Advisory Board
The multi-stakeholder Advisory Board provides strategic direction for The Center for Best Practices. The Advisory Board sets research priorities for the Center to help guide its efforts related to the prevention, chronic care and complex care management for our nation’s poor.
Click on the Advisory Board member to view bio and contact information:
Members of the MHPA Center for Best Practices Advisory Board
Patricia A. Cluss, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Angela F. Ford, PhD, MSW, executive director, Center for Minority Health (CMH) - University of Pittsburgh
Marla J. Gold, MD, dean, professor of Health Management and Policy, Drexel University’s School of Public Health
Caroline Grossman, communications and public affairs consultant, Magellan Biosciences
David M. Kendall, MD, Distinguished Medical Fellow, Lilly Diabetes
Tom Knox, Strategic Market Director-KY, Strategic Customer Group, Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Inc.
Gary A. Puckrein, PhD, president and CEO, National Minority Quality Forum Inc. (NMQF)
Harvinder Sareen, PhD, director of clinical programs, WellPoint State-Sponsored Business
Kenneth Thorpe, PhD, Robert W. Woodruff Professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy & Management at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
Patricia A. Cluss, PhD
Dr. Patricia Cluss is a licensed psychologist and an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Her clinical and research interests are in the area of health behavior change strategies for individuals and providers and in translating evidence-based health interventions into community practice settings. She is the co-Principal Investigator of an NIH-funded pediatric obesity intervention research project that works with parents of Medicaid-insured obese children. She has developed an award-winning behavioral health training curriculum in Intimate Partner Violence as a Mental Health Concern and trains physicians and other healthcare clinicians in motivational strategies for talking with people about health-related behavior changes. Dr. Cluss also directs the initiative STANDING FIRM: The Business Case to End Partner Violence that engages employers to address partner violence as a workplace and workforce concern.
Contact Information:
Dr. Patricia Cluss
3811 O'Hara Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2593
(412) 647-2933
clusspa@upmc.edu
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Angela F. Ford, PhD, MSW
Dr. Angela Ford originally came to the University of Pittsburgh in 1990 and was instrumental in establishing the Alzheimer Outreach Center (AOC) at the Hill House Association - as the satellite center for the University’s Alzheimer Disease Research Center - and she served as the AOC Program Director for the first five years of its existence. In 2009, Dr. Ford was appointed Executive Director of the Center for Minority Health (CMH) after serving as the Associate Director since 1996. During her tenure at the CMH, Dr. Ford has provided leadership for CMH community outreach, community engagement, and information dissemination activities that have relevance to minority health and health disparities. Dr. Ford has served on numerous boards and advisory committees including the Governor’s Commission on African American Affairs, the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and the Board of Fellows for the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics.
Contact Information:
Dr. Angela F. Ford
127A Parran Hall / 130 Desoto Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
(412) 624-3402
forda@pitt.edu
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Marla J. Gold, MD
Dr. Marla J. Gold is the Dean of Drexel University’s School of Public Health and a Professor of Health Management and Policy. She completed an internal medicine residency and infectious disease fellowship at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She previously served as Philadelphia’s Assistant Health Commissioner for Infectious Disease Control in the Public Health Department, where she was responsible for all reportable and communicable diseases and conditions. Among her responsibilities, she represented the City of Philadelphia as the grantee for Ryan White CARE Act awards, CDC Cooperative Agreements for HIV, TB, and STD, and directed the design of a delivery system of HIV care among Philadelphia’s eight public health centers. She directed the immunization program for the City. She also designed and established the largest comprehensive HIV/AIDS care program in the Greater Philadelphia Region known as The Partnership. Dr. Gold has extensive national experience working with community-based organizations, community leaders and coalitions on a wide range of public health issues.
Contact Information:
Dr. Marla J. Gold
1505 Race Street, Mail Stop 660
13th Floor, Bellet Building
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 762-7091
mjg32@drexel.edu
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Caroline Grossman
Caroline Grossman is the Communications & Public Affairs Consultant at Magellan Biosciences. Ms. Grossman has been spearheading a continuing campaign on behalf of Magellan Biosciences to raise awareness about lead poisoning, eliminate financial and regulatory barriers to three-minute blood-lead testing, and develop and promote best practices that increase screening rates, identify children and adults at risk for lead poisoning, and improve the effectiveness of health-education and prevention measures. A seasoned communications and public affairs professional with more than 25 years of experience, Ms. Grossman bring a wide range of project expertise to her work for Magellan and other global clients in the clinical diagnostics, medical device and life science industries. She is a board member and serves on the quality assurance and development committees of the Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center which serves more than 12,000 patients annually through community and school-based clinics in the Boston area. Caroline holds a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University.
Contact Information:
Caroline Grossman
47 Ellison Park
Waltham, MA 02452
(781) 893-6758
caroline.grossman@gmail.com
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David M. Kendall, MD
Dr. David Kendall is currently a Distinguished Medical Fellow for Lilly Diabetes. Appointed to this role at Eli Lilly in 2011, Dr. Kendall serves as a senior medical and clinical advisor for Lilly Diabetes in advocacy, clinical and medical science and as a representative to the professional medical community. In addition, he provides scientific and clinical input to Lilly’s diabetes discovery and clinical development programs. Other key responsibilities include support of Lilly’s medical education efforts and diabetes health care evaluation programs. In addition to his role with Lilly, Dr. Kendall holds an academic appointment as Associate Professor of Medicine (Adjunct) at the University of Minnesota and serves as an Adjunct Medical Director at the International Diabetes Center (both in Minneapolis, MN). From 2009-2011, Dr. Kendall served as Chief Scientific and Medical Officer for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Alexandria, Virginia. Kendall held several positions over his decade of service at the International Diabetes Center in Minneapolis, MN. He served both as Medical Director and Chief of Clinical and Professional Services (2008-9) and Chief of Clinical Services (from 1997-2005). He also held a position of Executive Director of Medical Affairs at Amylin Pharmaceuticals (2005-2008) and has held both full-time and adjunct faculty positions at the University of Minnesota Medical School (1994-1997, 1998-present).
Contact Information:
Dr. David M. Kendall
(952) 567-0255
dkendall@lilly.com
dmkendall329@gmail.com
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Tom Knox
Tom Knox, Strategic Market Director-KY, Strategic Customer Group, joined what is now Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Inc., in October of 1976 as a sales representative. He was enrolled in the management development program and was promoted to District Manager of the Los Angeles district in October of 1979. During his 15-year tenure as a District Manager, he was known for his development of people and strong sales performance. He led his District Teams to the #1 ranking in 1986 and had five years of Top 5 rankings. Mr. Knox has held numerous positions, mainly in the area of strategic customers. He negotiated the first sole Group Purchasing Organization contract for Ortho’s key antibiotic drug. He has demonstrated leadership among many cross functional internal teams through effective communications, collaboration and marketplace leadership. Mr. Knox has received numerous internal awards, including the Pinnacle Club Award, the President’s Cup, National Account Director of the Year, and Strategic Market Director of the Year. In Tom’s current position as Strategic Market Director, he is working on a major project to gain greater insight into the changing Managed Medicaid market. Mr. Knox holds a BS degree in Business Administration/Marketing from Western Kentucky University.
Contact Information:
Tom Knox
2490 Peppermill Court
Verona, KY 41092
(859) 485-4901
tknox1@its.jnj.com
(back to top)
Gary A. Puckrein, PhD
Dr. Gary Puckrein is the President and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum Inc. (NMQF), a nonprofit organization that he founded in 1998. With support from the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, under his leadership NMQF launched the Zip code Analysis Project (ZCAP). ZCAP is a comprehensive database that links vital statistics, demographic, environmental, claims, prescription drug, clinical laboratory values, health care access points (for example, hospitals or physicians’ offices) and other data elements into one centralized data warehouse, organized around Zip codes. ZCAP enabled the NMQF to develop the Health Assessment Tool (HAT) that measures and forecasts health status in small geographic areas, evaluates the impact of specific interventions, monitors changes in health outcomes, and undertakes risk assessments (health care utilization and its financial implications). NMQF uses HAT to provide a common set of indicators – geographic and health status referents – to stratify communities by health status. Dr. Puckrein serves on numerous health care advisory boards, including the National Advisory Board on Health Disparities for the Health Research and Educational Trust, American Hospital Association; CLAS/Health Disparities Expert Panel, National Committee for Quality Assurance; Pharmacy Education Advisory Council, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
Contact Information:
Dr. Gary A. Puckrein
1200 New Hampshire Avenue, NW Suite 575
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 223-7560
gpuckrein@Nmqf.org
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Harvinder Sareen, PhD
Dr. Harvinder Sareen is the Director of Clinical Programs at WellPoint’s State-Sponsored Business. She plays a key role in leading WellPoint’s efforts to address childhood obesity among its commercial and Medicaid members. Under her leadership, the initiative has facilitated innovative BMI training and other resources for primary care physicians as well as partnered with academic institutions to generate evidence-based research on school fruit and vegetable bars to support recent bills on child nutrition. Her work has recently expanded into testing pilots to promote diabetes care, advancing the Medicaid Medical Home for high-risk pregnant women, and functional health literacy to improve health outcomes for Medicaid and CHIP members. In addition to the above responsibilities, Dr. Sareen has developed “SimpleSteps,” a pilot wellness program for employees. She is also co-Chair of the California Wellness Committee for WellPoint. Dr. Sareen holds a doctoral degree from the UCLA School of Public Health with a minor in Anthropology. Her previous work includes working closely with underserved populations in northern India; the Women, Infants, and Children program in South Los Angeles; the Healthy Start program; the American Academy of Pediatrics; and First 5 Ventura County, California. She is an active member of the Society for Research on Child Development and the American Public Health Association.
Contact Information:
Harvinder Sareen, PhD
1 WellPoint Way, Mail point CAT201-M001
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
(805) 557-6530
harvinder.sareen@wellpoint.com
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Kenneth Thorpe, PhD
Dr. Kenneth Thorpe is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy & Management, in the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. He also co-directs the Emory Center on Health Outcomes and Quality. He was the Vanselow Professor of Health Policy and Director, Institute for Health Services Research at Tulane University. He was previously Professor of Health Policy and Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; an Associate Professor and Director of the Program on Health Care Financing and Insurance at the Harvard University School of Public Health and Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Public Health at Columbia University. Dr. Thorpe has also held Visiting Faculty positions at Pepperdine University and Duke University. Dr. Thorpe also serves as the Executive Director of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Diseases. Dr. Thorpe was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 1993 to 1995.
Contact Information:
Dr. Kenneth Thorpe
1518 Clifton Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30322
(404) 727-3373
kthorpe@sph.emory.edu
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Click on the Advisory Board member to view bio and contact information:
Members of the MHPA Center for Best Practices Advisory Board
Patricia A. Cluss, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Angela F. Ford, PhD, MSW, executive director, Center for Minority Health (CMH) - University of Pittsburgh
Marla J. Gold, MD, dean, professor of Health Management and Policy, Drexel University’s School of Public Health
Caroline Grossman, communications and public affairs consultant, Magellan Biosciences
David M. Kendall, MD, Distinguished Medical Fellow, Lilly Diabetes
Tom Knox, Strategic Market Director-KY, Strategic Customer Group, Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Inc.
Gary A. Puckrein, PhD, president and CEO, National Minority Quality Forum Inc. (NMQF)
Harvinder Sareen, PhD, director of clinical programs, WellPoint State-Sponsored Business
Kenneth Thorpe, PhD, Robert W. Woodruff Professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy & Management at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
Patricia A. Cluss, PhD
Dr. Patricia Cluss is a licensed psychologist and an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Her clinical and research interests are in the area of health behavior change strategies for individuals and providers and in translating evidence-based health interventions into community practice settings. She is the co-Principal Investigator of an NIH-funded pediatric obesity intervention research project that works with parents of Medicaid-insured obese children. She has developed an award-winning behavioral health training curriculum in Intimate Partner Violence as a Mental Health Concern and trains physicians and other healthcare clinicians in motivational strategies for talking with people about health-related behavior changes. Dr. Cluss also directs the initiative STANDING FIRM: The Business Case to End Partner Violence that engages employers to address partner violence as a workplace and workforce concern.
Contact Information:
Dr. Patricia Cluss
3811 O'Hara Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2593
(412) 647-2933
clusspa@upmc.edu
(back to top)
Angela F. Ford, PhD, MSW
Dr. Angela Ford originally came to the University of Pittsburgh in 1990 and was instrumental in establishing the Alzheimer Outreach Center (AOC) at the Hill House Association - as the satellite center for the University’s Alzheimer Disease Research Center - and she served as the AOC Program Director for the first five years of its existence. In 2009, Dr. Ford was appointed Executive Director of the Center for Minority Health (CMH) after serving as the Associate Director since 1996. During her tenure at the CMH, Dr. Ford has provided leadership for CMH community outreach, community engagement, and information dissemination activities that have relevance to minority health and health disparities. Dr. Ford has served on numerous boards and advisory committees including the Governor’s Commission on African American Affairs, the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and the Board of Fellows for the University of Pittsburgh Institute of Politics.
Contact Information:
Dr. Angela F. Ford
127A Parran Hall / 130 Desoto Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
(412) 624-3402
forda@pitt.edu
(back to top)
Marla J. Gold, MD
Dr. Marla J. Gold is the Dean of Drexel University’s School of Public Health and a Professor of Health Management and Policy. She completed an internal medicine residency and infectious disease fellowship at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She previously served as Philadelphia’s Assistant Health Commissioner for Infectious Disease Control in the Public Health Department, where she was responsible for all reportable and communicable diseases and conditions. Among her responsibilities, she represented the City of Philadelphia as the grantee for Ryan White CARE Act awards, CDC Cooperative Agreements for HIV, TB, and STD, and directed the design of a delivery system of HIV care among Philadelphia’s eight public health centers. She directed the immunization program for the City. She also designed and established the largest comprehensive HIV/AIDS care program in the Greater Philadelphia Region known as The Partnership. Dr. Gold has extensive national experience working with community-based organizations, community leaders and coalitions on a wide range of public health issues.
Contact Information:
Dr. Marla J. Gold
1505 Race Street, Mail Stop 660
13th Floor, Bellet Building
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 762-7091
mjg32@drexel.edu
(back to top)
Caroline Grossman
Caroline Grossman is the Communications & Public Affairs Consultant at Magellan Biosciences. Ms. Grossman has been spearheading a continuing campaign on behalf of Magellan Biosciences to raise awareness about lead poisoning, eliminate financial and regulatory barriers to three-minute blood-lead testing, and develop and promote best practices that increase screening rates, identify children and adults at risk for lead poisoning, and improve the effectiveness of health-education and prevention measures. A seasoned communications and public affairs professional with more than 25 years of experience, Ms. Grossman bring a wide range of project expertise to her work for Magellan and other global clients in the clinical diagnostics, medical device and life science industries. She is a board member and serves on the quality assurance and development committees of the Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center which serves more than 12,000 patients annually through community and school-based clinics in the Boston area. Caroline holds a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University.
Contact Information:
Caroline Grossman
47 Ellison Park
Waltham, MA 02452
(781) 893-6758
caroline.grossman@gmail.com
(back to top)
David M. Kendall, MD
Dr. David Kendall is currently a Distinguished Medical Fellow for Lilly Diabetes. Appointed to this role at Eli Lilly in 2011, Dr. Kendall serves as a senior medical and clinical advisor for Lilly Diabetes in advocacy, clinical and medical science and as a representative to the professional medical community. In addition, he provides scientific and clinical input to Lilly’s diabetes discovery and clinical development programs. Other key responsibilities include support of Lilly’s medical education efforts and diabetes health care evaluation programs. In addition to his role with Lilly, Dr. Kendall holds an academic appointment as Associate Professor of Medicine (Adjunct) at the University of Minnesota and serves as an Adjunct Medical Director at the International Diabetes Center (both in Minneapolis, MN). From 2009-2011, Dr. Kendall served as Chief Scientific and Medical Officer for the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Alexandria, Virginia. Kendall held several positions over his decade of service at the International Diabetes Center in Minneapolis, MN. He served both as Medical Director and Chief of Clinical and Professional Services (2008-9) and Chief of Clinical Services (from 1997-2005). He also held a position of Executive Director of Medical Affairs at Amylin Pharmaceuticals (2005-2008) and has held both full-time and adjunct faculty positions at the University of Minnesota Medical School (1994-1997, 1998-present).
Contact Information:
Dr. David M. Kendall
(952) 567-0255
dkendall@lilly.com
dmkendall329@gmail.com
(back to top)
Tom Knox
Tom Knox, Strategic Market Director-KY, Strategic Customer Group, joined what is now Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Inc., in October of 1976 as a sales representative. He was enrolled in the management development program and was promoted to District Manager of the Los Angeles district in October of 1979. During his 15-year tenure as a District Manager, he was known for his development of people and strong sales performance. He led his District Teams to the #1 ranking in 1986 and had five years of Top 5 rankings. Mr. Knox has held numerous positions, mainly in the area of strategic customers. He negotiated the first sole Group Purchasing Organization contract for Ortho’s key antibiotic drug. He has demonstrated leadership among many cross functional internal teams through effective communications, collaboration and marketplace leadership. Mr. Knox has received numerous internal awards, including the Pinnacle Club Award, the President’s Cup, National Account Director of the Year, and Strategic Market Director of the Year. In Tom’s current position as Strategic Market Director, he is working on a major project to gain greater insight into the changing Managed Medicaid market. Mr. Knox holds a BS degree in Business Administration/Marketing from Western Kentucky University.
Contact Information:
Tom Knox
2490 Peppermill Court
Verona, KY 41092
(859) 485-4901
tknox1@its.jnj.com
(back to top)
Gary A. Puckrein, PhD
Dr. Gary Puckrein is the President and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum Inc. (NMQF), a nonprofit organization that he founded in 1998. With support from the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, under his leadership NMQF launched the Zip code Analysis Project (ZCAP). ZCAP is a comprehensive database that links vital statistics, demographic, environmental, claims, prescription drug, clinical laboratory values, health care access points (for example, hospitals or physicians’ offices) and other data elements into one centralized data warehouse, organized around Zip codes. ZCAP enabled the NMQF to develop the Health Assessment Tool (HAT) that measures and forecasts health status in small geographic areas, evaluates the impact of specific interventions, monitors changes in health outcomes, and undertakes risk assessments (health care utilization and its financial implications). NMQF uses HAT to provide a common set of indicators – geographic and health status referents – to stratify communities by health status. Dr. Puckrein serves on numerous health care advisory boards, including the National Advisory Board on Health Disparities for the Health Research and Educational Trust, American Hospital Association; CLAS/Health Disparities Expert Panel, National Committee for Quality Assurance; Pharmacy Education Advisory Council, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
Contact Information:
Dr. Gary A. Puckrein
1200 New Hampshire Avenue, NW Suite 575
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 223-7560
gpuckrein@Nmqf.org
(back to top)
Harvinder Sareen, PhD
Dr. Harvinder Sareen is the Director of Clinical Programs at WellPoint’s State-Sponsored Business. She plays a key role in leading WellPoint’s efforts to address childhood obesity among its commercial and Medicaid members. Under her leadership, the initiative has facilitated innovative BMI training and other resources for primary care physicians as well as partnered with academic institutions to generate evidence-based research on school fruit and vegetable bars to support recent bills on child nutrition. Her work has recently expanded into testing pilots to promote diabetes care, advancing the Medicaid Medical Home for high-risk pregnant women, and functional health literacy to improve health outcomes for Medicaid and CHIP members. In addition to the above responsibilities, Dr. Sareen has developed “SimpleSteps,” a pilot wellness program for employees. She is also co-Chair of the California Wellness Committee for WellPoint. Dr. Sareen holds a doctoral degree from the UCLA School of Public Health with a minor in Anthropology. Her previous work includes working closely with underserved populations in northern India; the Women, Infants, and Children program in South Los Angeles; the Healthy Start program; the American Academy of Pediatrics; and First 5 Ventura County, California. She is an active member of the Society for Research on Child Development and the American Public Health Association.
Contact Information:
Harvinder Sareen, PhD
1 WellPoint Way, Mail point CAT201-M001
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
(805) 557-6530
harvinder.sareen@wellpoint.com
(back to top)
Kenneth Thorpe, PhD
Dr. Kenneth Thorpe is the Robert W. Woodruff Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy & Management, in the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. He also co-directs the Emory Center on Health Outcomes and Quality. He was the Vanselow Professor of Health Policy and Director, Institute for Health Services Research at Tulane University. He was previously Professor of Health Policy and Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; an Associate Professor and Director of the Program on Health Care Financing and Insurance at the Harvard University School of Public Health and Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Public Health at Columbia University. Dr. Thorpe has also held Visiting Faculty positions at Pepperdine University and Duke University. Dr. Thorpe also serves as the Executive Director of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Diseases. Dr. Thorpe was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 1993 to 1995.
Contact Information:
Dr. Kenneth Thorpe
1518 Clifton Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30322
(404) 727-3373
kthorpe@sph.emory.edu
(back to top)
Plan to Attend MHPA 2013
Save Oct. 20-22 for MHPA 2013 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center at National Harbor, MD. Our annual conference again will be the country’s largest gathering of top-level executives in the Medicaid health plan industry. For sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities at MHPA 2013, please click here.
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