from Northeastern University and Newbury College.
Kevin B. Churchwell, MD, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Boston Children’s Hospital, providing leadership, vision, and oversight for a team that’s dedicated to improving and advancing child health through their life-changing work in clinical care, research and innovation, medical education, and community engagement.
Since joining Boston Children’s as its Executive Vice President of Health Affairs Chief Operating Officer in 2013, Dr. Churchwell has been instrumental in leading the hospital’s work to become a High Reliability Organization, one where zero avoidable harm impacts any patient, family member, or employee. He has brought to Boston the same passion for enhancing the patient family experience that defined his tenure as CEO of both Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE, and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital, part of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN.
An advocate for equity, diversity and inclusivity, Dr. Churchwell is responsible for establishing three of the 11 Offices of Health Equity and Inclusion at hospitals across the U.S. and Canada, including the Office at Boston Children’s, which he founded in 2016. With the publication of Boston Children’s own Declaration for Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity in 2020, Dr. Churchwell has committed to the work required to make Boston Children’s a community that’s made stronger by our differences, and a leader in equity for all.
A graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Vanderbilt Medical School in Nashville, Dr. Churchwell completed his pediatric residency and a clinical fellowship in Pediatric Critical Care at Boston Children’s Hospital. He is currently an Associate Professor of Pediatric Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and Dr. Churchwell is the Robert and Dana Smith Associate Professor of Anesthesia at the Harvard Medical School.
Disclosures: Dr. Churchwell is a board member of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, Boston Chamber of Commerce, Massachusetts Hospital Association, MIT Corporation, the Whitehead Institute, Advisory Board for The Boston University School of Public Health and the Boys and Girls Club of Boston.
Mike Dandorph is President and CEO of Tufts Medicine, a leading integrated health system bringing together the best of academic and community healthcare to deliver exceptional, connected and accessible care experiences to consumers across Massachusetts. Tufts Medicine is comprised of Tufts Medical Center, Lowell General Hospital, MelroseWakefield Hospital, Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford, an expansive home care network and a large integrated physician network. The system has more than 15,000 dedicated care team members providing more than 1.5 million patient experiences per year, and is the principal teaching affiliate for Tufts University School of Medicine.
Mike’s career spans three decades of service to academic health systems. He is highly regarded for executing broad transformational change that incorporates innovative partnerships, high performance teams, and a relentless focus on consumer-centric patient care.
Joining Tufts Medicine in January of 2020, Mike has guided the $2.5 billion health system through a series of transformative endeavors including a comprehensive administrative and clinical integration process, an extensive board restructuring, a major brand overhaul, a highly participative mission/vision/values development process, and the establishment of significant partnerships in pediatric, behavioral health, and ambulatory surgical services.
Mike also expanded the health system’s relationship with Tufts University to further align and amplify the impact of their integrated education and research portfolio. Under his leadership, Tufts Medicine embarked on a major digital transformation effort, becoming the first health system in the country to deploy its entire digital health ecosystem in the cloud beginning with the migration of over 20 disparate electronic medical record systems to a single EPIC health platform.
Before joining Tufts Medicine, Mike led Rush University System for Health through a period of exponential growth and quality improvement, culminating in Rush University Medical Center being ranked on the U.S. News & World Report 2020-2021 best hospitals honor roll and first in the nation among 95 academic medical centers for quality performance by Vizient’s University Health Consortium.
Prior to his tenure at Rush, Mike served in several leadership roles at Penn Medicine including 10 years as Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer for the health system. He led many growth and clinical integration initiatives including several hospital acquisitions, joint venture partnerships and clinical affiliations, and service line expansion and integration efforts.
Mike received his master’s degree from the Sloan Program in Health Administration at Cornell University and has held leadership positions on numerous boards throughout his career.
Anne Klibanski, M.D., is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mass General Brigham, a Boston-based integrated healthcare system that includes internationally known Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, nationally recognized specialty hospitals, including Mass Eye and Ear, McLean, and Spaulding Rehabilitation, seven community hospitals, a health insurance company, physician networks, community health centers, home- based care, and long-term care services.
Appointed to her role as President and CEO in 2019, Dr. Klibanski’s vision for Mass General Brigham is to build the integrated academic health care system of the future with patients at the center, by transforming care, improving outcomes, and expanding impact locally, nationally, and globally.
As the largest private employer in Massachusetts with 82,000 employees and annual revenue of $16 billion, the non-profit healthcare system is the nation’s leading recipient of National Institutes of Health funding and is a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, establishing its position as a national leader in medical research and teaching.
Dr. Klibanski has led clinical integration of services across Mass General Brigham and is responsible for the development of new digital platforms to achieve digital care, including virtual urgent care, to make it easier for patients to access the system’s world-class care. She has overseen increased investment in leading-edge research that has the potential to revolutionize treatments, such as gene and cell therapy, leveraging the system’s $2.3 billion in annual research funding. The system’s innovation team has created more than 300 companies that are making broad impacts on human health, in various spaces – from therapeutics to diagnostics and research.
Under Dr. Klibanski’s leadership, Mass General Brigham has also committed significant resources to community health, with a particular investment in mental health programs. She has established “United Against Racism,” a long-term multi-year commitment to address the impacts that racism has on Mass General Brigham patients, employees, and the broader community.
Dr. Klibanski served as the healthcare system’s Chief Academic Officer from 2012 to 2019 and as Chief of Neuroendocrine at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is recognized internationally for her high-impact research in neuroendocrine disorders and pituitary tumors.
Dr. Klibanski received her B.A., magna cum laude in literature from Barnard College and her M.D. from New York University Medical Center. She is the Laurie Carrol Guthart Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
The Health Equity Compact wishes to recognize founding supporters JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc., and Foley Hoag LLP for their invaluable work: JSI for technical assistance and research from the very beginning of the Compact; and Foley Hoag for pro bono legal skill and expertise in developing and writing An Act to Advance Health Equity.
