The 2009 Colorado Health Symposium Speakers

View the breakout session speakers.

View speaker presentation files. 

Geoffrey Canada
President and CEO
Harlem Children’s Zone

Geoffrey Canada’s programs change the lives of inner-city kids by radically changing their schools, families and neighborhoods. He learned firsthand about inner-city life growing up in the South Bronx, then went on to earn his master’s degree in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His work is on the cutting edge in the prevention of youth violence and fostering of community development. In Harlem, Canada reached 6,500 at-risk
children and their families with programs such as the Beacon School, Community Pride Initiative, Harlem Gems, Harlem Peacemakers and the Promise Academy. An acclaimed author, he wrote Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America and Reaching Up for Manhood. Canada is also the East Coast coordinator for the Black Community Crusade for Children, and he was awarded the McGraw prize for education. He offers a vision of hope and teaches communities how to improve the lives of youth, one child at a time.

Michael J. Critelli
Retired Executive Chairman
Pitney Bowes, Inc.

His passion for health care reform fueled Michael J. Critelli’s desire to make Pitney Bowes a national corporate leader in innovative approaches to promoting health, preventive health
care strategies and healthy communities. Critelli is chairman of the Dossia Founders Group, an organization with members such as Walmart, Intel and AT&T, that funds a Web-based framework for employees to maintain personal and portable health records. An alumnus of the University of Wisconsin and cum laude of Harvard Law School, Critelli serves on the board
of the Partnership for Prevention, which drives the public and private sectors to maximize return on investment by using health care prevention initiatives. At the 2008 World Economic
Forum in Switzerland, Critelli helped lead a joint initiative with the World Health Organization on health and workforce productivity and a panel on the prevention of the spread of chronic diseases. Critelli is a member of the Health First Connecticut Authority, charged with drafting a plan for health insurance for all Connecticut residents.

Susan Dentzer
Editor-in-Chief
Health Affairs

At the forefront of America’s health care conversation, Susan Dentzer heads the nation’s leading journal of health policy and previously was an award-winning health issues correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Health Affairs, a print and online journal that has been called the nation’s health care policy “bible,” is published by Project HOPE, the health education and humanitarian assistance organization that operates programs in 36 countries. At The NewsHour, Dentzer led a unit funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that provided in-depth coverage of health care and health policy. Dentzer and the unit won numerous awards, including Excellence in Health Care Journalism from the Association of Health Care Journalists. As chief economics correspondent for U.S. News & World Report, she reported on health policy issues, and as a senior writer at Newsweek she covered business. Her writing earned her several fellowships, including a Nieman at Harvard University. Her broadcast work has included regular appearances on ABC’s Nightline and CNN.

Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, MBA
Director and County Health Officer
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health

Jonathan E. Fielding protects the health of 10 million residents in Los Angeles County by overseeing all public health functions, including surveillance and control of communicable and noncommunicable diseases, health protection and emergency preparedness. Fielding also serves as a commissioner of the Los Angeles First 5 Commission, which grants more than $100 million per year to improve the health and development of children 5 and under. He chairs the U.S. Community Preventive Services Task Force, the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020, and Partnership for Prevention. A professor in the Schools of Medicine and Public Health at the University of California Los Angeles, Fielding received his medical and public health degrees from Harvard University and MBA in finance from the Wharton School of Business. Formerly the  Massachusetts Commissioner of Public Health, Fielding has received numerous awards, including the Sedgwick Memorial Medal from the American Public Health Association and the
Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Brent C. James, MD, MStat
Chief Quality Officer and Executive Director
Institute for Health Care Delivery Research

Brent C. James is known internationally for his work in clinical quality improvement, patient safety and the infrastructure for improvement efforts, such as culture change, data systems, payment methods and management roles. He oversees the Institute for Health Care Delivery Research at Intermountain Healthcare, a system of 23 hospitals and nearly 100 clinics based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Through the Intermountain Advanced Training Program in Clinical Practice Improvement, James has trained more than 2,200 senior physician, nursing and administrative executives from around the world in clinical management methods. A member of the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine, he participated in many of the organization’s seminal works on quality and patient safety. James holds faculty appointments at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Family Medicine and Biomedical Informatics; Harvard School of Public Health, Health Policy and Management; and the University of Sydney, Australia, School of Public Health.

Jon M. Kingsdale, PhD
Executive Director
Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority

As head of the independent authority created under Massachusetts’ landmark health reform legislation, Jon M. Kingsdale is a leader in key initiatives to make health insurance universally available and to reform health care financing. Previously a senior executive at the Tufts Health Plans, Kingsdale was responsible for strategic planning, product development, public affairs and government relations. He also worked in strategic planning and reimbursement at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, researched hospital finances at the Harvard School of Public Health, consulted on health policy issues in Washington, D.C., and worked as a reporter for Forbes magazine. Kingsdale received a doctorate in economic history from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He has taught at the Harvard School of Public Health, the Boston University School of Public Health and Tufts University School of Medicine.

Gov. Richard D. Lamm
Co-Director
Institute for Public Policy Studies
University of Denver

Former three-term governor of Colorado and legislator, Richard Lamm has been in the forefront of political change for decades. A lawyer and certified public accountant, he
has been associated with the University of Denver for 40 years, most recently as co-director of the Institute for Public Policy Studies. Author of numerous books, Lamm’s latest are
Two Wands, One Nation and The Brave New World of Health Care. He was an early leader of the environmental movement and served as president of the First National Conference on
Population and The Environment. Early in his career, Lamm was named one of Time magazine’s “200 Young Leaders of America.” In 1992, he was honored by The Denver Post and Historic Denver, Inc. as one of the “Colorado 100” people who made significant contributions to the state. He also served as chairman of the Pew Health Professions Commission and as a public member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Julia Graham Lear, PhD
Director, Center for Health and Health Care in Schools
Interim Chair, Department of Prevention and Community Health
School of Public Health and Health Services
George Washington University

School health and safety are the research interests of Julia Graham Lear, who leads George Washington University’s Department of Prevention and Community Health and is founder and director of the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, she has developed school-based health programs and services as a means of promoting the health of children and adolescents. A graduate of Brown University, Lear received her doctorate from Tufts University. She writes frequently on the organization of health care for children and adolescents, particularly addressing the interface of education and health systems. A member of the District of Columbia School Health Advisory Committee, she also serves on the National Coordinating Council for School Health and the Community-Oriented Correctional Health Services program.

Jeff Lemieux
Senior Vice President
America’s Health Insurance Plans

As Senior Vice President, Jeff Lemieux directs the Center for Policy and Research at America’s Health Insurance Plans, which represents members that provide health care, long-term care, dental and disability benefits to more than 200 million Americans. Prior to joining AHIP, Lemieux was Executive Director of Centrists.Org, a Web site for Congressional staff, and was senior economist for the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI). In 1998 and 1999, Lemieux served as the staff economist for the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare, which was co-chaired by Senator John Breaux and Congressman Bill Thomas. Before joining the Commission, from 1992 to 1998, Lemieux was with the Congressional Budget Office, where he estimated the cost of national health reform plans and, later, the impact of Medicare reforms enacted in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 and other laws. Lemieux has testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and other committees in Congress on Medicare reform, proposals to expand access to health coverage, chronic care management, and other topics.

Elizabeth A. McGlynn, PhD, MPP
Associate Director
RAND Health

Elizabeth A. McGlynn, Distinguished Chair in Health Care Quality for RAND Health, is an international expert on methods for assessing and reporting on the quality of health
care delivery. She leads RAND Health’s COMPARE initiative, which is developing a comprehensive method for evaluating health reform proposals. McGlynn conducts research on
the methodological and policy issues associated with implementing measures of efficiency and effectiveness of care at the physician level for payment and public reporting.
As part of the PROMETHEUS design team, she helped develop a new method of reimbursement for health care services. McGlynn has a doctorate in public policy from RAND Graduate School; master of public policy from the Institute of Public Policy Studies, University of Michigan; and bachelor’s degree in international political economy from Colorado College. A member of the Institute of Medicine, she serves on several national advisory committees.

Lenny Mendonca, MBA
Director, McKinsey & Company, Inc.
Chairman, McKinsey Global Institute

A senior partner in the global management consulting firm of McKinsey & Company, Inc. in San Francisco, Lenny Mendonca leads the firm’s knowledge development. He serves on the Shareholders’ Council of McKinsey, oversees the firm’s communications and chairs the McKinsey Global Institute. Mendonca helps corporate, government and nonprofit clients solve their most difficult management challenges. He is the chairman of the Bay Area Council and the Economic Institute of the Bay Area. A member of the boards of The New America Foundation and Common Cause, he is also a trustee for the Committee for Economic Development. He serves on the Advisory Council for the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Bay Area Science and Innovation Consortium, and the QB3 Industry Advisory Board. Mendonca writes and speaks on globalization, corporate social responsibility, economic development, regulation, education, energy policy, health care, financial services and corporate strategy. He received his master of business and certificate in public management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Len Nichols, PhD
Director, Health Policy Program
New America Foundation

National health care economist Len Nichols studies ways to combine cost containment with coverage expansion while focusing on health insurance coverage for all Americans with sustainable shared financial burdens. He has testified before Congress and state legislatures and published in health journals on the issues of health insurance coverage, financing and delivery systems. Nichols recently worked with U.S. senators on health reform legislation and with the governors to shape coverage expansion and cost-growth containment strategies. He also served as vice president of the Center for Studying Health System Change, principal research associate at the Urban Institute and senior advisor for Health Policy at the Office of Management and Budget. Nichols, who received his doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois, was chair of the Economics Department at Wellesley College. He also has been on the advisory panel to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Covering America Project and a consultant to the World Bank.

T.R. Reid
Commentator, Correspondent and Writer
The Washington Post and National Public Radio

T.R. Reid has become one of the nation’s best-known correspondents through his coverage of global affairs for The Washington Post, his books and documentaries, and his lighthearted commentaries on National Public Radio. Reid majored in classics at Princeton University, and served as a naval officer and a teacher. At The Washington Post, he covered Congress and four presidential campaigns, and served as bureau chief in Tokyo and in London. Reid has written and hosted documentary films for National Geographic TV, PBS and the A&E Network. A regular commentator on NPR’s Morning Edition, he also has written six books in English and three in Japanese. His new book, The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care, will be published this summer. Reid is a member of the board of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and the University of Colorado Medical School.

Uwe E. Reinhardt, PhD
James Madison Professor of Political Economy and Professor of Economics
Princeton University

His health policy expertise has made Uwe E. Reinhardt a leader in health care reform efforts in the United States. He has served on the Congressional Physician Payment Review Commission, the National Council on Health Care Technology of the Department of Health Education and Welfare, and the Special National Advisory Board of the Veterans Administration. In 2006, Reinhardt was appointed by New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine to chair the state’s health reform commission. He also served on the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the World Bank External Advisory Panel for Health, Nutrition and Population. A trustee of Duke University and the Duke University Health System, Reinhardt is also a trustee with the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is the president of the International Health Economics Association, a board member of the National Institute of Health Care Management and chairman of the coordinating committee of the Commonwealth Fund’s International Program in Health Policy.

Gov. Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor
State of Colorado

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter has made health care reform the centerpiece of his strategy for moving Colorado forward. This year Ritter signed into law the Healthcare Affordability Act that provides health coverage to more than 100,000 uninsured Coloradans. In addition to increasing availability, improving quality and addressing costs in health care, the governor has initiated sweeping education reforms and increased state investments in higher education. Under his leadership, Colorado also has become an international leader in the new energy economy, attracting thousands of new jobs and hundreds of new companies. His aggressive business development and job creation agenda is focused on knowledge-based industries of the future. A graduate of Colorado State University, Ritter received his juris doctorate from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1981.

James F. Sallis, PhD
Professor of Psychology, San Diego State University
Director, Active Living Research

Called an “obesity warrior” by Time magazine, James F. Sallis heads a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation program that supports research to increase physical activity in children and prevent obesity. His primary research interests are promoting physical activity and understanding policy and environmental influences on activity, nutrition and obesity. Sallis has made contributions in the areas of measurement, correlates of physical activity, intervention and advocacy. His health improvement programs have been studied and used in health care settings, schools, universities and companies. One of the world’s most cited authors in the social sciences and author of more than 450 scientific publications, he serves on the editorial boards of several journals. Sallis has received awards from the American College of Sports Medicine, Society of Behavioral Medicine and American Psychological Association Division of Health Psychology.

Steffie Woolhandler, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine
Co-Director, General Internal Medicine Fellowship
Harvard Medical School

In addition to overseeing Harvard’s General Internal Medicine Fellowship, Steffie Woolhandler is co-founder of Physicians for a National Health Program, which advocates for a single-payer system of national health insurance. The group educates physicians, health workers and the public on the need for a comprehensive, high-quality, publicly funded health care program accessible to all Americans. Woolhandler, who practices primary care internal medicine at the Cambridge Hospital, has authored more than 50 research articles in major peer-reviewed journals on health care access and financing. She also worked as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation health policy fellow at the Institute of Medicine. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, doctor of medicine from Louisiana State University School of Medicine and master’s degree in public health from the University of
California Berkeley.