Speakers - The Business of Health Care 2027

Secretary Alex Azar sits on several corporate and advisory boards, including Guardant Health, is an Adjunct Professor of Business at the University of Miami Business School, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Aspen Institute and Chairman of the Healthcare Leadership Council, and a Member of the Advisory Committee for the Center for Health, People, and Places of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Azar served as the 24^th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2018-2021), leading over 85,000 employees with a budget of over $1.4 trillion. He was the architect of Operation Warp Speed, delivering COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics in record time. He led the historic transformation of the healthcare system in the United States and HHS’s response to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

Azar previously served as president of Lilly USA, LLC, the largest affiliate of global biopharmaceutical leader Eli Lilly and Company. Before his tenure at Lilly, Azar was the Deputy Secretary of HHS and its General Counsel.

Azar earned an A.B. summa cum laude in government and economics from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from Yale University. He clerked for Associate Justice Antonin Scalia.

Dr. Brandi Kaye Freeman is the 127th President of the National Medical Association (NMA), the nation’s oldest and largest organization representing African American physicians and their patients. Dr. Freeman is a practicing pediatrician, Associate Professor and the Vice Chair of Health Opportunities and Professional Engagement (HOPE) for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Her research portfolio includes developing approaches to improve Equity in Healthcare and best practices to help children thrive in early childhood.

Dr. Anita Girard is a seasoned healthcare leader with a successful history of enabling, improving, and working with the healthcare industry. She is highly skilled in nursing management, evidence-based practice, patient advocacy, nursing education, new leader mentorship, role-based clarity, nursing shared governance, and driving quality clinical outcomes. She has significant experience related to LEAN implementation and ANCC Magnet Designation in healthcare systems. Dr. Girard is actively engaged in local, state, national, and international communities to promote the nursing profession and improve the quality of healthcare. She is broadly published on nursing empowerment and building resilient teams. Dr. Girard has a strong business development background with a Doctor of Nursing Practice focused on Executive Leadership from the University of San Francisco. In her most recent role, she drove practice and professional development at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as the Chief Nursing officer and Vice President of Nursing and was the President of the American Nurses Association of California.

C. Ann Jordan is President and CEO of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), which equips its more than 100,000 members nationwide to navigate and thrive in a complex healthcare landscape. She is a transformational leader who is committed to driving enhanced member value and mission impact. Ann is the first female CEO in HFMA’s 77-year history.

Ann was previously the CEO of ASQ, a global membership association dedicated to advancing quality practices and organizational excellence throughout all industries and with members in more than 130 countries. Her expertise in the intricacies of association management, risk management, and business model innovation helped ASQ evolve and adapt to the unprecedented challenges and opportunities facing professionals and organizations in today’s dynamic world.

Prior to joining ASQ, Ann held leadership roles and global responsibilities in diverse industry areas committed to quality systems and improvement, including original equipment manufacturers (OEM), maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) and insurance and risk management solutions. She began her career as a practicing lawyer.   

Ann holds a J.D. from University of Iowa College of Law and B.A. in Political Science and Psychology. She lives in the Historic Third Ward neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wis.

Mary C. Mayhew joined the Florida Hospital Association as President and CEO in October 2020. Under her leadership and in partnership with Florida’s hospitals, Mayhew has focused the organization’s efforts to transform the delivery of health care to support a modern, sophisticated system that can respond to the evolving needs of Florida’s citizens and visitors alike. Mayhew’s vision has been focused on policies and initiatives at the state and federal levels that support improved and timely access to critical care and support services. Through data and research, Mayhew has led efforts to bolster the state’s nursing school programs to meet increasing demand for health care services. She has broadened the focus of the FHA to proactively lead on Florida’s mental health system, to highlight opportunities to improve the care continuum for our older population, and to energize efforts to enhance and expand both maternal and pediatric care.

Prior to joining FHA, Mayhew served as Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) in the administration of Governor Ron DeSantis. As Secretary, Mayhew played an instrumental role in the state’s response to the COVID–19 pandemic. She also spearheaded several initiatives to support increased accountability for improved health care outcomes for the more than four million Medicaid enrollees and to promote integrated care coordination. Mayhew also served as the Deputy Secretary for the Centers for Medicaid & CHIP Services under President Trump and ran the Maine Department of Health & Human Services for more than six years. Mayhew’s more than 30-year career spans public and private sector roles and combines experience and expertise in government relations, executive leadership, regulatory oversight, public affairs, and public policy.

Karoline Mortensen is a Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Miami Business School. She is Associate Chair of Residential Faculty at Coral Residential College, Associate Director of the Center for Health Management and Policy and was the founding Director of the Master of Health Administration (MHA) program at the University of Miami. She previously was a member of the faculty in the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, College Park. She earned her Ph.D. in Health Services Organization and Policy and a Master of Science in Applied Economics from the University of Michigan, and dual degrees in Economics and Political Science from Florida State University.

Dr. Mortensen is a health services researcher, and her research interests are focused on health insurance, health care utilization, and the health care delivery system. She has received awards for outstanding teaching, mentoring of graduate students, and mentoring of undergraduate students, and was named a Poets&Quants top 50 undergraduate business school professor. She is a member of the National Board of Directors of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. She served as a member of the Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Health Services and Value Research study section from 2015-2021, served on the Committee for Advocacy and Public Policy for Academy Health, and is on the steering committees of the Southeastern Health Economics Study Group, the Washington Health Economics Symposium, and the Health Economists and Academic Leaders (HEAL) Network. Dr. Mortensen is Senior Associate Editor for Health Services Research, and has testified before the United States Congress House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health on the Medicare Advantage program.

Paul Pavlou is the Dean of the University of Miami Business School. He is also the Leonard M. Miller University Chair Professor. Paul’s research has been cited more than 90,000 times by Google Scholar, and Thomson Reuters recognized him among the ‘World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds’ based on an analysis of Highly Cited Researchers. Paul was ranked No. 1 globally in publications in top Information Systems journals from 2010 to 2016. He earned a Ph.D. in Information Systems and a master’s in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California.

Paul is a Distinguished Fellow of the INFORMS Information Systems Society. He won several Best Paper Awards for his research, including the Sheth Foundation Award for ‘Long-Term Contributions to Marketing’ published in the Journal of Marketing (2019), and the Maynard Award for the ‘Most Significant Contribution to Marketing’ in the Journal of Marketing (2015), to name a few. Paul received $3,500,000 in grants from funding agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF). His research appeared In top journals and his research spans several disciplines (information systems, data science, marketing, operations management, and management sciences) with emphasis on artificial intelligence, business analytics, and digital strategy.

Brian Pieninck is President and Chief Executive Officer of GuideWell, a $32 billion not-for-profit health solutions company focused on transforming health care and Florida Blue, Florida’s leading health insurer. A mission-driven health solutions enterprise, GuideWell serves 36 million customers across 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including more than 6 million individuals in Florida.

Mr. Pieninck is active in leading professional and community organizations, and committed to advancing opportunities at the intersection of health and economic well-being. He is Board Chair of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and is also a member of the boards of BCS Financial Corporation and the Morgan State University Board of Regents.

Mr. Pieninck holds a Bachelor of Science in business studies and business administration from Southern New Hampshire University.

A distinguished educator, she was President of the University of Miami (2001-2015), Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1987-1993), and President of Hunter College of the City University of New York (1980-1987). One of the most honored academics of her generation, she has been elected to seven national academies including the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Education and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has more than five dozen honorary degrees from American and International Universities. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

One of the country’s first Peace Corps Volunteers, her public service also includes serving as Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services in the Clinton administration for eight years, and Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research in the Carter administration. She also represented Florida’s 27th District which includes most of Miami.

In 2008 President George W. Bush selected her as the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian award. She was named “America’s Best Leaders” by U.S. News & World Report (2005), received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights (2010), and was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame (2011). Congresswoman Shalala received her A.B. from Western College for Women and her PhD from Syracuse University.

Mike Tuffin is President & CEO of AHIP, the national trade association whose members provide health care coverage, services, and solutions to hundreds of millions of Americans every day. Tuffin has worked at the intersection of the health care industry and public policy for more than 20 years.

He returned to AHIP in January 2024, having previously served the association as EVP for Public Affairs. His prior roles include serving as SVP of External Affairs at UnitedHealth Group and leading the Washington, DC headquarters of APCO Worldwide. He earned a BA from Providence College and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Stephen J. Ubl is president and chief executive officer of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which represents America's leading biopharmaceutical research companies. Mr. Ubl leads PhRMA's work preserving and strengthening a health care and economic environment that encourages medical innovation, new drug discovery, and access to life-saving medicines. “If anyone can find areas of agreement with the critics, or at least work productively with them, it may be Mr. Ubl," the New York Times wrote in February 2016. "He is more conversant with the intricacies of health policy, and more adept at the politics." He is routinely recognized as one of Washington’s most effective advocates, and, in 2019, was named one of Business Insider’s “DC Healthcare Power Players.” He is consistently named to Modern Healthcare’s “100 Most Influential People in Healthcare” list and is identified as a top health influencer by Medical Marketing & Media andPR Week magazines.

Steven G. Ullmann is Professor and Director of the Center for Health Management and Policy at the University of Miami Business School. Dr. Ullmann holds secondary appointments in the Department of Economics as well as in the Departments of Epidemiology & Public Health and Family Medicine & Community Health in the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, specializing in the areas of health care management, health care economics and health care policy

Dr. Ullmann has served as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and University Administration, Dean of the Graduate School, as well as Director of Academic Programs in Health Administration, and Department Chair. Prior to the University of Miami, he was a research associate with two consulting firms, Health Manpower Policy Studies Group and Policy Analysis, Incorporated. He is the author of over 50 monographs, book and book chapters, refereed journal articles, commentaries, invited articles, and abstracts in such journals as Inquiry, Applied Economics, Journal of Health Care Finance, Medical Care Research and Review and the New England Journal of Medicine. He has also been the recipient of over 25 awards for excellence in teaching. Most recently, he received the James W. McLamore Outstanding Service Award.

Dr. Ullmann has served on governing boards and ethics boards of a number of health care providers and as a consultant to the health care industry. Dr. Ullmann has worked globally in the areas of privatization and implementation of health care management structures in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. With the recent issues of healthcare reform and COVID-19, Dr. Ullmann’s expertise has been sought after by various local, national, and global media sources including: the Miami Herald, the Sun Sentinel, PBS Nightly Business Reports, CBS, Fox Business News and CNN.

Dr. Ullmann holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics with Distinction from the University of California, Berkeley, and his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He has received training and certification in Bioethics and Advanced Bioethics from the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University.

A board-certified urologist and surgeon from upstate New York, Dr. Underwood has dedicated his career to caring for patients and advocating for a health care system that works better for everyone. Raised in Gary, Indiana, he brings more than two decades of clinical experience—including more than a decade specializing in robotic urologic surgery—along with a deep commitment to patient access, physician leadership, and health equity.

Throughout his career, he has served medicine in his research, in the operating room, in his community, and at the highest levels of organized medicine. He has led at the county, state, and national levels, serving as Chair of the AMA Board of Trustees and helping shape policy on issues ranging from patient safety and physician payment to reducing disparities in care.

At a time of extraordinary change in health care, Dr. Underwood is a steadfast advocate for physicians, patients, and the values that define our profession.