Director, State Government Affairs
Spearheaded strategic public policy and regulatory initiatives across the western United States for Astellas, a premier Japanese drug company, successfully driving legislative outcomes that safeguarded patient access to critical drugs in oncology, women’s health, solid organ transplant, and gene therapy sectors.Select Achievements:• Collaborated with industry trade associations, Astellas federal government affairs and others to address overlapping issues such as ACA reform, FDA regulations, patent March-In rights, drug importation, track and trace, and pricing transparency.• Awarded the prestigious President’s Award for a pivotal role in expanding patient access to immunosuppressive medications for solid organ transplant patients, demonstrating exceptional leadership and advocacy.• Hand-selected as a member of the Guiding Coalition, a group of leaders within Astellas dedicated to creating and implementing a transformative change vision for the company.• Orchestrated and led successful initiatives to ensure patients with metastatic cancer could access oncolytic medications without insurer-imposed step therapy, significantly improving patient outcomes.• Successfully passed oral chemotherapy parity legislation, playing a critical role in advocacy efforts that ensured cancer patients received equitable access to life-saving oral chemotherapy treatments.• Partnered with regulatory agencies, healthcare providers, and women's health organizations to successfully advocate for the inclusion of a novel menopause treatment in insurance formularies, addressing a critical gap in women's healthcare.• Worked with legislators and public health organizations to highlight the dangers of drug importation, including the potential for counterfeit medications, regulatory inconsistencies, and the undermining of the U.S. drug approval process.
