Anne Cassity

Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, NCPA

Anne Cassity serves as senior vice president of government affairs for the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA). Cassity leads NCPA’s federal and state legislative and regulatory outreach, spearheads political and external affairs, and works closely with the Department of Policy and Pharmacy Affairs to coordinate NCPA’s robust advocacy efforts. 

A seasoned government affairs professional, Cassity managed NCPA’s congressional affairs department before leaving the association in 2011 to become health care policy adviser to then-Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana. She spent several years as a government relations director for a Medicaid managed care organization in Louisiana before returning to NCPA in September 2018 to serve as vice president of federal and state government affairs. Cassity has also held positions on the Congressional staffs of U.S. Representatives Walter Jones (R-N.C.) and Bob Riley (R-Ala.). She holds a law degree from Mississippi College School of Law and is a graduate of Louisiana State University. 

 

Tom Kraus

Vice President, Government Relations, ASHP

Tom Kraus serves as the Vice President of Government Relations for ASHP. ASHP is the largest association of pharmacy professionals in the United States, representing 60,000 pharmacists, student pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians in all patient care settings, including hospitals, ambulatory clinics, and health-system community pharmacies. For over 80 years, ASHP has championed innovation in pharmacy practice, advanced education and professional development, and served as a steadfast advocate for members and patients.

Kraus previously served as the Deputy Staff Director of Health on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) under Senators Edward Kennedy and Tom Harkin, where he was instrumental in the passage of key legislation, including Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug and food safety reforms and user fee legislation, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the Affordable Care Act.

Following his time on Capitol Hill, he joined the FDA, where he served as Chief of Staff and Associate FDA Commissioner for Legislation. In this role, he was a top advisor to the FDA Commissioner, a key leader among FDA’s over 14,000 employees, and FDA’s main liaison and advocate to Congress.

Kraus has also served as a health policy, management, and life sciences senior executive for Ernst & Young, McKinsey & Company, Avalere Health, and, most recently, the Boston Consulting Group.

 

Joel White

Partner and Head of Health, Horizon Government Affairs

Joel is a nationally recognized political strategist, often called upon by Congress, the media, and businesses for his deep policy knowledge, political insights, and advocacy experience. With over two decades in the healthcare policy and political arenas, Joel has been instrumental in helping Fortune 100 healthcare clients navigate complex public policy challenges and create opportunities for business growth.

Since founding Horizon in 2007 (now Monument Advocacy’s healthcare practice), Joel has developed and implemented impactful government affairs strategies for a diverse range of clients. He leads a seasoned team of government affairs professionals and manages prominent coalitions consisting of more than 200 organizations. He is the Executive Director of both the Council for Affordable Health Coverage (benefits and drug policy) and the Health Innovation Alliance (AI, technology and data). Under his leadership, he and his team helped enact more than 50 laws and stopped countless bad ideas from advancing.

Previously, Joel spent twelve years on Capitol Hill including as Staff Director of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, where he helped enact nine laws, including the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit and the law creating Health Savings Accounts. These laws help millions of Americans better afford their health care.

Joel holds a B.S. in Economics from the American University, is on the boards of several non-profit service organizations, and is the co-author of the book, Facts and Figures on Government Finance.

 

Marianne Hamilton Lopez

PhD, MPA, Senior Research Director, Biomedical Innovation, Core Faculty Member, Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy, Duke University

Dr. Marianne Hamilton Lopez is a distinguished leader in health policy. She currently serves as the Senior Research Director of Biomedical Innovation and core faculty at the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy at Duke University. In this role, she spearheads high-impact research initiatives and manages teams that focus on biomedical payment, pricing, and coverage, regulation, real-world evidence, and digital health and artificial intelligence. Dr. Hamilton Lopez’s work is centered on improving medical product development and regulatory review, engaging a more representative community of patients in clinical trials, enabling the collection and sharing of high-quality data, and ensuring patient access to promising new therapies. A key aspect of her success has been her ability to collaborate effectively with a broad range of stakeholders, including regulators, payers, patients, manufacturers, researchers, clinicians, and others. Prior to joining Duke-Margolis, Dr. Hamilton Lopez held leadership positions within the National Academy of Medicine, AcademyHealth, the United States Cochrane Center, and the National Institutes of Health.

 

Ford Koles

Founder, Oboe Healthcare Insights

Ford Koles is a nationally recognized expert in health system economics and strategy—and the founder of Oboe Healthcare Insights. A trusted advisor to health care executives across the country, Ford is one of the most sought-after speakers in the industry.

Ford is renowned for his candid, engaging style, and his talent for bringing sharp clarity to complex health care issues. His work spans the full arc of reform—from coverage expansion and managed care to vertical integration, physician alignment and value-based payment models. Ford brings historical context and forward-looking strategy to each conversation, drawing on his deep industry knowledge and long-term relationships at the C-suite and board level.

Before launching Oboe, Ford served as a senior executive at the Advisory Board Company for 33 years. He was a key architect of the firm’s business model and played a central role in shaping its voice and vision.

Ford holds a BA from Kenyon College and an MA in Economics from Johns Hopkins University. He began his career in management consulting at the Hay Group and Ernst & Young.

 

Caroline Pearson

Executive Director, Peterson Health Technology Institute

Caroline Pearson is the Executive Director at the Peterson Center on Healthcare, a nonprofit philanthropy dedicated to making higher-quality, more affordable healthcare a reality for all Americans. Caroline also directs the Peterson Health Technology Institute, which provides independent evaluations of digital health technologies to improve health and lower costs. 

 

Caroline is an expert in state and federal health policy, public and private insurance, health technology and data, and aging issues. She has two decades of experience working in consulting and research to help industry leaders and policymakers solve the healthcare industry’s biggest challenges.  

 

She was previously the Senior Vice President of Healthcare Strategy at NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization. Prior to her work at NORC, Caroline the Senior Vice President of Policy and Strategy at Avalere Health, where she oversaw teams focused on policy, strategic communications, and financial services.  

 

Caroline graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University with a B.A. in Government.  

 

Joe DePinto

MBA, Head of Cell, Gene & Advanced Therapies, McKesson Pharmaceutical Solutions and Services

Joe has spent the past 30 years focused on bringing life-saving specialty drugs to market, helping patients with complex diseases to access advanced care, and developing future leaders in the healthcare industry. Joe is a passionate leader with a commitment to mentorship and building strong, diverse teams. Joe was the first male National Board member of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association.

 

Joe’s experience includes operations globally for multiple biotech, pharma, distribution, professional services, and technology companies. He is recognized for consistently delivering multi-million-dollar revenue gains in highly competitive marketplaces. His core leadership competencies include leading all aspects of strategy, drug development, investor relations, and commercialization with multiple global launches.

 

Most recently, Joe served as Chief Commercial Officer at Vineti, a venture-based technology start-up focused on industrializing the value chain for personalized therapies. His past roles have also included leadership positions at top pharmaceutical companies, Johnson & Johnson and Lilly. Joe also previously served as the President of Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions, EVP Chief Commercial Officer at Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, EVP Global Commercial Operations at Dendreon, VP Global Commercial Operations at ImClone, and VP at Abraxis Oncology.

 

Joe has been published in multiple publications on cell and gene therapy, including Cell & Gene Therapy Insights and PharmaVoice.

 

Joe was also recognized as one of the top 100 pharmaceutical executives by PharmaVoice in 2017 and 2024.

 

Joe’s academic credentials include a BS in Marketing and an MBA, with an emphasis on Pharmaceutical/Chemical Studies. 

 

Vin Gupta

MD, MPA, NBC News Medical Analyst and Managing Director of Health Innovation, Manatt

Dr. Vin Gupta, MD, MPA is a pioneering force in public health and healthcare innovation, seamlessly bridging the worlds of clinical care, technology, and effective communication. He is a practicing pulmonologist who serves in multiple roles across the healthcare ecosystem, including as Managing Director of Healthcare Innovation at Manatt where he leads teams to advance home healthcare technologies—uniting early- and late-stage companies, health systems, and regulatory experts—to accelerate the adoption and scaling of breakthrough solutions. Prior to his current role at Manatt, Dr. Gupta served in a variety of roles across Amazon for over 5 years, including as Chief Medical Officer of Amazon Pharmacy. He's also a Major in the United States Air Force Reserve, where he's served as a Critical Care Air Transport Physician for the last 12 years, stationed at Joint-Base Lewis McChord and serves as Affiliate Faculty at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and the Evans School, both a part of the University of Washington.

In addition to these roles, he serves as a very visible and trusted health communicator in his capacity as a NBC News and MSNBC medical analyst. Vin has long been recognized for his ability to translate complex health challenges into beneficial solutions, particularly during major national health crises, garnering him several well deserved recognitions at the state and national level for excellence in health communication and public service. These include the US Congressional Black Caucus's distinction for commitment to minority health, bestowed in 2017.

Dr. Gupta received his BA from Princeton, MD from Columbia, Masters in Public Administration from Harvard and Masters in International Relations from the University of Cambridge. He also a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy with distinguished honors in 2015. He is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the National Board of Directors of the American Lung Association. He also serves on the Board of Directors of PNW-based Climate Solutions and the Center for Environmental Health.

 

Denise Scarpelli 

PharmD, MBA, Vice President, Chief Pharmacy Officer, University of Chicago

Denise Scarpelli is the Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer at the University of Chicago. Previously, she was the Executive Director of Ambulatory Pharmacy and Business Development at the University of Chicago since 2017. Before coming to the University of Chicago, she held many leadership roles at Walgreens leading Pharmacy Operations in Chicago for over 20 years.

Scarpelli earned a Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Illinois at Chicago- College of Pharmacy in 1996 and a Master’s in Business Administration from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2021.

Scarpelli was a member of the Illinois Board of Pharmacy, since 2015, serving as Chair for the last few years. She was the Chair of the ASHP Section on Specialty Pharmacy Practitioners. Currently, serving on a few committees for ASHP as well as the Council on Pharmacy Management. She is a member of the Epic Pharmacy Executive Board. She is also on the Leadership Board for Komen.