Senator Bill Frist is a leading authority on healthcare and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader. As Co-founder and Partner at FCV, he resides on the fund’s Investment Committee and is responsible for acquisition, divestitures and providing unique value to the fund’s partnerships.

Senator Frist served two terms as a United States Senator representing Tennessee, serving as Majority Leader from 2003 until his retirement in 2007. His leadership was instrumental in the passage of the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act and the historic PEPFAR legislation that provided life-saving treatment globally to over 20 million people. Prior to the Senate, he founded the Vanderbilt Multi-Organ Transplant Center and has performed more than 150 heart and lung transplant procedures. His current board service includes Select Medical (NYSE: SEM), AECOM (NYSE: ACM), Teladoc (NYSE: TDOC), Aegis Sciences, Accolade, Devoted Health, OneOncology, Kaiser Family Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.

Senator Frist received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and holds a B.A. from Princeton University.

Susan Potter is President of Mercer US & Canada (US&C), where we serve approximately 10,000 domestic and multinational clients across the region, creating secure and rewarding futures for those clients and their people. In her role, Susan has direct responsibility for overseeing Mercer’s Health, Wealth and Career practices across the region, in addition to the regional Operations and Technology team.

Susan has more than 30 years of experience as a business leader and consultant helping organizations develop innovative solutions for their human capital, risk and business issues. Susan is a steadfast champion of bringing the depth and breadth of products and solutions from across Marsh McLennan to deliver enhanced value for our clients.

Susan joined Mercer in 2019 as the US&C Chief Commercial Officer and most recently became the Marsh McLennan Chief Commercial Officer for the region before assuming the role of President, Mercer US&C. Prior to Mercer, Susan led a successful 25-year career as a business leader at Willis Towers Watson. Susan is a member of Mercer’s Executive

Committee. Susan earned an MBA in international business from Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business and a BS in mathematics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Georges C. Benjamin, MD is known as one of the nation’s most influential physician leaders because he speaks passionately and eloquently about the health issues having the most impact on our nation today. From his firsthand experience as a physician, he knows what happens when preventive care is not available and when the healthy choice is not the easy choice. As executive director of APHA since 2002, he is leading the Association’s push to make America the healthiest nation.

He came to APHA from his position as secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Benjamin became secretary of health in Maryland in April 1999, following four years as its deputy secretary for public health services. As secretary, Benjamin oversaw the expansion and improvement of the state’s Medicaid program.
Benjamin, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, is a graduate of the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois College of Medicine.

He is board-certified in internal medicine and a master of the American College of Physicians, a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, a fellow emeritus of the American College of Emergency Physicians, an honorary fellow of the Faculty of Public Health and an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health.

An established administrator, author and orator, Benjamin started his medical career as a military physician in 1978 when he trained in internal medicine at the Brooke Army Medical Center. In 1981, he was assigned to the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington, where he managed a 72,000-patient visit ambulatory care service as chief of the Acute Illness Clinic and was faculty and an attending physician within the Department of Emergency Medicine. A few years later, he was reassigned to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he served as chief of emergency medicine. After leaving the Army, he chaired the Department of Community Health and Ambulatory Care at the District of Columbia General Hospital. He was promoted to acting commissioner for public health for the District of Columbia and later directed one of the busiest ambulance services in the nation as interim director of the Emergency Ambulance Bureau of the District of Columbia Fire Department.

His academic career has consisted of a full range of endeavors from teaching and policy research to academic program development and management. Benjamin has combined his practice and academic experience as an emergency physician with public health to become one of the nation’s experts in public health emergency preparedness.

At APHA, Benjamin also serves as publisher of the nonprofit's monthly publication, The Nation's Health, the association's official newspaper, and the American Journal of Public Health, the profession’s premier scientific publication. He is the author of more than 200 scientific articles and book chapters. His recent book Public Health Under Siege: Improving Policy in Turbulent Times explores the impact of policy on our nation's health and offers specific actions to improve health and extend life expectancy. He is also the author of The Quest for Health Reform: A Satirical History, an exposé of the 100-year quest to ensure quality affordable health coverage for all using political cartoons.

Benjamin is an active member of the National Academy of Public Administration and the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. He serves on the boards of many nonprofit organizations including Research!America, the Truth Initiative, the Environmental Defense Fund and Ceres. Dr. Benjamin is also a former member of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, which advises the president on how best to assure the security of the nation's critical infrastructure.

In 2008, 2014 and 2016, he was named one of the top 25 minority executives in health care by Modern Healthcare Magazine, in addition to being voted among the 100 most influential people in health care for 14 years (2007-2018 and 2021-2023). In 2023, Washingtonian Magazine voted Dr. Benjamin one of the 500 most influential people shaping health policy.

Gary Cohen has been a pioneer in the environmental health movement for more than 38 years. He has helped build coalitions and networks globally to address health impacts related to climate change and toxic chemical exposure. Cohen is co-founder and president of Health Care Without Harm, created in 1996 to help transform the health care sector to be environmentally sustainable and support the health and climate resilience of the communities they serve. Since its inception, the nonprofit has grown to lead and partner in groundbreaking initiatives in more than 86 countries. Cohen was awarded the Champion of Change Award for Climate Change and Public Health by the White House in 2013. In 2015, Cohen received a MacArthur Fellowship and a “Genius Grant” from the MacArthur Foundation.

Dr. Brian Castrucci is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the de Beaumont Foundation.  Dr. Castrucci is a disruptor, instigator, and fierce advocate for public health. During his nine-year tenure, Castrucci has helped build the Foundation into a leading voice in health philanthropy and public health practice. Castrucci’s research interests include maternal and child health, the public health workforce, and systems to support policy implementation and practice improvement. Under his leadership, the de Beaumont Foundation is driving change to improve population health, foster collaboration between public health and primary care, and strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure. Among the projects he has created are CityHealth, the BUILD Health Challenge, and the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey.

Howard Frumkin, a physician-epidemiologist, wears three hats. He is Professor Emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington, where he served as Dean of the School of Public Health from 2010-2016;he is Senior Vice President of Trust for Public Land, where he leads that organization’s national Land and People Lab;and he is a Hagler Fellow at Texas A&M University. As Director of the National Center for Environmental Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2005-10), he launched that Agency’s Climate and Health program.

As Miami-Dade County’s first Chief Heat Officer, Ms. Gilbert works across departments and cross-sector partners to address the increasing health and economic risks associated with extreme heat. Prior to joining the County, Ms. Gilbert served as the City of Miami’s first Chief Resilience Officer for four years. As CRO, Ms. Gilbert led the climate and urban resilience strategy development and implementation for the City of Miami, and, in partnership with Miami-Dade County and City of Miami Beach, for the greater Miami region. Before her public sector work, Ms. Gilbert managed The Miami Foundation’s civic leadership agenda on sea level rise, Wells Fargo’s philanthropy and community affairs in South Florida and served as the Executive Director for three nonprofits in Greater Miami. Ms. Gilbert holds a BA in Environmental Science from Barnard College and MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Dr. Pamela Hymel, MD, MPH, FACOEM is the chief medical officer for Disney Experiences (DX). She is responsible for developing the segment’s health strategy, providing global oversight of health programming, working collaboratively with safety on injury prevention and leading the cast and guest health services teams for the parks and cruise line.  Her focus is on improving the overall health and well-being of cast, crew & Imagineers at DX.

She earned a Master of Public Health degree from Tulane University, a Medical Degree from the Louisiana State University New Orleans Medical School and is board certified in Internal Medicine and Occupational Medicine.  

Prior to joining Disney in 2010, Dr. Hymel worked for 5 years as the senior corporate medical director for Cisco Systems, where she planned the strategy and design of Cisco’s HealthConnections program and wellness center.  At Hughes Electronics, she held multiple leadership positions over 16 years, last serving as vice president of Human Resources, Benefits & Health.  

Currently, she is a Fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) where she previously served as president from 2009-10 and was on their board of directors for over 10 years.  She has also served on the board of directors for the National Business Group of Health (NBGH) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). 

Her work has garnered numerous awards, including the NBGH Global Leadership in Corporate Health award, the Rutherford T. Johnstone Award for outstanding service in occupational medicine, the Meritorious Service Award for ACOEM and the HERO Bill Whitmer Leadership Award for her work on the advancement of health and well-being for workers.  

Dr. Hymel continues to share her expertise.  She has written numerous articles and spoken globally on improving the health and well-being of workers, as well as promoting program innovation in the field of occupational health.

As founder and CEO of SameSky Health, Abner is a leader in driving health equity. SameSky Health uses its proprietary technology platform to help health plans reduce health disparities by engaging and building trust with their members, especially underserved, multicultural, and low-income members.

Abner is a Board member of the California Black Health Network and Manifest MedEx, California’s largest health information exchange (HIE). He is also a member of the American Medical Association’s External Equity & Innovation Advisory Group and United States of Care’s Founders Council.

In 2021, Abner was a member of the Biden-Harris Campaign Policy Committee. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS where he served as chairman of the International Committee from 2002 through 2005. Abner has served as chief policy advisor, chief secretary and undersecretary of transportation and construction for Massachusetts Governors Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift from 1997 to 2002.

Abner worked as an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company and is a graduate of Harvard College.

Hakon Mattson serves as chief sustainability officer at Elevance Health, where he is responsible for driving sustainability strategy that advances whole health and health equity. He leads Elevance Health’s environmental, social, and governance practice to include strategic alignment, reporting, and stakeholder engagement. Under Mattson’s leadership, Elevance Health became one of the first major healthcare companies that is carbon-neutral for operations.

David Michaels, PhD, MPH, is an epidemiologist and Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington DC. He served as US Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health from 2009 to January 2017, the longest-serving administrator in OSHA’s history. He was also a member of the Biden Haris Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board. During the Clinton Administration, Dr. Michaels served as US Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment, Safety, and Health, charged with protecting the workers, community, and environment around the nation’s nuclear weapons facilities. In that position, he was the chief architect of the historic initiative to compensate nuclear weapons workers who were sickened by radiation, beryllium, and other toxic exposures.

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Dr. Judith Monroe, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation, has dedicated her career to protecting people and saving lives. She joined the CDC Foundation in February 2016 as president and CEO, following her role as a deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and director of CDC’s Office of State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support. In her work at the CDC Foundation, Dr. Monroe advances priority programs that improve the health of people across America and around the world. The CDC Foundation mobilizes philanthropic and private-sector resources to support CDC’s critical health protection work, managing hundreds of programs in the United States and in more than 90 countries.

Prior to the CDC Foundation, Dr. Monroe oversaw key activities and technical assistance at CDC supporting the nation’s health departments and the public health system. Throughout the 2014–15 Ebola epidemic she served as senior advisor for the domestic response. During her tenure as the state health commissioner for Indiana she served as president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials through the H1N1 pandemic. Dr. Monroe is a member of the Milken Institute’s Public Health Advisory Board and Executive Circle, the COVID Collaborative, the Advisory Council of the Pandemic Action Network and the APHA Alliance for Disease Prevention and Response. She serves as a member of the World Health Organization Foundation’s Strategic Advisory Group, WHAMglobal Board, Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment Advisory Committee, Woman of Impact, Texas Biomedical Research Institute’s Strategic Advisory Council and is a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club and International Women’s Forum. Additionally, she co-chaired Gov. Holcomb’s public health commission aimed at modernizing the public health system in Indiana. Among her many awards, Dr. Monroe was recognized as one of Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs for 2021 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle; awarded the United Way of Greater Atlanta Woman of Excellence Award; received the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce MAC Heroes of Global Health award; the Indiana Commission on Women Torchbearer Award and APHL Presidential Award. Dr. Monroe received the American Public Health Association’s (APHA) Presidential Citation for her work to improve the health and well-being of people around the world, and for her commitment to the future of public health as a mentor to young physicians and public health students.

Lisa Patel received her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. After college, she worked in Egypt, Brazil, and India on international development projects with community-based organizations and non-profits, focusing on conservation and development efforts. She then obtained her Master's in Environmental Sciences from the Yale School of the Environment and went on to be a Presidential Management Fellow for the Environmental Protection Agency, coordinating the US Government's efforts on clean air and safe drinking water projects in South Asia in collaboration with the World Health Organization. Realizing the critical and inextricable links between children's health and environmental issues, she obtained her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and completed her residency in pediatrics at UCSF. For the last several years, she has used her extensive experience working for government, community organizations, and non-profits to advocate for children's health priorities in the US.

She was previously the co-chair for the American Academy of Pediatrics Advocacy Committee, California Chapter 1 (AAP-CA1) and in her time helped launch the inaugural Advocating for Children Together conference for Northern California that is now a yearly occurrence. She co-founded the Climate and Health task force for AAP-CA1, and sits on the Executive Committee for the AAP's national Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change. She is formerly the rotation director for the pediatric resident's Community Pediatrics and Child Advocacy Rotation. She is currently the Executive Director for the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and maintains a clinical practice as a pediatric hospitalist caring for newborns, premature infants, and children requiring hospitalization. She also sits on the Board of Our Children's Trust, the legal organization that represented youth in Held v. Montana.

Her work has appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, the New York Times, the LA Times, Bloomberg News, and multiple state and local outlets. She is interviewed regularly for her expertise on climate, health, and equity for major national media outlets like the Washington Post, US News and World Report, CNN, among others.

Dr. Adam Seidner, MD, MPH, is the Chief Medical Officer for The Hartford. He is responsible for The Hartford’s strategy and policy across all lines of business with a particular focus on Workers’ Compensation and Disability Management. He has worked on many public health issues, including indoor air quality, opioid epidemic, pandemics, and catastrophic events. He is responsible for medical policy development, quality assurance and improvement. 

He worked on vaccine development and testing for 10 years. Other areas of research include worksite health promotion, return to work and stay at work, integrative pain management, and fitness for work. He and The Hartford have worked on the many industry research projects including RETAIN-CT, BRITE, IMPOWR-YOU, and CPH-NEW. 

He also serves on an advisory board at The National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health. The MIRHIQL (Multilevel Interventions to Reduce Harm and Improve Quality of Life for Patients on Long Term Opioid Therapy) Research Network is a part of the NIH’s Helping to end Addiction Long Term (HEAL) Initiative.

Dr. Seidner earned a doctor of medicine degree from SUNY Health Science Center, a master’s degree in public health from the University of Connecticut, and an A.B. in Anthropology from Hamilton College. He is board-certified by the American Board of Preventative Medicine: Occupational and Environmental Medicine and American Board of Family Medicine.

Lawrence Sloan serves as CEO of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). Before this, he served as CEO at SOCMA, a trade association representing the US specialty chemical industry. Mr. Sloan started his non-profit career at the Adhesive and Sealant Council and was promoted to his first CEO role there in January 2005. He began his career as a chemical engineer at Air Products and later worked for Nalco Chemical in marketing, manufacturing, and sales capacities. Mr. Sloan earned a BS in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Dr. Sohini Stone, MD, MBA, leads the Global Employee Health team at Google, focused on cross-company strategy to provide an integrated portfolio of equitable, evidence-based programs and services to promote health and well-being of Google’s workforce, their family members, and the community around them. The team focuses across the spectrum of physical, mental and social health.

Dr. Stone has a background in quality, patient safety, and process improvement, and sits on the board of Health Care Without Harm. Prior to joining Google, she led clinical, quality, and business analytics teams at a late-stage Silicon Valley health start-up.

Sohini received both her Medical Degree and Masters in Business Administration from Boston University. She completed a pediatrics residency at Dartmouth Medical School and a Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at Stanford/Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.