Gloria Addo-Ayensu, Director of Health, Fairfax County Health Department
Gloria Addo-Ayensu, MD, MPH, is the director of health for Fairfax County. In this capacity, she provides overall leadership, management, and direction for public health programs in the county and serves as the official health advisor to Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors, Health Care Advisory Board and the Human Services Council. She has led local and regional public health initiatives in the areas of emergency preparedness, health promotion, and community engagement.
Throughout her public health career, Addo-Ayensu has advanced health equity and community resiliency through partnerships and has successfully leveraged community assets to create innovative, practical, and sustainable community-based approaches to complex public health challenges. She earned her Doctor of Medicine and Master's in Public Health from Tulane University and completed her residency training in preventive medicine from the Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Alison Ansher, District Health Director, Prince William Health District
Alison Ansher, MD, MPH, is the district health director for the Prince William Health District in Northern Virginia. In that role, which she has held since 2006, Ansher oversees the public health services for the jurisdictions of Prince William County, Manassas City, and Manassas Park. She serves a diverse community of over 500,000 residents, managing over 90 employees who provide services through the following programs: environmental health, women's wellness, teen wellness, WIC, dental health, immunizations, communicable disease, maternity care, and emergency preparedness and response. Previously, Ansher served as a clinician and the director of women’s health for the Prince William health district.
Ansher began her career as an OB/GYN generalist clinician with the Group Health Association after completing her residency. Ansher earned her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine and completed her Master of Public Health, Health Policy and Management at Johns Hopkin University.
Anton Arbatov, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management and Compliance, SOC Telemed
Anton Arbatov, MHA, is the vice president of revenue cycle management and compliance at SOC Telemed, the nation’s largest acute care telemedicine company, publicly traded, based in Reston, VA. He is an expert on telehealth reimbursement and policy and leads SOC’s government relations. In this capacity, Arbatov works with hundreds of hospitals and health systems across the country to establish a national-scale billing operation for hospital-based telemedicine. He routinely advises clinical partners across the country and lobbies CMS and congress to enact lasting change to telemedicine policy. A former Army Combat Medic, Arbatov is passionate about improving access and quality of care for patients across the care continuum. He joined SOC Telemed following an impressive career in the U.S. Army, where he served in a number of clinical and administrative roles, including Senior Manager (NCOIC) of Emergency Medical Operations at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), and Senior Emergency Medical Operations Advisor to the regional government of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. Due to his passion and background, Arbatov continues to work closely with the U.S. military to help them establish and grow their telehealth programs.
Arbatov is board-certified in healthcare administration as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and holds a Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree in Health Systems Management from George Mason University. He lectures regularly at Washington D.C. regional universities, and presents regularly for chapters of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), among other organizations. Arbatov has contributed to publications by the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and by George Mason’s Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics (CHPRE).
Robert B. Blancato, President, Matz, Blancato and Associates
Bob Blancato, MPA, is president of Matz, Blancato and Associates located in Washington D.C. He is the national coordinator of the bipartisan, 3000 member Elder Justice Coalition. He serves as executive director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs. Blancato has more than 20 years of federal government service in the congress and executive branches including an appointment by President Clinton to be executive director of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging.
Currently, Blancato is in volunteer leadership roles with top national aging groups, including serving on the national Board of AARP and the AARP Foundation. He is also on the Board of the National Hispanic Council on Aging. He serves on the National Advisory Council on Rural Health and Human Services appointed by former HHS Secretary Azar. He holds a BA from Georgetown University and an MPA from American University. Blancato has won numerous awards for advocacy most recently, the Hall of Fame Award from the American Society on Aging awarded in April 2021.
Yoshie Davison, Strategic Partnership Leader in Mental Health Advocacy
Yoshie Davison, MSW has over 23 years of nonprofit and association experience working as a strategic partnership leader in mental health advocacy and education with organizational budgets that exceed $50 million. She is a mental health advocate and also serves her community as a volunteer with adults with disabilities.
Davison earned her Master of Social Work from Mason. She is currently on Mason’s Social Work Advisory Council and just finished her term on Mason’s Alumni Board as Vice President of the LIVE Committee. She also served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Social Work instructing field practicum seminars. As a first-generation college graduate, she enjoys giving back to Mason’s community as a mentor in career development and engagement areas.
Eleanor Dehoney, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, Research!America
Eleanor (Ellie) Dehoney, MSPH, has been vice president of policy and advocacy at Research!America since March of 2011. Prior to joining Research!America, Dehoney served as legislative director in the office of Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH). Dehoney also served as the legislative director for Brown in the House of Representatives, where she maintained lead responsibility for work related to his role as ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee. Before joining Brown’s staff, Dehoney served as a legislative assistant for former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD). Previous positions included serving as a special assistant in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) within the Department of Health and Human Services and in other executive branch and private sector roles focused on health care financing and delivery.
Dehoney received a BA in economics and English from the College of William & Mary and an MSPH in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Michael Fraser, Chief Executive Officer, ASTHO
Michael Fraser, PhD, MS, CAE, FCPP, is the chief executive officer of The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and Washington, D.C.
Fraser has been advancing ASTHO’s mission as an advocate, voice, and resource for state and territorial public health since August 2016. Prior to joining ASTHO, he served many leadership positions including executive vice president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, CEO of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, and deputy executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials. He also served in several capacities at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Fraser received his doctorate and master’s degrees in sociology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master’s in management with a concentration on management, strategy, and leadership from the Eli Broad School of Management at Michigan State University.
He is a co-editor of the Public Health Guide to Ending the Opioid Crisis, published by the Oxford University Press, and a co-editor and author of the Handbook of Strategic Skills for Public Health Practice, to be published in 2021.
Patricia Haresign, Health and Wellness Coach, Founder, Coaching Wellness for Life
Prior to setting up her business, Patricia Haresign, MS, enjoyed a successful career as an educator, developing programs that strategically led to the achievement of individual and organizational outcomes. In her role as an education nurse specialist at Sibley Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine, and also as a nursing clinical adjunct faculty member at Marymount University, her instruction took students beyond academics and clinical education to include communication skills for crucial conversations and connecting with patients and families, as well as promoting wellness and resilience strategies for her students. Haresign became well known for her expertise in the patient experience. Using Design Thinking strategies, she acted as an internal consultant at Sibley/Johns Hopkins Medicine, leading teams to create solutions to improve the patient experience. She participated in interviews for publication, panel discussions, and accepted recognition awards and invitations to present success strategies at national conferences.
Haresign received her BSN from George Mason University's School of Nursing and an MS from Marymount University in organization effectiveness. Her board certifications include Gerontologic Nursing, Nursing Continuing Professional Development, Myers Briggs (MBTI), EQi 360 2.0 (Emotional Intelligence), and Health and Wellness Coaching (NBCHWC).
Haresign served on the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation as an appraiser for continuing nursing education provider applicants. She was appointed to the Patient and Family Advisory Council, Sibley Hospital /Johns Hopkins Medicine, in her role as the patient experience specialist and coach.
Janet E. Hinchcliff, Advisory Board Chair, Principal, Health Program Strategy, Health Innovation Center, The MITRE Corporation
Janet Hinchcliff, MBA, devotes her career to improving health and healthcare delivery. She serves as a long-term member of the College of Health and Human Service Advisory Board and, during a portion of that time, the board liaison to the School of Nursing.
As a principal with the MITRE Corporation, a non-profit, that operates federally funded research and development centers including the CMS Alliance to Modernize Healthcare, she leads a group in MITRE’s health tech center, which supports the development of new, innovative, and improved health and healthcare programs for federal government sponsors. Prior to MITRE, she spent several years in the healthcare regulatory and consulting practices at PwC and KPMG, leading projects across the healthcare domain, including academic medical centers, integrated healthcare systems, physician groups, insurers, research organizations, and others. She also was a director with a regional healthcare system, where she collaborated on designing and implementing new, innovative programs.
Hinchcliff earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from the University of Virginia and her Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University. She was co-chair of the Employer/Consumer Healthcare Subcommittee of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, helped found the Healthcare Committee of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, and was a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and Healthcare Financial Management Association. She’s spoken on various healthcare topics and provided information for healthcare articles and journals.
Praduman Jain, CEO and Founder, Vibrent Health
Praduman “PJ” Jain, MS, is CEO and founder of Vibrent Health and the principal investigator of the Participant Technology Systems Center (PTSC) of the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program, for which Vibrent built a national platform for precision health research and health management insights for one million diverse people across the U.S. Jain is also the chair of the Security Board of the Committee on Access, Privacy & Security for the NIH All of Us Research Program; a member of the Roundtable on Genomics and Precision Health at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; an invited external expert for eMERGE & Beyond, The Future of Electronic Medical Records, and the genomics program of the Division of Genomic Medicine, National Human Genome Research Institute; and an external advisory board member for iTHRIVE – a Virginia Clinical and Translational Science Award.
Prior to founding Vibrent, Jain held various senior leadership roles at Sprint, Nextel, AOL, Time Warner, and VTech and launched emerging products and services with revenues of more than $2 billion. He earned a Master of Science in electrical engineering, and he holds several patents and has authored several research publications.
Sharon Lamberton, Deputy Vice President, PHRMA
Lamberton, MS, serves as deputy vice president of state policy at PhRMA, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association of America, a trade association of 33 biopharmaceutical companies based in Washington, DC. In her role, she analyzes policy, provides strategy, and serves as a lobbyist for the industry in the state's issues, such as Medicaid, cost and value of medicines, adherence, insulin, vaccines, clinical trials and more.
Lamberton works closely with the National Governors’ Association and serves on boards for the National Foundation of Women Legislators, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the Food Allergy Research and Education organization, and most recently, appointed to the Advisory Board for her alma matter, the College of Public Health at George Mason University.
Prior to working at PhRMA, she worked for a senior’s organization on Medicare and long-term care issues. She has also worked at the GAO; Capitol Hill for a former Virginia senator; the Center for Health Policy, Research, and Ethics at GMU; and as a clinical research nurse at the National Institutes of Health on neurological patient protocols, such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, brain and spinal cord disorders, cancer, and more.
Lamberton graduated from nursing school at Texas Woman’s University in Houston and served as president of both the Texas Student Nurses Association and the National Student Nurses Association. She currently enjoys being a guest lecture for graduate-level health policy courses and motivating other healthcare providers to join the ranks of healthcare lobbyists that improve access and care for patients.
Robin Mockenhaupt, Managing Member, Robin Mockenhaupt Consulting, LLC
Prior to starting her own consultancy in 2020, Robin Mockenhaupt, PhD, MPH, MBA, worked at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) for 21 years. The last 3 years she led the policy office for RWJF. Prior to that, she served as Chief of Staff, providing leadership to the chief executive, senior management team, staff, and Board of Trustees. Mockenhaupt also worked as deputy group director for the Health Group, and as a senior program officer. Before joining RWJF, Mockenhaupt spent 14 years with AARP in Washington, D.C., where she specialized in health and aging. She managed Health Advocacy Services, and the National Resource Center on Health Promotion and Aging. She co-authored the book Healthy Aging with Kathy Nelson. She also held positions at Focus Technologies in Washington, D.C.; the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health at Georgetown University; and the National Health Screening Council in Bethesda, Md.
Mockenhaupt received a PhD in health education from the University of Maryland, a graduate certificate in gerontology from the Center on Aging at the University of Maryland, an MPH in health administration from Columbia University, and an MBA and BS in biology from the Pennsylvania State University. A native of Pittsburgh, Mockenhaupt now lives in northern Virginia.
Carolyn A. Taylor, Corporate Operations Officer, Taylor-Oden Enterprises
Carolyn Taylor, PhD, is the corporate operations officer at Taylor-Oden Enterprises, Inc. (TOE), an information technology and health care consulting firm, and has held this role for nine years. She has more than thirty years of experience in the health care industry as a clinician, manager, and corporate executive. She has served as a mentor, educator, consultant, and facilitator. Taylor is a dynamic speaker who has presented numerous topics related to health care, human resources, information technology, and financial management.
Currently, she is an adjunct professor at George Mason University (GMU) College of Public Health. She teaches graduate students majoring in nursing administration. She actively participates on boards and professional associations. She formerly served as board member & treasurer on the GMU Diversity Advisory Board (DAB) from 2001-2005. She has also served on the Deans Advisory Board of the CPH at GMU since 2001. She served as membership chair on the GMU College of Health & Human Services Alumni Association for 2001-2005. Taylor received the GMU Alumni Service Award in 2001. Taylor and her husband, Les Taylor, are founding sponsors of the Quality Improvement of the Year Awards. In January 2009, Taylor was nominated and elected to the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Health Education Council (NVAHEC) for a three-year term.
Taylor is a graduate of GMU with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the College of Health and Human Services. She holds a Master of Business Administration from the School of Management at GMU. She has completed a residency at Oxford University in international business and finance. Currently, Taylor is in her third year of doctoral studies at GMU in the CPH and has completed core course work and moved to doctoral candidacy in January 2009.