Dr. Larry Liu is currently Senior Director, Global Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Pfizer Primary Care Business Unit.  Larry is responsible for developing product strategies on issues related to pharmacoeconomics, reimbursement, epidemiology, and patient reported outcomes for currently cardiovascular diseases, and previously arthritis/pain, osteoporosis and anti-infectives in the Global and US markets.  Before joining Pfizer, Larry worked for Wyeth as Director, Global Health Outcomes Assessment.  He was responsible for developing and implementing global health outcomes strategy for vaccines and infectious diseases.  Prior to that position Larry was at GlaxoSmithKline as a Senior Epidemiologist supporting diabetes-related products.

He held a position as Medical Epidemiologist for Tuberculosis Control and Prevention at the New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services for five years before joining the Pharmaceutical Industry. Larry was a post-doctoral fellow at Argonne National Laboratory after he came to the US in 1990. In China, he worked for the Chinese CDC for five years.  
Larry has adjunct faculty position at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He has published more than 50 scientific articles in medical journals (including JAMA and Lancet) and presented more than 70 abstracts at national and international conferences.  Larry received his Medical Degree from Anhui Medical University, China and PhD in Epidemiology from UCLA.

Dr. Bosworth, a health services researcher, focuses on patient and organization level factors to improve treatment adherence. He is the Associate Director of the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care and Career Award Scientist at the Durham VAMC.  He is a Research Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Research Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Research Professor in the School of Nursing at Duke University Medical Center, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Administration in the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for Aging and Human Development and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Health Policy at Duke University. Dr. Bosworth was awarded an Established-Investigator award from the American Heart Association to further develop interventions to improve health behaviors and treatment adherence related to hypertension and other chronic diseases.  Dr. Bosworth has published over 180 articles and 3 books that have examined the self management and treatment adherence among individuals with chronic diseases. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging and Division 38 Health Psychology), Gerontological Society of America, and the Society of Behavioral Medicine. He has received prior funding from a number of government sources (e.g., NIH, VA) and foundations (e.g., American Heart Association, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) to carry out three overarching areas of research: 1) clinical research that provides knowledge for improving patients’ treatment adherence and self-management in chronic care; 2) translation research to improve access to quality of care; and 3) eliminate health care disparities.

In terms of self-management and treatment adherence in chronic care, Dr. Bosworth has expertise developing interventions to improve health behaviors related to chronic diseases including coronary artery disease, diabetes, and depression and has been developing and implementing tailored patient interventions to reduce the burden of these chronic diseases. His research contributions to the field of health psychology and behavioral medicine, specifically health behaviors, memory and cognitive ability, social support, depression, and risk perception, all factors associated with treatment adherence and self-management, are brought to bear and are all reflected in his on-going work. This work has resulted in significant improvements in outcomes and testing of methods of revising the health care system to provide efficacious care in a cost effective way to as many people as possible.

Dr. Lithgow is a psychopharmacologist trained at The City University of New York and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York. He is currently the President and Chief Science Officer of Meadwestvaco Corporation Healthcare Strategic Business Unit.  His main responsibilities at MWV today are to lead marketing, portfolio development, commercialization of new products, regulatory affairs and quality assurance, and adjacent market development initiatives.

Dr. Lithgow was formerly senior commercial lead and representative for Schering Plough/Merck global prescription pharmaceutical business, with former responsibility for all cross-Customer divisional initiatives and process. Dr. Lithgow was responsible for developing, setting, directing, and facilitating commercial strategy and implementation for all new products targeted to Primary Care and Specialty physicians for the corporation, and also a member of Schering Plough’s senior R&D and commercial governing bodies. Before the merger of Merck and Schering Plough, he was also Group Vice-President and General Manager of the Respiratory Joint Venture between the Schering Plough and Merck pharmaceutical organizations.

Dr. Lithgow was formerly Vice-President, Commercial Operations and Emerging Technologies at Pharmacia Corporation (Peapack, N.J.). He was a Director of New Products Marketing, Global CNS, Psychiatry and Neurology at Wyeth Corporation (Philadelphia, Pa.) and previous Director, U.S. Women’s Health Care Prescription Therapeutics, Contraception and Reproductive Disorders.  His OTC experience includes Project Leader, Zantac 75 OTC Launch Team for the former Warner Wellcome Division of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Senior Product Manager Lubriderm Lotion Brands, Neosporin First Aid, and Team Lead, Improved Rolaids Team, Adams Brands of the same company.

In addition, she has led a number of studies in the field of adherence in heart failure and has successfully published work in The Lancet, the Journal of Advanced Nursing, Patient Education and Counseling, the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing and others.

Kevin G. Cast, MS

Vice President of Strategy & Contracting, Pharma & Biotech, Express Scripts

As President and Founder of Blue Thorn Inc., Dr. McInnis interacts nationally with government, providers, payers, and plans to help forge a more financially sustainable and quality enhanced delivery system.  Prior to founding Blue Thorn, Inc. in 2010, Dr. McInnis served as the Medical Director for Health Policy and Advocacy in the U.S. for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the world’s second largest pharmaceutical company.  While there she worked in Government Affairs and was instrumental in shaping GSK policy and healthcare reform positions related to delivery system redesign, credible Rx benefit coverage standards, and comprehensive medication management.  Subsequently, she successfully helped craft legislative positions externally by serving with the US Chamber Benefits Committee, the Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative (as Co-Chair of the Center for Public Payer Implementation, Co-lead Medication Management Taskforce, and member of the Legislative Committee), and member- Rx Benefits Coverage Committee for PhRMA (the Pharmaceutical Manufacturer’s trade organization).   She suggested language and demonstration projects at the state and federal level that have become law by working with both legislators and their staffs, PhRMA, and federal and state agencies.  Dr. McInnis presents frequently at the request of organizations such as the National Governor’s Association, the Association of Managed Care Pharmacy, the Cal. Assoc. of Health Plans, and was featured in the Washington Redskins’ “Time-out for Your Health” segments.

She has over 20 years of senior executive and clinical experience in various employer, military (US Air Force), and hospital/group practice health management segments. Prior to joining GSK, she was an Assoc. Medical Director and Health Care Manager with GE and later the Corporate Medical Director for Michelin North America where she helped engineer the redesign of the healthcare benefits for nearly 50,000 beneficiaries. Prior and current experiences include work with the National Business Group on Health, Carter Center, Pharmacy Quality Alliance, Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) PSPC-Leadership Collaborative Council, and the Lansdowne Group.

Given this experience, the vision of Blue Thorn Inc. is to share best practices that align financial incentives and benefit design changes for payers, providers, hospital systems, and patients resulting in reductions in cost and improved quality outcomes.  Supported by robust integrated IT infrastructures, appropriate medication use coupled to clinical goals of therapy, aligned evidence based benefit designs, and alignment with current policy and legislative changes will enable systematic changes for continuous, coordinated, and proactive care- reducing total healthcare cost.  Blue Thorn, Inc is committed to taking the guesswork out and offering practical solutions.  For example, coordinated care redesign and comprehensive medication management promises to inform evidence based point-of-care clinical decision making in drug prescribing and dosing, comparative effectiveness outcomes of products, and lead to effective patient sub-population management- all while drastically reducing costs and improving health outcomes.

Dr. McInnis’s clients and affiliates include provider and professional organizations, government agencies, health plans, academia, think-tanks, integrated delivery systems, and pharmaceutical companies.  She also serves as a consultant for Medication Management Systems (MMS), partnering with the leaders that literally “wrote the text-book” and defined the practice of pharmaceutical care. 

Dr. McInnis graduated from Erskine College with a BS (summa cum laude), and received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Wake Forest Medical School being designated a NIH student clinical scholar.  She completed a residency in Occupational Medicine as an OPSF scholar, and a MPH (high honors) at the University of Oklahoma.   She is Board Certified in Preventive and Occupational Medicine, a Fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and a Former Course Advisor to the Department of Continuing Education of Harvard University.  She serves on the Board of Trustees of The Thornwell Home for Children.

Maria DeGiglio is a health advocate and the Executive Director of the International Coalition of Professional Patient Advocates (ICOPPA). For three years, she has been lead and adjunct professor for the Alfus Patient Advocacy Certificate (APAC) Program offered through the University of Miami's Division of Continuing and International Education (DCIE). Ms. DeGiglio received her Masters degree in Health Advocacy from Sarah Lawrence College. She graduated Cum laude from Cornell University and subsequently entered a Ph.D. program in Anthropology at The Johns Hopkins University. In addition to being a Health Advocate, Ms. DeGiglio is an experienced mediator and ethicist (supported by an Advanced Certificate in Applied Research Ethics).

Ms. DeGiglio has comprehensive knowledge of both the business and IT issues affecting the health care industry. She worked as a consultant to the Visiting Nurse Service (VNS) of New York for two years exploring the technical requirements as well as the ethical issues surrounding the creation of online personal health records. Ms. DeGiglio has investigated the legal, ethical, and regulatory aspects of creating, implementing and exchanging electronic medical records (EMRs) for both provider and payer organizations. She has extensive experience in online learning management systems (LMSs) and authoring Web site content. She has legal and policy expertise in privacy and regulatory compliance.

Prior to her appointments to ICOPPA and the University of Miami, Ms. DeGiglio was president and principal analyst of Maria A. DeGiglio and Associates. Ms. DeGiglio has been an IT executive and IT industry analyst for over 20 years working one-on-one with C-level executives to solve IT and business challenges. She is the author of over 1,000 published articles, reports, and white papers.

Jacqueline O'Doherty of Health Care Connect, LLC is an experienced certified Patient Advocate who guides patients through our complex, confusing and changing healthcare system.

As a Patient Advocate, Jackie supports and empowers patients and their families, making sure the patient is aware of all the options available to them by researching illness and disease, coordinating patient care and facilitating communication and continuity among the healthcare providers. She also assists in obtaining physicians and homecare…nurses, home health aides, physical therapy etc, as well as researching and facilitating short and long term care options. Jacqueline navigates the healthcare system with patients and their families, throughout the medical continuum, ensuring-patient centered care and protecting the patient’s healthcare rights.

Jacqueline also provides peace of mind for long-distance caregivers by coordinating and overseeing senior care. Health Care Connect furnishes “feet on the ground,” resolving long distance and “sandwich-generation” care dilemmas.

Jacqueline teaches patient empowerment seminars enabling participants to utilize the healthcare system with greater confidence and success.

Jacqueline spent 18 years in the medical device industry calling on various hospital departments and physicians across the medical continuum, allowing her to understand firsthand the difficulties of navigating the healthcare system.
Jacqueline is a graduate of the Alfus Patient Advocacy Program at the University of Miami. She is also a graduate of Towson University with a degree in psychology. Jacqueline is a contributor to Hospital Impact and runs her private practice from Peapack, NJ

Jacqueline also serves on the board of directors for ICOPPA…International Coalition of Professional Patient Advocates.
For further information please contact Health Care Connect, LLC

Carol Levine joined the United Hospital Fund in New York City in 1996. She directs the Families and Health Care Project, which focuses on developing partnerships between health care professionals and family caregivers, especially during transitions in health care settings (www.nextstepincare.org). She directed the Citizens Commission on AIDS in New York City from 1987-91 and The Orphan Project 1991-96. As a senior staff associate of The Hastings Center, she edited the Hastings Center Report. In 1993 she was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship for her work in AIDS policy and ethics. She edited Always On Call: When Illness Turns Families into Caregivers (2nd ed., Vanderbilt University Press, 2004), and with Thomas H. Murray, co-edited The Cultures of Caregiving: Conflict and Common Ground among Families, Health Professionals and Policy Maker (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004). She was named a WebMD Health Hero in 2007 and a Civic Ventures Purpose Prize Fellow in 2009. She is co-chair of the Fund’s Transitions in Care-Quality Improvement Collaborative (TC-QuIC).

Speaker Bio Coming Soon...

Speaker Bio Coming Soon...

Speaker Bio Coming Soon...

Speaker Bio Coming Soon...

Chris has more than 16 years of pharmaceutical experience at GlaxoSmithKline working in multiple business units and functions.  Currently, Chris is Vice President of the newly formed Patient Engagement group whose mission is to generate above-brand patient insights focused on how patients understand, manage and experience their health. Previously, Chris was Vice President of Respiratory Marketing, where he led the ADVAIR & FLOVENT teams.  He also has held leadership roles within Marketing for Urology, NeuroScience, and HIV Business Units. Before he joined Marketing, Chris spent two years as a Regional Sales Director in GSK’s Oncology & Acute Care Division. In addition to his MBA, Chris earned his BS and MS in Chemistry and spent four years in R&D at GSK’s predecessor, GlaxoWellcome.