Quinn serves the Chair of the Society of Health Policy Young Professionals. By day, she is a Senior Policy Advisor for Congressman Steny. H Hoyer (MD-05). In this role, she advises the Congressman on issues related to health, disability, federal employees, financial services, and LHHS & FSGG Appropriations. Previously, Quinn served in the Office of the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Treasury Department, where she supported implementation of the historic Inflation Reduction Act. Prior to Treasury, Quinn served in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget, handling public health and health insurance data and regulations. Hailing from Northern Illinois, Quinn has a BA in Public Health from American University and a MPH concentrating in Health Law, Bioethics, and Human Rights from Boston University. Quinn has been an active board member of SHPYP since 2020.

Brittany Argote serves as an analyst at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of Legislation, where she provides technical and policy analysis to congressional committees of jurisdiction on all draft or introduced legislation related to Medicare Part D. In addition to her work with Capitol Hill, Brittany reviews and revises Part D related policies as they advance through the regulatory and sub-regulatory processes. Previously, Brittany was a Senior Health Policy Associate at Thorn Run Partners, where she provided comprehensive analyses of federal legislative and regulatory health care developments and briefed clients on key areas of interest to drive robust advocacy efforts.

Prior to joining Thorn Run, Brittany served as a Legislative Analyst for the Florida Senate, where she routinely analyzed complex policy issues and authored detailed legislative analyses, developed targeted legislative proposals, and drafted legislation and amendments for members of the Florida Legislature. As an undergraduate, Brittany served as a legal intern for the U.S. Department of Justice, where she monitored the policy landscape for issues pertaining to civil and disability rights.

In her personal capacity, Brittany serves as Vice Chair on the Board of the Society of Health Policy Young Professionals. She previously served the organization as Communications Director. A Miami native, Brittany is a two-time graduate of Florida State University, where she received a Master of Public Health (Policy) and a Bachelor of Arts in English (Editing, Writing, and Media).

Emily McAndrew is serving as the Operations Director of SHPYP after serving on the steering committee. She is currently interning with the DC Health Office of Government Relations (OGR). Before grad school, Emily worked as an analyst on the Health Care Products team at Pew Charitable Trusts working on patient advocacy of FDA regulated products and devices. She began her career in global health working on a USAID project focused on health financing in sub-Saharan Africa at a non-profit academic center. Emily obtained her bachelor degrees in Spanish and Business Management from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and her masters degree in Public Health with a focus in health policy from George Washington University.

Natalie Williams is the Senior Manager of Legislative Affairs at the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), where she oversees all of the organization’s Congressional advocacy on behalf of 129,600 family physicians and medical students across the country. She is responsible for guiding the organization’s legislative engagement on issues impacting primary care and family medicine, including Medicare physician payment, Medicaid, access and affordability, workforce, and administrative burden.

Previously, Natalie was the Legislative Affairs Manager at the Hospice Action Network (HAN), the advocacy affiliate of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Before NHPCO/HAN, she spent more than three years as a Legislative Assistant on the Federal Advocacy team at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). She advocated before Congress, the Administration, and federal agencies on child health issues related to vaccines, school health, children with disabilities, appropriations, and health information technology among others. Natalie began her career as a Research Analyst at the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP). In this role, she conducted research and provided technical assistance and support for state officials and program administrators on projects and policies concerning Medicaid, safety net providers, substance use disorder, and health workforce.

She received her B.A. in Political Science and Strategic Communications with a minor in Medical Sociology from Miami University in 2017. 

Kei Helm is a Legislative Assistant* for Senator Edward Markey (Mass.) covering health care issues. Previously, he was a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) and Program Analyst in the Oversight Group at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). In this role, he supported policy and regulation development to ensure that individuals covered by private health insurance receive the coverage to which they are entitled to under the law. In this capacity, he helped develop guidance on COVID-19 testing and vaccine insurance coverage based on Families First Coronavirus Response Act and CARES Act requirements; provided clarity to providers and consumers regarding the No Surprises Act; and prepared rulemaking and guidance regarding the Affordable Care Act’s requirements on contraceptive care coverage. Prior to CMS, Kei worked at The Lewin Group where he supported the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation in developing and implementing Medicare alternative payment models.

Kei holds a B.A. in Biology from Kenyon College and a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.

* Kei serves SHPYP in his personal capacity.

Abigail Smith is a health policy coordinator at the National Governors Association (NGA). On the health team, Abigail supports Governors in identifying ways to improve healthcare delivery, lower costs to states, and promote health equity.

Abigail previously worked as a Registered Nurse at Children’s National on the Surgical and Trauma floor and at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on the Transplant floor. After working through the pandemic, Abigail hoped to find a way to make more of an impact on her patients. She is excited to pursue a career in health policy and obtain her Master in Public Health from George Washington University.  

In her spare time, Abigail serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for a child in the DC foster care system, research assistant on the moral injury project at the Mullen Institute for Health Workforce Equity, and directs a women’s walking group called City Girls Who Walk DC. Abigail hopes to combine her passion for people and community into shaping policy.

Emma Hammer is a Health Policy Associate at Applied Policy, a health policy consulting firm. She performs health policy research and analysis for pharmaceutical, durable medical equipment, and healthcare services companies.

While finishing her degree, Emma was a student trainee at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She worked on projects related to Medicare Advantage and the Value-Based Insurance Design Model for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).

Emma graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and a minor in general business, summa cum laude, from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Isa Izquierdo was born and raised in Miami, Florida where her passion for public health began. Her personal interest in federal drug control policy led her to pursue her undergraduate degree in neuroscience and her master’s in public health. As a result, Isa has developed a unique understanding of the basic, translational, and implementation research that drives evidence-based public health interventions. 

Isa works at Lewis-Burke Associates LLC, where she helps to advance client priorities in biomedical and public health research through advocacy and consulting across agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Prior to this, Isa worked with the Florida Department of Health as a Contact Tracer during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, offering testing, medical, and economic resources to those affected by COVID-19. When she is not advocating for public health policy, Isa loves checking out new restaurants, traveling, and admiring the full four seasons that D.C has to offer!

Taylor Thomas, MPH, is the Director of Government Affairs at Indigo Hill Strategies, specializing in healthcare policy, research, and federal advocacy. She represents clients in disability, rare disease, and aging spaces, advocating for policies that improve access to care. Her professional experience also includes leading strategic government relations efforts and representing clients on issues related to breast cancer, maternal health, and patient safety as Director of Government Relations at The Federal Group.

Previously, she worked as a researcher at George Washington University, where she focused on public health policy issues, including Medicaid, federal food assistance programs, and regulatory advocacy. Additionally, she worked as a Senior Project Manager at MagView, a mammography tracking and reporting electronic medical records (EMR) system, where her leadership was recognized through multiple awards, including Project Manager of the Year and Sales Support of the Year.

Taylor holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Maryland and a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from George Washington University.

Guided by the belief that thoughtful health policy catalyzes patient access and innovation, Zack Friend translates the latest state and federal developments into clear government‑affairs strategies for his firm’s (Ferox Strategies) health care clients. He specializes in Inflation Reduction Act implementation, FDA approval pathways, the 340B program, Medicare Parts B & D drug policies, and Medicaid/ACA Marketplace enrollment and eligibility systems, among other priority issues.

Before joining Ferox strategies, Zack was Senior Associate on ADVI Health’s Federal & State policy team. There, he helped pharmaceutical, device, and diagnostic clients anticipate and navigate shifting payment landscapes. He authored white papers and presentations on topics ranging from state Medicaid‑eligibility restrictions to 340B‑program mechanics. He also built engagement plans for Congressional offices and HHS leadership, and partnered with biotech firms to align commercialization roadmaps with emerging policy trends. His work drove both client outreach campaigns and executive decision‑making around market access and reimbursement.

Prior to ADVI, Zack supported Leavitt Partners’ Save Rare Treatments Task Force, Enrollment Coalition, Duals Coalition, and Genomic Answers for Children’s Health Alliance. He produced comment letters, lobbying materials, and regulatory insights that advanced rare‑disease policy priorities and helped to expand insurance coverage for vulnerable populations. He also briefed White House policy teams, analyzed MedPAC and MACPAC meetings, and published issue briefs on site‑neutral payments, PAHPA reauthorization, and the debt‑limit’s impact on health programs.

A California native now rooted in Washington, Zack holds a Master of Public Health in Health Policy from the Milken Institute School of Public Health and a BA in Political Science from The George Washington University. He enjoys exploring the city’s dynamic restaurant scene, or pickle-balling and bump‑setting on the indoor/beach volleyball courts in his free time.

Niamh Brennan serves as a Membership and Sponsorship Chair for SHPYP. She currently works as a Research Associate for the West Health Policy Center, focusing on lowering the cost of healthcare and successful aging for older adults. Niamh graduated from Tulane University with an MPH in Health Policy and is particularly interested in the intersection of health policy, technology, and improving access to care.

Salome DSDL, MPH, is a Steering Committee member on SHYPYP. Before the COVID pandemic, her passion for medical research and international law led her to pursue her BA in Neurosciences and Government & Legal Studies at Bowdoin College. She then practice her learnings working in rare neurogenetic disease bench and clinical research at the Massachusetts General Hospital. After observing the pandemic response in South Korea, she conducted public health policy and pandemic preparedness research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has worked across biosciences, policy and economic analysis, and diplomacy in the US, Europe, and Asia. She looks forward to building community around expanding how health systems are shaped from a medical, legal, economic, and ethical point of view across borders at SHYPYP.

Nicole Bick is the Senior Director of Health Care Policy at Stateside Associates, where she advises national health care organizations on state-level policy developments, with a focus on prescription drug pricing, Medicaid financing, and insurance regulation. She counsels clients on emerging policy trends, drafts legislation, and manages lobbyists in a multistate campaign.

Nicole’s interest in state health policy began during her time in the Massachusetts State Senate, where she supported Senator John Keenan’s office on insurance and long-term care financing legislation. She previously worked in public affairs consulting, helping pharmaceutical companies, payers, and patient advocacy groups with policy analysis and media relations. 

Nicole holds an MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a bachelor’s degree in public relations and public health from American University.

Lawren Geer joined The McManus Group, a boutique lobbying firm serving over 25 clients in the health care space, in October 2021 and serves as Director of Federal Policy. In this role, she leverages her public service, campaign, and health care trade association background to advance clients’ government relations needs.

Prior to joining the McManus Group, Lawren worked for Invariant, a bipartisan government relations and communications firm, as an associate for their health care practice group. During her time there she worked with a variety of clients across several issue areas including prescription drug pricing, health technology, health care access and coverage, and pandemic preparedness.

Lawren also previously worked as a senior government relations coordinator for the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), where she worked to support their Government Relations Committee and American Medical Association House of Delegates delegation. During her time at ASCO she helped to develop and execute policy priorities surrounding provider reimbursement issues, barriers to cancer care, and the affordability of drugs for patients. Additionally, she previously worked for the School Nutrition Association and Pennsylvania State Legislature.

Lawren graduated from Temple University with a bachelor’s degree and holds a Master of Public Health degree from George Washington University.

Saisha holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Healthcare Management from Boston University. During her time in graduate school, she served as the Vice President of the Student Senate, leading programming and organizational efforts for the campus. She also gained valuable experience at Kaiser Permanente as a Strategy and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Intern, where she coordinated strategic and health equity initiatives for 1,600 physicians and 350 staff members.

In her spare time, Saisha is dedicated to giving back to her Nepalese community. She serves as the Global Executive Member for the ASK Foundation, a non-profit organization in Nepal focused on driving research, health policy, and increasing access to telemedicine. Additionally, she is the Medical Hub Co-Lead at The Great Nepali Diaspora, a non-profit organization committed to strengthening the global Nepali professional community

Vanessa Egbe is a Health Policy Research Analyst at Mathematica, Inc. She works on project teams to apply evaluation research methods to assess policies and influence change in programs for government and NGO clients, focusing on quality, equity, and efficiency.

While in her graduate program, she held internship roles at PhRMA and John Snow, Inc (JSI). At PhRMA she worked on pharmaceutical policy initiatives around SDoH, clinical trial diversity, and medication access and adherence, engaging with leaders and stakeholders. At JSI, she supported global health communications projects related to technical assistance.

Vanessa graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Education from Towson University, and a Master of Public Health from Morehouse School of Medicine.

Carmen Witsken joined SHPYP in the fall of 2023 and is currently the Senior Manager of Pharmacy Policy at the The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) where she oversees ACHP’s drug policy portfolio and champions clinical advances and policy reforms to ensure affordable therapies for Americans.

Prior to joining ADVION, Carmen served as Manager of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs at ADVION and Executive Fellow at the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP).

Carmen obtained her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from the University of Findlay College of Pharmacy and currently serves on the Executive Board of Alpha Zeta Omega Professional Pharmaceutical Fraternity as the chair of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) and co-chair of Professional Affairs, Mentorship & Career Resources.

Autumn K. Ballard is a Senior at the University of Maryland, College Park, pursuing a degree in Public Health Practice with minors in Public Leadership and Anti-Black Racism. Passionate about improving healthcare access and affordability in underserved communities through policy, she is actively involved in her community.

A native of Prince George’s County, Maryland, Autumn interns with PhRMA’s Science and Regulatory Advocacy department, serves as President of the Theta Nu chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and mentors teens as a Girl Scout Gold Award mentor in the Washington, D.C. area.

Andrew Fullerton is the Deputy Director, Federal Affairs at March of Dimes. With two decades of government relations experience advocating on healthcare, energy, transportation and education policy, Andrew has provided strategic relationship building, legislative, and public affairs services to a variety of organizations.

Following six years at the fighting kidney disease at the National Kidney Foundation, he joined March of Dimes where he has worked since 2021. Along his various other leadership roles, he was a co-founder of the Government Affairs Industry Network and a founding board member of the Grassroots Professional Network, two DC-based professional policy educational organizations. 

He is currently a board member of the Pennsylvania Society and steering committee member of the Society of Health Policy Young Professionals.

Erin Connolly is a Senior Policy Consultant with Aurrera Health Group where she works with the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to support implementation of California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) with a focus on behavioral health. Before joining Aurrera, Erin worked as a strategic communications consultant for several large-scale government and health advocacy clients. Erin holds a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins and a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Caitlin Davis is a physician and economist, passionate about expanding access to health care and improving patient experiences through payment model innovation. With clinical training in mental health and primary care, she excels in translating patient perspectives for systemic improvement. She is a mixed-methods researcher, with experience evaluating components of the CMS Medicare ACO model and the Medicare Quality Bonus Payment structure, and has published on topics including the impact of primary care continuity on patient outcomes, healthcare workforce implications of service-based student loan forgiveness, and expansions in access to care as a result of novel models of physician training.

Caitlin holds a BA in Economics from The College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, VA), a MSc in Economics from The University of Warwick (Coventry, UK), and a MD from The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences (Washington, DC).

 Cameron Kay is a Health Care Analyst at the National Committee for Quality Assurance in Washington, DC. In this role she supports multiple externally and internally funded projects and programs focused on health care policy and performance measurement.

Previously she worked on both global and U.S. health care projects to measure the impacts of SDOH factors on care seeking and clinical outcomes for behavioral and maternal health.  

Cameron earned her B.A. from the University of Chicago, graduating with honors in comparative human development and political science. 

Tyler Adamson holds an MPH in Health Policy and Epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and a BS/BA in Molecular Biology and Anthropology from the University of Washington. Tyler is currently the Director of Epidemiology for the Maryland Department of Health’s Center for Cancer Control and Prevention, where he provides guidance and direction on all epidemiology and program evaluation efforts. He previously worked as a Desk Officer at the Department of Defense and as a Health Policy Staffer in the office of Congressman Trone. Tyler is passionate about human rights, equity in health, and ensuring that every individual has access to the resources they need to live a healthy and happy life.

Meseret Alemu currently works at ICF Next as a senior healthcare consultant supporting product design and management for commercial health plans. Previously, Meseret worked as a healthcare consultant at Deloitte supporting federal health agencies such as CDC, CMS, and CMMI. Meseret began her career in clinical research at the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) at USC Keck Hospital, where she simultaneously led five NIH grant-funded longitudinal studies focused on Dementia, Vascular Diseases, and Alzheimer’s disease progression. Meseret also served as an AmeriCorps member at the University of Washington with the Making Connections Program focused on college readiness and STEM career exploration specifically for first-generation girls of color. Meseret holds a bachelor’s degree in public health from University of Southern California.

Dr. Lauren Lyles-Stolz currently serves the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) as a senior director of reimbursement, innovation, and advocacy. Most recently, she served as health legislative assistant for U.S. Rep. Bradley S. Schneider (D-IL). Previously, she served as Executive Director for the Washington State Pharmacy Quality Assurance Commission. Furthermore, she was the first pharmacist German Chancellor Fellow researching Population Health Management primarily in Germany as a solution to ensure health equity, address rising healthcare cost, and to improve health outcomes. In her recent experiences, she has had the unique opportunity to regulate and support the profession of pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as meet and discuss health challenges and successes with international health experts in Singapore, Israel, Scotland, Spain, and Switzerland. She authored her first joint population health publication with Scotland and Germany titled, Population Health Management Approach: Integration of Community-Based Pharmacists into Integrated Care Systems: Reflections from the U.S., Achievements in Scotland and Discussions in Germany.

Since then, Lauren has spoken at diverse institutions to share her research findings, including the 2021 Health Technology Research Summit in Brazil.

Lauren graduated with her Pharm.D. (Doctor of Pharmacy) from The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. Following graduation, Lauren completed her post-doctoral fellowship at Eli Lilly and Company in U.S. and International Regulatory Policy and Strategy. The fellowship entailed her combining her patient care experiences throughout her pharmacy curriculum, background from national pharmacy associations (NACDS, NCPA) and FDA, with the pharmaceutical industry to improve patient access to innovative therapies. She also worked part-time as a pharmacist at a mail-order pharmacy making sure the right medications got to the right patients in the criminal justice system. Lauren then served as the Manager of Pharmacy Affairs at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, where she supported the association’s efforts to promote the transition of managed care pharmacy to value-based healthcare. These experiences and relationships both globally and stateside have shaped Dr. Lyles-Stolz’s passion to improve health for all.

Stuart Portman is currently the Executive Director for Medical Assistance Plans at the Georgia Department of Community Health, where he oversees day-to-day operations, policies, service delivery and administration, compliance, and care management for the state’s Medicaid, PeachCare for Kids and Georgia Pathways to Coverage™ programs. Prior to his current role, Stuart most recently served as Senior Health Policy Advisor on the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. In this capacity, he handled all policies related to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and prior to that led policy development on issues related to the Affordable Care Act’s individual marketplace, health taxes, and health information technology. He also previously served as the Senior Healthcare Legislative Assistant and Legislative Correspondent for Senator Orrin G. Hatch, where he focused on Medicaid, Food and Drug Administration-related policies, and issues affecting individuals with disabilities. A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Stuart received his Master of Public Health degree specializing in health policy from the Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University and his Bachelor’s in Biology and Political Science from the University of Denver.