Breakout Session Speakers

Amina Abubakar, PharmD, AAHIVP

Chief Executive Officer, Avant Pharmacy and Wellness
Amina Abubakar graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy University of the Sciences in 2005. She is the owner and manager of Avant Pharmacy & Wellness Center formerly known as Rx Clinic Pharmacy in Charlotte, NC, and the founder of the Avant Institute. She is an internationally recognized award-winning clinical pharmacist, Certified HIV Specialty Pharmacist, a preceptor to UNC Chapel Hill residents and students from several schools of pharmacy. Recently, Amina was bestowed the honor by the National Community Pharmacists Association as 2020’s Independent Pharmacist of the Year and also received the 2020 Bowl of Hygeia from the North Carolina Association of Pharmacists for outstanding service to the community. She has fostered an environment that showcases the impact of community pharmacists on patient care by collaborating with medical providers and expanding pharmacist-led clinical services in her community. Her desire to help others advance the pharmacy profession inspired her to found the Avant Institute to offer training to pharmacies across the country on the practical application of clinical pharmacy services through developing sustainable physician collaborations.

Philecia C. Avery, PharmD
Associate Vice President Pharmacy, Premise Health
Philecia C. Avery, Pharm D, is the Associate Vice President of Pharmacy Services for Premise Health. She is responsible for creating, executing, and expanding pharmacy and wellness services to enhance the value of employer sponsored worksite pharmacies. Before joining Premise Health, Dr. Avery spent over 19 years at The Kroger Company, becoming their first woman and first African American Vice President of Pharmacy and Founder/CEO of Philecia Dayle, LLC, focusing on leadership, life coaching, and professional development. A member of several professional, service and leadership organizations, Dr. Avery received her Pharm.D. from Xavier University of Louisiana, where she serves on Xavier’s College of Pharmacy Advisory Board and Chair. 

Justin Bioc, PharmD, BCPS, BCGP, RPh
Head of Clinical Pharmacy, Devoted Health
Dr. Bioc graduated from Northeastern University with his PharmD. He has held front line pharmacist and leadership roles in community pharmacy and health plans through his career. Dr. Bioc has been serving as Devoted Health's Head of Clinical Pharmacy for four years.

David Blaisdell, BA
Director, Real Chemistry
David Blaisdell is a Director at Real Chemistry, where he leads and manages client projects, providing insight and subject matter expertise, particularly on quality landscapes and measure gap identification. Through this experience, David leads navigation of the quality measure and value-based policy environment and define strategies improving patient-centered care.

Caroline Carney, MD, MSc, FAPA, FAPM, CPHQ
President, Behavioral Health and Chief Medical Officer, Magellan Health
Dr. Carney, a board-certified internist, and a board-certified psychiatrist has held key clinical leadership positions serving complex populations over the span of her career. Prior to joining Magellan Health in 2016 she was the chief medical officer for regional health plans focused on Medicaid, Medicare, Exchange, and commercial populations. She served as the medical director for the Indiana Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning, helping to launch the Medicaid expansion product as well as the behavioral health transformation for the state’s community mental health services. She served as Chief Medical Officer for Magellan RX Management, expanding the scope of the company to delivery clinical programs to support member well-being and outcomes. Dr. Carney earned her medical degree, as well as a master’s degree from the University of Iowa, where she was a faculty member in the College of Medicine and the College of Public Health. She has authored over 100 peer and non-peer reviewed populations and speaks nationally on behavioral health-related topics, pharmacy-related clinical programs, and raising children in a tech-enabled world. 

Melissa Castora-Binkley, PhD
Senior Director, Research, Pharmacy Quality Alliance
Melissa Castora-Binkley is PQA's Senior Director of Research and acts as the Principal Investigator to develop evidence to support meaningful quality measures; evaluate the impact of PQA measures on care delivery, patient outcomes and healthcare spending; and identify gaps in performance measurement. She collaborates with senior PQA staff to ensure that the organization’s research is aligned with PQA’s mission and organizational priorities, responsive to the needs of PQA’s multi-stakeholder membership, and effectively disseminated to members and other relevant health care stakeholders. Dr. Castora-Binkley has 17 years of experience in health research and policy, healthcare quality measure development and evaluation, and quality improvement. 

Matthew Dinh, PharmD
Senior Director, Pharmacy Quality Care & Experience, SCAN Health Plan
Matt received his Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of Southern California. He started his career in community pharmacy, but quickly transitioned to a quality-driven managed care path in various settings inclusive of medical groups, PBMs, and health plans.

His experience includes leading care programs that support Star and HEDIS measures to drive plan performance, Medicare Part D operations (such as formulary management, coverage determinations, appeals, and grievances), and building relationships with vendors, medical groups, and other external partners to optimize clinical pharmacy interventions.

Cori Edmonds, PharmD, BCPS, CSP
Clinical Pharmacist Specialty, Residency Program Director, Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy
Cori Edmonds, PharmD, is a Board-Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and Certified Specialty Pharmacist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Prior to her current role as the specialty pharmacist in the Hepatology clinic, she worked in acute care internal medicine, infectious disease, and antimicrobial stewardship. She graduated from Creighton University School of Pharmacy; completed post-graduate training at The University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville with a Pharmacy Practice Residency and a Primary Care Specialty Residency. She served as the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency Coordinator at Vanderbilt University Hospital for 6 years and currently as the PGY1 Community-Based Residency Director for Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy. 

Priscilla Franco is a clinical pharmacist with a passion for closing healthcare gaps among underserved populations and seniors. She grew up in the Dominican Republic and then moved to South Florida in 2005, where she graduated from Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy in 2019. While at SCAN, Priscilla has worked with patients to optimize their medication regimens and educate on statin adherence, specifically for the Spanish-speaking population, a sizeable segment of the health plan's membership. She also supports SCAN's medical group partners and currently leads the plan's the deprescribing program. Through her work, Priscilla hopes to increase seniors’ quality of life and reduce medication waste. 

Rainelle R Gaddy is a Strategy Advancement Lead for Humana Inc., where she analyzes complex business problems, defines the strategic direction, and develops product experiences for new member onboarding and first year utilization within their health plan.  Prior to her current role, Rainelle led strategies for select CMS Stars Part D Measures for the members, providers, and pharmacies in network.  Her pharmacy experience spans an array of settings including private hospital, retail, government hospital, and the pharmaceutical industry.  Rainelle received her Doctor of Pharmacy from St John's University and completed a PGY 1 residency at the Northport Veterans Administration Medical Center.  She obtained her MS in Patient Safety and Risk Management from the University of Florida and her MBA from Stetson University. Rainelle currently is a member of PQA's Measure Update Panel and the Co-Chair of Humana's Pharmacy Health and Equity Council. 

Kaitlyn Galan, PharmD 
Director of Clinical Pharmacy, Premise Health

Kaitlyn Galan is the director of clinical pharmacy for Premise Health. Prior to her current role she worked as a pharmacy manager for Walgreens, including 5 years in employer sponsored worksite locations. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. Kaitlyn is married and the mother of 2 children, ages 8 and 6. Outside of work, Kaitlyn enjoys traveling, football Sundays and HIIT yoga classes.

Allison Hill, PharmD, RPh 
Community Pharmacist, Walgreens

Dr. Allison Hill has spent over ten years helping her patients on a path to better health as a community pharmacist. Originally from South Carolina, she graduated from North Carolina State University College of Science then matriculated to Howard University College of Pharmacy. Dr. Hill immersed herself in innovative pharmacy practice models during her tenure at VillageMD. She is active in the pharmacy community as a member of District of Columbia Board of Pharmacy, American Pharmacist Association, National Pharmaceutical Association, and Kappa Psi Pharmaceutical Fraternity, Incorporated. She spends her leisure time advocating for the pharmacy profession and educating through speaking engagements and community outreach events. Her favorite pursuits include floral arrangements and international travel.

Mason Johnson, PharmD, BS
Executive Fellow, Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy

A pharmacy school graduate from Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy at East Tennessee State University, Mason joined AMCP to obtain post-graduate training in healthcare association leadership and managed care pharmacy and to help others receive optimal care as a new healthcare practitioner. While at AMCP, Mason strived to help evolve and streamline the fellowship position while completing daily tasks as the Fellow. He is motivated to make a positive change in the field and give back to those in need.

Loren Kirk, PharmD, MBA, BCGP 
Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, Pharmacy Quality Alliance

Loren Kirk serves as PQA’s Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships. He develops strategies to engage PQA members and other stakeholders through partnerships and sponsorships that advance PQA’s mission. He also manages PQA's stakeholder engagement, education and convening programs. Loren completed an Executive Fellowship at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation where he collaborated with stakeholders and PQA members on pharmacy practice advancement, professional association governance, and healthcare policy. Loren graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Animal Science from North Carolina State University. He earned with his Doctor of Pharmacy from the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy at East Tennessee State University. 

Miranda Kozlicki, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist, Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy
Miranda Kozlicki, PharmD, is a Clinical Pharmacist with the Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy. She works as an integrated specialty pharmacist in the dermatology, inflammatory bowel disease, and asthma/allergy/sinus clinics. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree specializing in Operations and Technology Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy in 2020 and completed a PGY1 Community Pharmacy Residency in Specialty Pharmacy at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2021. Her professional interests include inflammatory conditions, educating student pharmacists, leadership, and operations management. She has a passion for enhancing the field of specialty pharmacy by implementing positive change through personalized patient care and outcomes research.

Katrice Lampley, PharmD, MPH
Pharmacist Consultant, ASRT, Inc; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
Katrice Lampley is a Pharmacist Consultant for CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention where she supports the pharmacy-related projects by engaging with public health and pharmacy partners and assisting in the translation and dissemination of evidence-informed pharmacy practices. Katrice holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy and an MPH in Community and Behavioral Health from East Tennessee State University. Prior to her position as a Pharmacist Consultant at the CDC, Katrice worked as a community Pharmacy Manager where she implemented programs that increased access to chronic disease management in medically underserved populations.

Hannah Lee-Brown, PharmD, RPh, CPHQ
Director of Pharmacy Benefits, Healthfirst
Hannah Lee-Brown is the Director of Pharmacy Benefits at Healthfirst, New York’s largest not-for-profit health insurer. Her team is responsible for designing, implementing, and overseeing pharmacy benefits for all lines of business. She is also a preceptor for the Healthfirst Managed Care PGY1 Residency and APPE programs. Additionally, Hannah serves on AMCP’s Health Disparities Advisory Group is an adjunct professor at Touro College of Pharmacy in New York City where she teaches Managed Care Pharmacy.

Prior to joining Healthfirst, Hannah completed an Executive Fellowship at the Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA). Hannah received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy and her Bachelor of Arts from Luther College.

Monica Littlejohn, PharmD, MHA
Clinical Pharmacist, Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy
Monica Littlejohn, PharmD, MHA, earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of California-San Francisco. Dr. Littlejohn serves as the Clinical Pharmacist for the pediatric and adult allergy and immunology clinics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, collaborating within the multi-disciplinary team in the selection and access of appropriate specialty medications. She provides patient education, drug monitoring and assists with coordination of care efforts to enhance patient care.

Courtney McMahon, PharmD, BCACP
Clinical Pharmacist Supervisor, PerformRx
Courtney McMahon has been with PerformRx since July 2016, serving in the Clinical Outcomes & Therapeutic Optimization department. Courtney received her Doctor of Pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and joined PerformRx as a clinical pharmacist after completing a PGY-1 in Hospital Pharmacy Practice at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. She is a board-certified ambulatory care pharmacist and also has a Medication Therapy Management (MTM) certification. In her current role as supervisor, she oversees a team of 20 pharmacists and manages multiple clinical programs within the department. 

Binal Patel, MPharm, BCGP
Director of Clinical Outcomes & Therapeutic Optimization, PerformRx
Binal Patel has been with PerformRx’s, Clinical Outcomes & Therapeutic Optimization department since 2013. Her experience in pharmacy spans multiple settings including hospital, retail and long-term care. In her current role, Binal uses her expertise in MTM to develop programs that optimize medication regimens, improve health outcomes, and increase quality measures scores. She is involved in training the next generation of pharmacists through Residency, APPE and IPPE Programs. Binal is a member of PerformRx’s Clinical Services Advisory Team, which has oversight of PerformRx's clinical programs. Binal received her Master of Pharmacy degree from University College London, School of Pharmacy.

Adebola Popoola, JD, MPH, MBS
Health Scientist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
Bola is a Health Scientist in the Applied Research and Translation team, within the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, CDC. She is a health policy researcher with expertise in legal epidemiology, pharmacist scope of practice, and systems of care for cardiovascular disease emergencies. Bola works on an interdisciplinary team to apply comprehensive policy research approach in a number of health topics related to cardiovascular health. Bola has a JD/MPH degree and a background in Biomedical science. She is passionate about chronic and infectious diseases, health equity, and policy research.

Russell Robbins, MD, MBA
Chief Medical Information Officer, PurpleLab
Russell D. Robbins, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Information Officer, PurpleLab, responsible for HealthNexus’ clinical rules, new module development, and CMS Qualified Entity certification. Robbins is recognized thought leader episode of care groupers, physician efficiency and quality. He was the Medical Director/AVP Clinical Informatics Blue Health Intelligence, Chief Medical Officer FairHealth, Principal Mercer, clinical consultant Fortune 100 company designing, implementing, monitoring health and wellness strategies. He was in private practice Urologist, trained at NYU, Bellevue Hospital, Manhattan VA, Sloan Kettering, Cabrini, and LIJ. Education: MBA in Health Sciences Union College, MD NYU School of Medicine, BA Biology Swarthmore College.

Jason Rose, MHSA
Chief Executive Officer, AdhereHealth
Jason Z. Rose, MHSA, is a high-performing, serial entrepreneur who brings 25+ years of business development, strategy and leadership experience in healthcare IT. He is a visionary, with a proven track record of taking disruptive products from whiteboard concepts to sustained high annual revenues to enable business success. Since 2018, Jason has been spearheading value-based care as CEO of AdhereHealth. The innovative technology company is focused on transforming healthcare by leveraging intelligent data analytics, promoting medication adherence and working with patients to resolve social determinants of health (SDOH).

Kim Russo, PharmD, BCPS
Senior Vice President, Pharmacy Services, Aspen RxHealth
As Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Pharmacy Services for Aspen RxHealth, Kim and her teams are responsible for quality assurance of clinical consultations, pharmacist training, and operational support for members’ needs. Dr. Russo plays an active role in client implementations, compliance, clinical operations, and product development. Prior to Aspen RxHealth, Kim served as Chief Clinical Officer for VUCA Health. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy and has been a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist since 2010.

Ben Shirley, CPHQ
Senior Director, Performance Measurement, Pharmacy Quality Alliance
Ben Shirley serves as the Senior Director of Performance Measurement, with key focuses on new measure development projects, consensus-based endorsement, measure testing and analytics, and implementation of PQA measures in quality programs. Mr. Shirley also serves as the Quality Innovation lead within PQA’s Quality Innovation and Research Center (QuIRC), designing and executing pilot projects and other work that helps advance novel measurement approaches. Prior to joining the PQA team, Mr. Shirley worked as a Research Analyst at IMPAQ International, where he supported federal claims-based and electronic quality measure development projects in the domains of care coordination and patient safety. Mr. Shirley has a Bachelor’s of Science in Health Policy and Management from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, and is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality. 

Sam serves as the Senior Director, Healthcare Quality Strategy at Johnson & Johnson with a background as a healthcare quality professional, experienced in pharmaceuticals, healthcare associations and the information technology industry. As a pharmacist and epidemiologist Sam has led several efforts to address the opioid epidemic at NQF.  Sam has held previous roles in the healthcare technology sector, the Pharmacy Quality Alliance and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. Sam holds a Doctor of Pharmacy from Howard University and a Master of Public Health from Harvard University. 

Saba Syed, PharmD, MS, EMBA, BCACP, BCGP
Senior Director, Clinical Quality Pharmacy, VillageMD

Dr. Saba Syed is the Senior Director of Clinical Quality Pharmacy at VillageMD, a leading value-based care organization serving millions of patients at 680 practice locations in 26 markets. She has over 15 years of pharmacy experience in primary care, managed care, mail order, and community pharmacy. Saba is a lifelong learner and obtained her MBA, Master of Science in MTM, and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees throughout her career. Additionally, she is board certified in geriatrics and ambulatory care. Saba enjoys reading books and spending time with family and friends. You can find her at the Houston Zoo every Saturday and Sunday with her teenage son, who has autism.

Nicole L Therrien, PharmD, MPH
Pharmacist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
Dr. Nicole Therrien is a Pharmacist in the Applied Research and Evaluation Branch of the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this role she supports knowledge translation and dissemination of evidence-informed pharmacist services. She provides technical assistance to state and local health departments on strategies to engage pharmacists in public health initiatives and to support community clinical linkages. Dr. Therrien also currently serves as the President of the CDC Pharmacists’ Work Group. She received her Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Iowa College of Public Health and Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) from University of Iowa College of Pharmacy.

Kirsten Whelchel, PharmD, CSP
Research and Patient Care Improvement Pharmacist, Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy
Kristen Whelchel, PharmD, CSP, earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Mercer University College of Pharmacy in 2003. She went on to complete a PGY1 community pharmacy residency at Mercer University. Dr. Whelchel is the Research and Patient Care Improvement Pharmacist with Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy's department of Health Outcomes and Research. She oversees the implementation of patient care improvement efforts within the specialty pharmacy and assists with outcomes research planning and execution.  Prior to her current role, she served as the Infectious Disease Clinical Pharmacist for Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy.

Alex Wiggall, PharmD
Senior Pharmacy Manager, Healthfirst
Alex Wiggall graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in 2015, starting his career at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey working on various clinical programs, primarily around Provider Engagement and Opioid Management. Since 2019, Alex has been working at Healthfirst - a regional Health Plan with approximately 1.8 million members in New York City. Alex is primarily responsible for the creation and implementation of strategies around Pharmacy Quality, including Medication Therapy Management, Medication Adherence, Behavioral Health Medication Quality, and Improvement to Access for Prescription Drugs (CAHPS).

Josh Young, PharmD 
Co-Founder and Chief Pharmacy Officer, Troy Medicare
Josh Young graduated from the South Carolina College of Pharmacy in 2012 He is the owner of TrueCare Pharmacy in Concord as well as the Co-Founder and Chief Pharmacy Officer of Troy Medicare. Troy Medicare is the first fair and transparent Medicare Advantage plan that empowers pharmacist as front line providers to fundamentally decrease the cost of care. Josh is credited with developing the first NADAC based price schedule used to in Medicare. He is very passionate about showcasing the outcomes retail pharmacy can drive when treated fairly and given access to the right data and technology. .