This month, two of eHI’s member groups are joining forces! Our member policy briefing on July 20^th at 3 PM EDT will focus on social determinants of health (SDOH) policy. eHI’s Catherine Pugh and Wanneh Dixon will be joined by Melissa Quick, co-chair of Aligning for Health, to provide an update on the state-of-play of SDOH legislation on Capitol Hill. If you are an eHI member and interested in participating in this interactive 30-minute presentation and discussion, please contact Catherine or Wanneh.

Speakers: 

Melissa Quick
Vice President
Sirona Strategies

Melissa serves as a Co-Chair of Aligning for Health, a social determinants advocacy organization focused on advancing policy solutions to improve wellbeing and health equity. In this role, she works closely with payers, providers, health systems, non-healthcare organizations, state and local governments, the federal government, and Congress, in developing and promoting cross-sector, coordinated solutions to address health and social needs.

She also has more than a decade of experience in health care regulatory policy and implementation at both the federal and state levels. In addition to her Aligning for Health work, she is Vice President at Sirona Strategies a DC-based health care consulting firm. At Sirona, she focuses on healthcare policy and regulatory analysis and strategy development related to healthcare financing, benefits and coverage, Health IT, drug pricing, public health, and other issue areas. Melissa holds a BS from Cornell University and an MPP from the Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Catherine Pugh
Assistant Vice President, Policy
eHI

Most recently, Catherine served as Senior Director, Government Affairs at Horizon Government Affairs, where she managed the Health Innovation Alliance. HIA is a diverse coalition of patient advocates, healthcare providers, patient organizations, employers, technology companies, and payers who support the adoption and use of technology and data to increase access and lower costs in the health care system.

Prior to joining Horizon Government Affairs, Catherine managed federal policy initiatives and advocacy strategies for the Parkinson's Action Network. At PAN, Catherine also helped coordinate a national network of volunteer grassroots advocates working towards better treatments and a cure for Parkinson’s.

Catherine holds a BA in International Studies with a focus in US Foreign Policy from American University.

Wanneh Dixon
Director, Strategy and Programs
eHI

Wanneh previously worked as the Corporate Engagement Manager for FHI 360, an international development firm focused on global health, education and economic empowerment. At FHI 360 she managed the private sector engagement strategy to cultivate relationships with corporations, foundations, donors and membership organizations. Her global health portfolio focused on maternal mortality, non-communicable diseases, and health systems strengthening. 

Wanneh holds a BSc in Information Technology from Herzing College and a M.A. in Global Development and Social Justice from St. John’s University. She lives in Maryland and serves on the Human Services Advisory Commission for the City of Rockville. 

Wanneh directs our social determinants of health (SDOH) and data analytics programs.