about the speakers
Angie Ballard
Sr Director Market Access Enterprise
Bristol Myers Squibb
Shealynn Buck, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Lockton
As a multifaceted physician leader with operational, technical, and consulting experience in the biopharmaceutical, hospital, and insurance industries, Dr. Buck brings real-world, applied knowledge to help employers navigate the dynamic, complex employee health landscape with confidence. Leveraging Lockton’s data analytics platform and best-in-class resources, she partners with client teams and solution experts to deliver actionable, targeted strategies that manage costs, improve health, and drive business performance. Dr. Buck has spoken extensively for organizations and with the news media on health issues, including stress, disease prevention, and biopharmaceuticals. She holds a B.S. degree in biology from Kennesaw State University and an M.D. degree from Emory University School of Medicine.
Laura Carabello
Principal
CPR Strategic Marketing Communications, Inc.
An entrepreneur and strategy consultant in both domestic and international businesses related to healthcare, managed care, benefits, and life sciences, Carabello has been instrumental in the growth and development of multiple companies and organizations, both domestic and worldwide. Carabello conducts marketing presentations at high-profile industry conferences where she addresses issues impacting healthcare providers, payers, employers, and other stakeholders involved in the ecosystem. She has been invited by multinational governments, hospital systems, and private sector companies to present at international meetings on healthcare and benefits issues. Founder and principal owner of CPR Strategic Marketing and Communications (www.cpronline.com), Carabello has more than 25 years of experience in business development, marketing, and corporate positioning. As a strategy consultant, she has worked with over 1,000 companies, including public and private organizations. She also serves as a strategic advisor to public, private, and not-for-profit entities, and has been invited by the US Federal Trade Commission to testify on healthcare advertising and marketing ethics. Carabello also leads the Fellows group of the Thought Leadership & Innovation Foundation www.thoughtfoundation.org
Carabello was recently tapped to develop special projects for Forbes magazine. She contributes monthly articles to The Self Insurer, the official magazine of the Self Insurance Institute of America (www.SIIA.org), and contributes healthcare-focused articles to industry publications. She is the publisher and managing editor of Medical Travel & Digital Health News, the authoritative, online business-to-business international newsletter of the medical tourism and digital health industries (www.medicaltraveltoday.com), and published “Medical Travel Today: Opinions and Perspectives on an Industry in the Making.” She also serves on the editorial board for the World Korean Medical Journal (WKMJ), a global organization of more than 140,000 Korean physicians dispersed throughout the world. Ms. Carabello holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, and she is a candidate for a Master's Degree. She has been invited for membership status in the Healthcare Women's Leadership Trust, awarded the annual citation from the NJ Association of Women Business Owners, and was elected as a "Pioneer Woman of the 90s." She was named as a "Woman of Influence" by the YWCA of Bergen County, served on the Bergen County "YW" Board of Directors, and was recently named a NJ business ICON by NJBIZ.
Chris Condeluci, Esq.
Legal and Policy Counsel
Self-Insurance Institute of America, Inc.
Christopher E. Condeluci is Washington Counsel for the Self-Insurance Institute of America, Inc. Chris previously served as Tax and Benefits Counsel to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. During his time on the Finance Committee, Chris participated in the development of portions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including the new health insurance Exchanges, the State insurance reforms, and the new taxes enacted under the law. He is one of the few senior Congressional staffers who actively participated in the health reform debate to join the private sector since the law’s enactment, and as a result, he possesses a unique level of expertise on matters relating to tax law, ERISA, and the ACA.
Brenda Cordell, MBA
Senior Healthcare Consultant
Milliman
Brenda Cordell is a Senior Healthcare Consultant in the Indianapolis Health Practice of Milliman. She joined the firm in 2008 and is a lead in Milliman's life sciences consulting group. Brenda is also co-creator of Milliman DNA Gene and Cell Therapy Forecasting, a dynamic, web-based application that estimates the associated costs and cases for approved and pipeline gene and cell therapies. Brenda leads the clinical, market, and economic research that form the baseline assumptions in this application and its associated research repository. With over 25 years of experience in leadership roles within life sciences companies and at Milliman, Brenda's focus areas are market access, payer strategy, market intelligence, and financial analysis, specifically in rare disease and novel therapies.
Brenda has authored several white papers and reports, some of which have been published by the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy (JMCSP). She is a member of the Self-Insurance Institute of America (SIIA) Cell & Gene Therapy Task Force.
Jeremy Freestone
SVP, Stop Loss Business Strategy
Symetra Life Insurance Company
Jeremy P. Freestone is senior vice president for medical stop loss insurance for Symetra Life Insurance Company. In this role, he is responsible for all aspects of Symetra’s stop-loss business, including sales, underwriting, and claims. Mr. Freestone joined Symetra in 2005 as a member of the actuarial team. Prior to assuming his current role in April 2018, he was vice president and senior actuary for the Benefits Division. Mr. Freestone is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington.
Ashley Hume
President, Emerging Therapy Solutions®
Chairperson, SIIA Cell & Gene Task Force
Ashley Hume is a 25-year veteran in the health care and managed care industries, bringing extensive experience leading multidisciplinary teams in both the provider and payer spaces. As the President of Emerging Therapy Solutions® (ETS), Ashley oversees all aspects of the organization, driving strategic initiatives related to cost containment and risk projection for catastrophic claims. She also manages client-facing teams and market strategy.
Ashley sits on multiple national committees focused on reimbursement policy and innovative payment strategies for cell & gene therapy. Prior to ETS, Ashley held leadership positions at a health plan and a health plan services company. She also held senior leadership positions over the revenue cycle and contracting for large specialty groups and a health system, gaining significant expertise in prior authorization, claims, and patient financial services, as well as in third-party payor, direct-to-employer, and physician services contracting.
Meredith Hunter
Senior Vice President, Specialty Division
Amwins Group Benefits
Michael Keinrock, MA
Lead Research Director
The IQVIA Institute
Michael Kleinrock serves as the lead research director for the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, setting the Institute’s research agenda and leading the development of reports and projects.
Mr. Kleinrock focuses on the current and future role of Human Data Science in healthcare systems around the world. He writes and speaks regularly on these and other topics of interest to pharmaceutical companies, financial analysts, trade groups, policy advocates, and regulatory agencies. He is sought after for his unique, pragmatic, and evidence-based perspective.
Mr. Kleinrock came to IQVIA in 1999 and has held roles in customer service, marketing, product management, and market insights.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Political Science from the University of Essex, Colchester, UK, and a Master’s in Journalism and Radio Production from Goldsmiths College, University of London, UK.
Erin O’Mara, PharmD
Lead Pharmacist, Pharmacy Operations
HM Insurance Group
Erin O’Mara, BS, PharmD, received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Allegheny College and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmaceutical Sciences and Doctor of Pharmacy with an area of concentration in research from the University of Pittsburgh. She has an extensive background in research, which started during her undergraduate studies at Allegheny College and continued with a focus on immunology during her time in pharmacy school. Her experience includes retail pharmacy, home infusion pharmacy, and ambulatory care in an outpatient cardiac clinic in Pittsburgh. She is currently the Lead Pharmacist at HM Insurance Group, helping to anticipate how current and future pharmaceutical treatment options may contribute to the financial risks of partners and clients.
Melissa Pearce, MD
AVP, Medical Director
Symetra Life Insurance Company
Dr. Melissa Pearce is the Stop Loss Medical Director at Symetra, holding a key leadership position. She actively monitors innovative trends in the medical and pharmaceutical industries and anticipates their effect on customers and their self-funded employee benefit plans. Dr. Pearce oversees the stop loss unit's clinical and cost-containment strategies, working closely with the stop loss leadership team. During the stop loss risk-assessment process, she provides consultative support to Distribution, Underwriting, and the Registered Nurses team. Her expertise as a physician, who worked in private practice for several years and then in the health insurance industry as the Utilization Management Medical Director, allows her to support Symetra's customers and partners and define the company's strategic priorities.
Dr. Pearce earned her medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, in 2004. She completed her postgraduate education in obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical University of South Carolina Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2008. Dr. Pearce has been a member of Thegos Society since 2008, a Diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology since 2010, and a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology since 2011. She has received numerous awards and honors throughout her distinguished career.
