There is growing consensus that equity must become integral to the American health services research, delivery and financing system. The National Minority Quality Forum’s Institute for Equity in Health Policy and Practice has been created to enable a collective response to the structural and systemic inequity is the proximate cause of amenable and avoidable morbidity and premature mortality. An initial focus is prescription drug pricing - a component of equity that affects us all.
Presenters:
Michael Ward, MS
Vice President of Public Policy, Alliance for Aging Research
Michael Ward, MS, oversees the Alliance’s public policy and advocacy efforts. He has over a decade of experience advancing healthcare innovation through policy research, federal advocacy, and partnership development. He holds a M.S. degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University.
Eric Gascho
Vice President, Policy and Government Affairs, National Health Council
The mission of the National Health Council is to provide a united voice for the 160 million people living with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers. Eric leads NHC’s advocacy efforts by working with its member organizations to develop policy positions that seek to improve the lives of people with chronic diseases and disabilities and advocating for these policies on Capitol Hill and within the executive branch. Eric earned his BA degrees in government and business management from the University of Redlands in California.
Gary A. Puckrein, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer, National Minority Quality Forum
Gary is the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Minority Quality Forum, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research and advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The mission of the Forum is to reduce patient risk by assuring optimal care for all. The Forum’s vision is an American health services research, delivery and financing system whose operating principle is to reduce patient risk for amenable morbidity and mortality while improving quality of life. Gary received his doctorate from Brown University.
Moderator:
Gretchen Clark Wartman
Vice President for Policy and Program, National Minority Quality Forum
Gretchen is Vice President for Policy and Program of the National Minority Quality Forum. Gretchen has more than 40 years of experience in the public and private sectors in health policy strategy and analysis, issue advocacy, health systems planning, and program administration. In addition to advising the President and CEO on public policy issues, Gretchen directs NMQF’s National Alliance for Brain Health and Awareness, and the Institute for Equity in Health Policy and Practice.
