Staff
Jon Broyles
Executive Director
Jon oversees day-to-day operations and sets strategy for C-TAC. Early in his career he met Reverend Diane Smalley, a powerful advocate living with advanced illness, who told him to keep it simple: focus on opening doors. In acting on Diane's legacy Jon has the benefit of drawing on hundreds of innovators’ experience and talent in the Coalition. His role is channeling these resources into practical approaches to improve care for those living with advanced illness.
Clinical Models
David Longnecker, MD
Secretary-Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Chief Clinical Innovations Officer
David E. Longnecker, M.D. is the Chief Clinical Innovations Officer of C-TAC (the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care), an organization dedicated to the ideal that all Americans with advanced illness, especially the sickest and most vulnerable, receive comprehensive, high-quality, person- and family-centered care that is consistent with their goals and values and honors their dignity.
His career spans a spectrum of commitment to healthcare improvement as a physician-scientist, clinician and educator at the University of Missouri, the University of Virginia and the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as Robert D. Dripps Professor and Chair of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Vice Dean for Professional Services and Sr. Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
He also served as a Director at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), where he founded the Chief Medical Officers Group and co-founded its Integrating Quality initiative to enhance quality, safety and cost-effective care delivery in academic medical centers. He is the author of over 110 scientific articles and chapters and the editor of eight medical textbooks, including the 1800-page Anesthesiology and its associated website, Access Anesthesiology (http://www.accessanesthesiology.com).
Dr. Longnecker is a fellow of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (UK) and member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences, where he chaired the IOM Committee on Aerospace Medicine and Medicine for Extreme Environments (2001-2009). He now serves on the NASA Human Exploration and Operations Committee and chairs its Research Subcommittee.
Ravi Parikh, MD, MPP
Senior Clinical Advisor
Ravi is a resident in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Ever since serving as a hospice bereavement counselor in high school, Ravi has striven to improve seriously ill individuals’ quality of life, ensuring that people are not only dying better, but living better as well. He has worked to implement novel delivery models of care in advanced illness at the local, state, and national level. He has served on leadership boards of the American College of Physicians, American Geriatrics Society, and Massachusetts Medical Society, and has advised for-profit and non-profit organizations including AARP Services, Inc. and the Healthy Living Center for Excellence. Ravi worked on accountable care organization implementation as a Rappaport Fellow in the Massachusetts State House in 2010; his legislative recommendations earned commendation from the Massachusetts Speaker of the House and were incorporated into landmark payment reform legislation passed in 2012. Ravi’s research interests include delivery reform in advanced illness, cancer survivorship, and integrated palliative care. His work has been published in national venues including The Washington Post, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Journal of the American Medical Association, The Atlantic, and Readers’ Digest Magazine, and he is a staff contributor at the Now@NEJM Blog. He has received the AMA Foundation Excellence in Medicine Leadership Award and the American Geriatrics Society Edward Henderson Award. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Harvard College, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Ravi enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, tennis, and watching basketball.
Mark Sterling
Chief Strategy Officer
Mark is C-TAC’s Chief Strategy Officer, and serves as the inaugural Senior Fellow in Advanced Care and Health Policy for the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School.
For over 35 years, Mark has been an advisor to mission-driven healthcare organizations. His experience includes serving as partner in a leading global law firm, as general counsel and chief strategy officer of a leading health care services organization providing end-of-life care, and as a member of nonprofit Boards of Directors serving frail elderly and terminally ill individuals. He recently was a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative. Mark has been a partner in the Washington DC and Miami offices of Hogan Lovells (formerly Hogan & Hartson), where he was a founding member of both its Health group and its Miami office.
Over three decades, Mark has worked to structure, develop and expand innovative programs serving the elderly and terminally ill, including PACE, home care, and hospice programs. He served on HHS’s first Negotiated Rulemaking Committee, which reached a consensus recommendation on the hospice wage index that was adopted by the Medicare program. He also has worked on public-private partnerships to establish new medical research institutes, including Scripps Florida on behalf of The Scripps Research Institute and JAX Genomic Medicine on behalf of The Jackson Laboratory.
Mark holds Juris Doctor and Master of Public Policy degrees from The University of Michigan, and served as Managing Editor of the Michigan Law Review. He has served as President (Board Chair) of Hospice Care of the District of Columbia, and as a Board member of Comprehensive Care Management Corporation (now CenterLight Health System), which operates PACE programs in New York City.
Brad Stuart, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Brad is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of ACIStrategies. With more than 35 years of experience practicing internal medicine, palliative care and hospice, and as a healthcare innovator with a national reputation, he has a career-long commitment to improving clinical and economic outcomes by promoting dignity, choice and responsibility. He was instrumental in creating the first Advanced Illness Management (AIM) program in the US with a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 1999, shepherded its growth over a decade at Sutter Health, and spearheaded the proposal that earned AIM a $13 million award in 2010 from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation. Brad drove AIM’s growth and development toward a national model now adopted by the American Hospital Association and many US health systems and championed by the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC), where he is a founding Board member. For over 10 years Brad has focused on delivery system redesign, specializing in outcome and financial metrics and analytics, physician and staff training, and value-driven cost reduction in advanced illness. A graduate of Stanford University School of Medicine, he was named to the 2013 HealthLeaders’ Media list of Top 20 national difference-makers and was profiled in Atlantic Monthly. He has been named Physician of the Year by the California Association of Health Services at Home. Brad speaks internationally on clinical, economic and spiritual issues in advanced illness.
Communications
Alishia Parkhill
Strategic Advisor
Alishia Parkhill is a nonprofit executive with more than 17 years of experience in marketing, communications, membership and operations management. From leading multimillion-dollar cause marketing campaigns to driving change that creates new paths to reach organizational goals, her work has yielded increased awareness, efficiency and revenue for nonprofit brands. Her passion for improving serious illness and end-of-life care has inspired her to shift her career to focus on these issues and pursue her M.S. in Health and Social Innovation. In her spare time, she serves as a volunteer at a local hospice organization where she provides support to patients and families.
Stephen Waldron
Communications Manager
Stephen Waldron serves as communications manager at the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC). In this role, he supports the Coalition’s outreach with journalists as well as members of the various communities with which C-TAC partners. He monitors the latest media coverage of issues related to advanced care, identifying and generating opportunities to promote C-TAC’s mission to ensure that all Americans living with advanced illness receive high-quality and person-centered care. He is also heavily involved with the planning and execution of C-TAC’s National Summit on Advanced Illness Care. Trained as a journalist at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, Stephen works to amplify the compelling stories of people living with advanced illness to advocate for their needs. Before joining the C-TAC team, he supported communications efforts at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, first promoting research published in the open-access journal Science Advances, and then highlighting the organization’s various projects and initiatives on the News & Information team.
Interns & Graduate Fellows
Qianmo Xing
Database, Operations, and Research Intern
Qianmo Xing is originally from China, and he came to the US 3 years ago. He recently received his M.S in Economics from Georgetown University. His field of studies was quantitative economics and statistics. Some of Qianmo’s interests including data analysis, sales and volunteer work. During the past year, he worked at Dahlgren Memorial Library as a student employee in information services, helping medical school students find books and journals, connecting to MedStar Hospital network and using Ovid/PubMed to access medical resources. He believes medical resources will be utilized optimal by data excavation and analyzing.
Kenny Rakwong
Database, Operations, and Research Intern
Kenny Rakwong was born in Thailand but raised in Northern Virginia. He is currently a junior attending George Mason University studying Information Systems and Operations Management with a minor in Business Analytics. Kenny discovered his interest in technology due to its capability of making our lives easier, its exponentially fast growth rate, and its capability of retrieving information from data that could be used to be more efficient. Some of Kenny's interests include humanitarianism and volunteer work. Over the past two months, he has been volunteering at Miriam's Kitchen located near George Washington University where he helps to prepare meals for the homeless in efforts of ending chronic homelessness in DC. He believes that it is important for a strong society to take care of those that are struggling in their weakest moments.
Kacy Ninteau
Policy Intern
Kacy Ninteau grew up in Western Massachusetts and is now a rising senior at Brandeis University. She is majoring in Neuroscience, Health: Science, Society, & Policy, and Biology. After graduation, she hopes to attend medical school. Kacy found her passion for end of life care while working at a nursing home in high school and later as a hospice personal care attendant. Her interests include dancing, ultimate frisbee, mental health advocacy, and being a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Kacy is particularly proud of her work as a Crisis Counselor with Crisis Text Line. Through CTL, she is able to connect to people from all walks of life, giving them a space to share their pain and find some relief.
Tierney Beauregard
Programs & Communications Intern
Tierney Beauregard graduated from Bucknell University this spring, where she majored in Environmental Studies with minors in Economics and English-Literary Studies. Tierney is largely interested in the connections between environment and health and in working to improve social inequities which put marginalized and underserved communities most at risk for serious health consequences and chronic conditions.
Operations
Jennifer Driscoll
Senior Project Manager
Kristina Minior
Operations Coordinator
CB Wismar
National Summit Producer
CB Wismar is a writer and Creative Director who has written for film and television as well as both print and electronic media. He created events and experiences for Fortune 500 companies for over 30 years including TIME’s 75th Anniversary, the Xerox “drupa” Pavillion, 8 ASTA World Travel Congresses and nine Life@50+ events for AARP. He has created and scripted major events for United Way Worldwide, America’s Promise, MCI, ExxonMobil and Conoco-Phillips. Twice a finalist for the Academy Award in the short subjects category, his scripts have been nominated three times for EMMY Awards.
Outreach
Cheryl Matheis
Strategic Advisor
Cheryl Matheis is C-TAC’s Strategic Advisor. She is a recognized expert in healthcare, aging and consumer law and policy, having served in various high-level positions with AARP for over 25 years. Some of her many highlights include: serving as AARP’s Senior Principal and Counsel for External Affairs; serving as Senior Vice President for Policy, Strategy & International Affairs; providing expert counsel to AARP’s Board of Directors and executives; and directing successful campaigns on Health Reform and Medicare Part D Implementation. As State Affairs Director, Cheryl oversaw work combating predatory lending, and excessive utilities fees, and securing increased access to Medicaid services. She was AARP’s lead representative with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, drafting and securing adoption of consumer protection provisions in model laws. For more than a decade, Cheryl led AARP’s federal regulatory advocacy, brokering agreements with industry and government that resulted in important regulations. She helped write federal standards for Medicare Supplement and Long Term Care Insurance. Throughout her career, Cheryl has worked closely with State Attorneys General, pursuing joint initiatives with the National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School.
Cheryl received numerous awards during her AARP career, including the organization’s Outstanding Association Achievement award. She has appeared on major news outlets, including CBS, NBC, ABC, NPR, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.
Cheryl is a graduate of Manhattanville College and Catholic University Law School, where she was a member of the Law Review. She is admitted to practice before the District of Columbia federal and local courts and the United States Supreme Court.
Elder Angela Overton
Senior Advisor to the Interfaith and Diversity Workgroup
Angela Overton serves as a Contract Chaplain at Norton Hospital, an Associate Minister at Green Castle Baptist Church and a Staff Member at Burnett Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, KY, where she is dedicated to Godly compassionate care alongside advancing collaboration between church and community for all those that are affected by illness.
Sarah Park
Outreach Associate
Sarah Park serves as the Outreach Associate at The Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC). In her role, she supports efforts in building and maintaining partnerships as well as growing C-TAC’s reach across the advanced illness care spectrum.
Prior to joining C-TAC, Sarah worked at the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism for the South Korean government to foster awareness for Korean arts and culture. There, she developed social media campaigns, conducted community events, and oversaw New York City engagement for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Sarah’s time at the Ministry grew her dedication for creative and genuine storytelling. She continues to pursue this passion at C-TAC by hoping to share the stories of those living with advanced illness.
Originally from New Jersey, Sarah received a B.A. degree in International Affairs and Global Public Health from The George Washington University in May 2018.
Rev. Tyrone Pitts
Senior Faith Advisor
An internationally published writer on racism, the Rev. Dr. Tyrone Pitts is the general secretary emeritus for the Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc. In addition for his work with the New Baptist Covenant, Dr. Pitts has also worked for racial justice under the auspices of the National Council of Churches, and currently serves as the chair of the Morehouse School of Religion Board of Directors.
Dr. Pitts is an ordained minister in the Progressive National Baptist Convention, having earned his doctoral ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Ohio.
Mike Simmons
Strategic Advisor, Community Engagement
Luke Scuitto
Partnership Manager
Patient & Caregiver Voice
Tim Bauerschmidt & Ramie Liddle
Caregiver Fellows
Tim Bauerschmidt and Ramie Liddle are professional nomads who retired by age fifty to travel full-time in an Airstream travel trailer with Ringo, their Standard Poodle. They have explored every state but Alaska and consider Mexico's Baja California Peninsula the closest thing to home.
Shirley Roberson
C-TAC Fellow
Shirley Roberson has a Bachelor Science in Health Sciences and has done extensive research in nutrition and alternative health care modalities. Beginning with patient care under Dr. Jewell Pukrum, Shirley has personally experienced the healing benefits of macrobiotic and vegetarian diets. From her own research in medical science and the latest studies, she has effectively counseled others on natural healing that includes diet, meditation and spiritual practices. Over the years, Shirley has worked with the Hartford Church Health Ministry in the presentation of several health conferences. The Karmanos Cancer Institute frequently features Shirley as a model for patients with advanced breast cancer. She was selected to attend a national conference of Women Living With Metastatic Breast Cancer in Philadelphia. Roberson is frequently sought after to participate in groups and retreats for cancer survivors and is the progenitor of the “Blue Chair” featured in the 2018 National Summit.
Marian Grant, DNP, ACNP-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, RN
Senior Regulatory Advisor
Marian Grant is a nurse practitioner (NP) dually certified in Acute Care and Palliative Care/Hospice. She is an associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Nursing and is also a nurse practitioner on the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Palliative Care Service. She is currently a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow and worked in Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s office on Capitol Hill in 2015 and is now an INSPIRE fellow at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) on their Hospice demonstration.
Grant received her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the University of Maryland, and her Masters and Bachelors in Nursing degrees from the Johns Hopkins University. She has worked as a nurse at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, helped start the Palliative Care program at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, and worked as an NP at the Gilchrist Hospice In-Patient Unit in Towson, Maryland. She is a co-author of The Hospice and Palliative Care Approach to Serious Illness, has done research as an online palliative care nurse practitioner on the Johns Hopkins Pancreatic Cancer website, and blogged for the Journal of Palliative Medicine. Before becoming a nurse, Dr. Grant received a Bachelors in Science from Miami University in mass communication and had a career in advertising and marketing for the Procter & Gamble Company.
Andrew MacPherson
Senior Policy Advisor
As Senior Policy Advisor to C-TAC and Principal at Healthsperien, Andrew provides comprehensive strategic guidance, in-depth policy analysis and effective messaging development on wide-range of federal health policy and political issues, including those related to the implementation of Affordable Care Act (ACA), quality and value-based purchasing, Medicare, Medicaid, prescription drug coverage and pharmaceutical cost containment, long-term care supports and services, chronic care management, and public and private insurance coverage expansions. Through his work with dozens of public and private stakeholders at the local, state, regional and federal level, Andrew has a special emphasis on policy and political issues related to advanced care and serious illness.
Prior to his work at Healthsperien, Andrew was Founder and Principal of MacPherson Strategic, Inc., a health care policy, legislative strategy, and communications consulting firm. MacPherson Strategic served a diverse set of health care stakeholder clients, including consumer groups, broad-based coalitions, innovative health care start-ups, and the largest health care purchasers.
Prior to founding MacPherson Strategic, Andrew served as Director of Government Affairs at Jennings Policy Strategies, Inc. (JPS), a nationally recognized health policy consulting firm led by Chris Jennings, the former Senior Health Care Advisor to President Bill Clinton and now Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. From 2005-2013, Mr. MacPherson staffed a wide variety of client and pro bono initiatives in the policy, political, and communications arenas with JPS, Inc., such as the Bipartisan Policy Center health reform project with former Majority Leaders Baker, Daschle, Dole and Mitchell, presidential campaigns including Obama for America and Hillary Clinton for President, and the Clinton Global Initiative. While at JPS, Andrew researched and co-authored numerous articles and speeches on a range of health policy issues.
From 2005 to 2007, Andrew served in the Government Relations Department with the American Psychiatric Association. At APA, Andrew developed national policy positions, conducted in-depth research on physician access and reimbursement, and engaged on all aspects of targeted lobbying activities including those related to implementation of the Medicare Part D drug benefit, physician reimbursement under Medicare and mental health “parity” legislation.
From 2001 to 2004, Mr. MacPherson worked for a range of policy and political organizations and elected officials, including Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Democratic Governors’ Association, Vermont Democratic Party, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, Inc., a market research and strategic communications consulting firm based in Washington, D.C.
Originally from Vermont, Andrew received a B.A. in Political Science from The George Washington University in May 2005.
Sage Rosenthal
Policy and Advocacy Associate
Sage Rosenthal serves as the Advocacy and Policy Associate at the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC). In this role, she supports advancing the policy and advocacy mission of C-TAC through research and building and maintaining stakeholder relationships. Sage has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Brandeis University in Health: Science, Society, and Policy and Psychology along with a minor in Business. Prior to C-TAC, Sage has gained experience working with state-level and federal-level advocacy on topics such as children’s mental health, global poverty, and preventable diseases. Additionally, she has spent a previous summer gaining policy experience working on the hill.
She hopes to contribute her public health and health policy lens to the mission of delivering high-quality, person-centered care to all individuals in the country living with advanced illness. As well as support the holistic perspective C-TAC emphasizes in its work.