IVI Announces Six New Members to Board of Directors

Washington, DC, January 30, 2020 --(PR.com)-- The Innovation and Value Initiative (IVI), a non-profit research organization dedicated to improving the science and practice of value assessment, today announced the addition of six new members to its Board of Directors. Each new Board member brings distinguished expertise to the organization and affirms IVI’s commitment to having broad representation of the healthcare landscape on its leadership team.

Joining IVI’s Board of Directors are:

- Donna Cryer, JD, Founder, Global Liver Institute;
- Gregory Daniel, PhD, MPH, Head, US Healthcare Policy for Edwards Lifesciences;
- Patricia Fritz, Vice President, U.S. Corporate Affairs, UCB;
- Andrea Maresca, Senior Vice President, Thorn Run Partners;
- Michael Thompson, President and CEO, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions; and
- Neil Weissman, MD, Chief Science Officer, MedStar Research Institute.

These new members join Board of Directors Chair Sam Nussbaum, MD, EGB Advisors; Alan Balch, PhD, CEO, Patient Advocate Foundation; and Daniel Durham, MPP, Executive Vice President, Health Policy, BIO. Nussbaum, Durham and Balch have been on IVI’s Board of Directors since 2018.

“Value assessment requires collaboration and engagement across the healthcare landscape which is why it is important that IVI approach its work with a diverse group of leaders with policy, clinical and business knowledge on its Board of Directors,” said Dr. Nussbaum, Chair of IVI’s Board of Directors. “We are pleased to welcome our new highly accomplished members to our Board and I thank each of them for their commitment to improve the science and practice of value assessment.”

IVI’s Board now includes representation from patient organizations, health systems, biopharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, payers, employers and health economists.

“Our new board members join at an incredibly exciting time for IVI,” said Jennifer Bright, Executive Director of IVI. “There is a growing recognition among the value assessment community that we need to add to traditional cost effectiveness analysis. I look forward to working with our Board members and the IVI Team to collectively improve how we understand and measure the value of healthcare treatments in a manner that reflects the views of all involved stakeholders, especially patients.”

About Donna Cryer

Donna R. Cryer, JD, has channeled her personal experience as an IBD and liver transplant patient into professional advocacy as founder of the Global Liver Institute, a patient-driven advocacy non-profit operating in the US and Europe. Cryer also founded CryerHealth, LLC consulting firm on patient-industry partnerships. She is now the Interim Executive Director of the People-Centered Research Foundation, the Central Office for PCORnet.

About Gregory Daniel

Gregory Daniel, PhD, MPH is Head, US Healthcare Policy for Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE: EW). He is responsible for developing, evolving and advancing the Edwards U.S. healthcare policy strategy, value-based healthcare initiatives, payment policy, healthcare delivery system reform, and other high priority policy initiatives.

About Patricia Fritz

Patty Fritz oversees public policy, government affairs, advocacy, communications and public affairs, as well as UCB’s office and strategic priorities in Washington, D.C. Patty leads efforts to create value for patients and their families through strategic engagement and positively influencing the healthcare environment and policy landscape.

About Andrea Maresca

Andrea Maresca brings extensive federal, state and non-profit health policy experience, particularly in relation to the Medicaid program. Prior to working for Thorn Run Partners, she served at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) - first in the Office of Legislation, then as Special Assistant and Advisor to the Deputy Administrator. In this role, she provided strategic counsel and helped to advance several of the agency’s top priorities early in the Trump Administration. Before joining CMS, Andrea spent a combined ten years at the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD) and National Governors Association (NGA).

About Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson is President and CEO of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions (National Alliance). The National Alliance is the only non-profit, purchaser-led organization with a national and regional structure dedicated to driving health and healthcare value across the country. Its members represent more than 12,000 employers/purchasers and 45 million Americans spending over $300 billion annually on healthcare. Thompson is a nationally recognized thought leader for business health strategies and health system reform. He has worked with major employers and other stakeholders on a variety of issues and strategies and is known for developing, promoting and leading collaborative cross-sector health industry initiatives.

About Neil Weissman
Neil J. Weissman, MD, FACC, FASE, is the Chief Scientific Officer for MedStar Health and President of MedStar Health Research Institute. Dr. Weissman is a professor of medicine at Georgetown University School of Medicine and an internationally recognized cardiologist with expertise in echocardiography and clinical trials.