Department of Health and Human Services

Bio, via Department of Health and Human Services:

George Sigounas, M.S., Ph.D, became Administrator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on May 1, 2017. HRSA is the primary Federal agency for improving health care to people who are geographically isolated, economically or medically vulnerable. HRSA's $10.5 billion annual budget (FY 2016) expands access to quality health care through an array of grants to state and local governments, health care providers and health professions training programs. Before coming to HRSA, Dr. Sigounas spent 23 years as Professor of Medicine at the East Carolina University’s Brody School of Medicine in Greenville, NC where he helped establish the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program. He directed the Cellular Therapies Clinical Unit which provided the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program with the cells used to transplant cancer patients. During this period, he also served as an Inspector for the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). FACT is the non-profit corporation that inspects and accredits facilities and programs in the field of cellular therapies worldwide. His work with the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program also provided extensive experience with designing and conducting clinical trials, preparing patient treatment protocols, and performing fiscal management. From 1987-94, Dr. Sigounas was a scientist and researcher at the National Institutes of Health and the Naval Medical Center. Through the years, his research efforts have resulted in several U.S. and international patents as well as peer-reviewed publications. For more than 30 years, Dr. Sigounas has been teaching and training a broad spectrum of students, including undergraduates, graduates, medical students, residents and fellows. He has also been a mentor to numerous junior faculty and worked collaboratively with many clinicians and scientists. Dr. Sigounas earned his bachelor of science degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Patras in Greece, a master of science in physiology and biology from Northeastern University, and a Ph.D. in cell biology and physiology from Boston University.

Bio, via Indiana Energy Association:

Edwin J. Simcox (Ed) was born on January 12, 1945, in LaPorte, Indiana. He holds an A.B. degree in Government and Economics from Indiana University and obtained a J.D. degree from Indiana University Law School. In December 1986, Ed Simcox was named President of the Indiana Electric Association, a trade association representing Indiana's investor-owned electric utilities. On March 1, 2004, the Electric Association merged with the Indiana Gas Association to form the Indiana Energy Association. Ed was elected President of the new association. Ed’s experience in government service includes employment in the Corporations Division of the Indiana Secretary of State's office, Secretary of the State Highway Commission, Secretary of the Indiana Public Service Commission, legal deputy of the office of the Reporter of the Indiana Supreme Court and eight years as Indiana's Secretary of State.

Bio, via Department of Health and Human Services:

Vanila M. Singh, M.D., MACM, was named Chief Medical Officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on June 12, 2017. The Chief Medical Officer serves as the primary medical advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Health on the development and implementation of HHS-wide public health policy recommendations. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health includes 11 core public health offices, including the Office of the Surgeon General, 12 advisory committees, and 10 regional offices. Dr. Singh’s portfolio includes issues related to pain medicine, including opioid use and misuse; medical ethics; and public health. For the past 13 years, Dr. Singh has been a clinical associate professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. Board-certified in both anesthesiology and pain medicine, she specializes in treating patients with complex chronic pain issues. Her practice focuses on regional anesthesia with a specialty in advanced ultrasound- guided procedures for pain management and anesthesia medicine. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a bachelor of science degree in both molecular and cell biology and economics. She received her medical degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Dr. Singh completed her internal medicine internship at Yale University School of Medicine and her anesthesiology residency and pain medicine fellowship at Cornell-Weill New York Hospital, which included training at Memorial Sloan Kettering and the Hospital for Special Surgery. She received a master’s degree in academic medicine through the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine in 2016. Dr. Singh has been active in national medical organizations, serving as the Vice Chair of the National Physicians Council on Health Policy; an editorial board member of the Pain Physician Journal for the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians; and a member of the California Medical Association’s (CMA) House of Delegates. She also served on the CMA’s Council on Ethical, Legal and Judicial Affairs, and more recently, as a member of its Subcommittee on Health Information Technology. Dr. Singh was an invited faculty speaker and member of the Scientific Planning Committee for the 2017 national meeting of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia. She is involved in the Santa Clara County Medical Association as Vice President of Professional Conduct.

Bio, via LinkedIn:

As a former deputy general counsel and acting general counsel of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), I oversaw the Food & Drug, Civil Rights and Legislation divisions of the 450-attorney HHS Office of the General Counsel and provided legal advice and counsel to senior HHS officials, including the secretary of the department. At Alston & Bird, I advise clients on regulatory questions that arise out of the ongoing health care reform efforts and focus on HIPAA, and health information technology (including certified electronic health records (EHR) and meaningful use issues), food and drug, and other regulatory/ administrative law issues in the health care sector. My HHS experience provides clients substantive knowledge of, and experience in, FDA, HIPAA, e-health and health IT, federal health insurance regulation, patient safety, and public health preparedness and emergency response issues. I am a frequent contributor to Alston & Bird’s Privacy & Security Blog.

Bio, via American Health Lawyers Association:

Brian Stimson focuses his practice on complex litigation, trial and appellate advocacy, and investigations, primarily in the health care, telecommunications and media industries, including commercial disputes, tort liability defense, class actions, regulatory compliance and white collar criminal matters. Mr. Stimson is a co-founder and board member of the Georgia Asylum and Immigrants Network (GAIN), a non-profit organization that works to secure pro bono legal representation for persons seeking asylum on religious, political and other grounds. The Atlanta Lawyer recognized him as one of the five Faces of Pro Bono in Atlanta in 2006, and he received Alston & Bird Philip H. Alston Pro Bono Award the same year. More recently, the Fulton County Daily Report recognized Mr. Stimson by nominating him for its 2008 Advocate for the Voiceless award. Mr. Stimson received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2002 and his B.A. in political science from Vanderbilt University in 1997. While at the University of Georgia, Mr. Stimson was a finalist in the J. Melvin England Mock Trial Competition, a member of the University’s Moot Court and Mock Trial Boards, and a Pupil in the Henry Joseph Lumpkin Inn of Court. He also coached the School of Law’s Jerome Prince Evidence Law Moot Court Team to a national championship. Before attending the University of Georgia School of Law, Mr. Stimson worked as a press assistant for U.S. Senator Fred Thompson and was a legislative assistant with United Parcel Services Public Affairs division in Washington, D.C.

Bio, via Bloomberg:

Chris Traylor, deputy administrator for strategy at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, has been named the acting director of the Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services. Traylor’s promotion comes after the head of the agency responsible for both Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Mary Mayhew, announced her resignation after only three months in the job. Before coming to the CMS in June 2018, Traylor led Advanced Perspectives Group, a health-care consulting firm working with managed care

See notes — ProPublica

Bio, via Department of Health and Human Services:

Seema Verma was sworn in as the 15th Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on March 14, 2017. She brings deep experience in healthcare policy, Medicaid, insurance, and public health to her role at CMS. Administrator Verma is committed to empowering patients to take ownership of their healthcare and ensuring they have access to the resources they need to make informed decisions. For more than two decades, Administrator Verma has guided healthcare policy in the public and private sector. She has worked with states to build flexibility into their Medicaid programs to help them meet the diverse needs of their unique populations. As the architect of the historic Healthy Indiana Plan, she helped create and implement the Nation’s first consumer-directed Medicaid program. Continuing her efforts to improve health outcomes for all Americans, Administrator Verma is working toward a new era of state flexibility and local leadership at CMS. She aims to reduce burdensome regulations so doctors and providers can focus on providing high quality healthcare to patients. She also supports implementing innovative solutions that will improve healthcare quality, accessibility, and outcomes for states, while driving down costs. Administrator Verma completed a Master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in health policy and management from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from the University of Maryland. Previously she was the President, CEO, and founder of SVC, Inc., a national health policy consulting company.