To lead the Journal of Clinical Pathways is a diverse board of 14 distinguished professionals within the health care sector committed to enhancing the discussion of value-based care.
Editor-in-Chief:
Winston Wong, PharmD:
Winston Wong, PharmD, is the President of the W-Squared Group. The W-Squared Group is committed to assist small niche healthcare innovators develop theirvalue statement, and then launch their technology in the government and commercial marketplace. He is known for his clinical innovations throughout his 30-year career. Among his accomplishments are participating as a member of the APhA STAT committee first addressing the value of MTM services, implementation of aprovider network Pay-for-Quality program in Oncology and Rheumatology, and incorporating MTM services into the overall Medical Management Strategy in a health plan. Current focuses for the W-Squared Group are in the areas of genomic profiling in Oncology, and the development of clinical pathway strategies in Oncology, Immunology, Urology, and chronic diseases with specialty pharmacy and provider organizations.
He earned his PharmD degree in 1981 from the University of the Pacific in Stockton California, and completed a General Residency at the University of Nebraska Hospital and Clinics in Omaha, Nebraska. Since earning his degree, he has held numerous staff, clinical, and leadership positions in hospital, GPO, and managed care settings.
Larry Blandford, PharmD:
Larry Blandford, PharmD, is the Executive Vice President and Managing Partner of Precision Advisors where he leads the strategic insights and market expertise capabilities. Prior to the acquisition of Hobart Group Holdings by Precision for Medicine in 2013, he held a similar position as Managing Partner of Hobart Innovations. He has served numerous roles in the healthcare industry for more than 20 years, ranging from pharmacy benefit management and health information technology to market access consulting and pharmacy practice.
Prior to joining Hobart, he held leadership roles in product development and sales and account services for 14 years at CVS Caremark. During his time there, Larry led initiatives in physician connectivity, as well as electronic prescribing programs, and was responsible for developing and maintaining strategic relationships with key payer clients. In addition, Larry’s career includes roles in clinical PBM products, disease management initiatives, pharmacy and therapeutics committees, health information technology, and pharmacy practice in both hospital and retail settings.
Alex W. Bastian, MBA:
Alex leads the San Francisco office of Gfk strategy consulting, where he has led major engagements in market access and commercial strategy in various roles, from Consultant to Principal Consultant. The majority of his work focuses on value drivers for pipeline technologies, as well as alternative funding sources from traditional and non-traditional payers around the globe. These experiences have made him an expert concerning methodologies to drive commercial value of R&D activities (assessing assets and challenges in clinical development).
During his tenure with GfK, Alex has spoken at several conferences and has published posters and abstracts on various pricing, access, and health economic themes. Alex also currently serves as a strategic advisor for ASCO Value in Cancer Task Force and helped to develop their conceptual framework for assessing the value of different cancer treatments.
Terry A. Cronan, PhD:
Dr. Cronan is a Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University (SDSU). Dr. Cronan earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees in psychology at SDSU, and completed her doctoral studies at Michigan State University. She then returned to San Diego, where for 3 years she worked as a research psychologist for the Naval Health Research Center and the Navy Personnel Research and Development Center. During this time she also was a lecturer at SDSU, teaching Experimental Psychology, Physiological Psychology, and Statistics. She joined the full-time faculty at SDSU in 1991.
Professor Cronan’s research interests include community interventions, community psychology, literacy development, multicultural issues, coping and chronic diseases, and health care utilization. She is the director of the Health Outcomes Studies Lab, where she has developed, implemented, and evaluated community interventions focused on community psychology, literacy development, multicultural issues, coping and chronic diseases, and health care utilization. She is now examining factors related to hiring a health care advocate and testing the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for breast cancer patients.
Professor Cronan has received over twelve million dollars in grant funding over the years, published over 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and authored over 300 conference presentations, almost all of them with student co-authors.
Edward Li, PharmD, BCOP, MPH
Dr. Li is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at the UNE College of Pharmacy. Dr. Li earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in 2002. Dr. Li then completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, WI, and an Oncology Pharmacy Practice Residency at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore, MD. Before joining UNE, Dr. Li was a member of the faculty at Wilkes University, Nesbitt College of Pharmacy and Nursing in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and most recently was the Oncology Pharmacy Manager at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a not-for-profit organization whose clinical practice guidelines in oncology are the standard of care in the United States and around the world. Dr. Li is a Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist and his research focuses on 1) public health policy issues as they relate to oncology practice, such as comparative effectiveness and Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) and 2) utilization of secondary data sources to analyze practice trends and outcomes.
Dwight E. Heron, MD, FACRO, FACR
Dwight E. Heron, MD, FACRO, FACR, is the chairman of radiation oncology at UPMC Shadyside, vice chairman of radiation oncology at UPCI, director of Radiation Oncology Services at UPMC CancerCenter, and professor of radiation oncology and otololaryngology, head and neck surgeryand professor, clinical and translational scienceat the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He specializes in stereotactic radiosurgery, high-dose rate brachytherapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), intraoperative radiotherapy, and interstitial hyperthermia.
Dr. Heron specializes in stereotactic radiosurgery, high-dose rate brachytherapy, and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). His research interests include stereotactic radiotherapy for benign and malignant brain and body tumors, evaluation of PET/CT in staging and management of head & neck, lung and a variety of other cancers including the use of 4D PET-CT for thoracic and abdominal malignancies as well as identifying and addressing factors contributing to differences in cancer care outcomesin various populations in Western Pennsylvania.
Bruce Feinberg, DO:
Dr. Bruce A. Feinberg currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer and the Vice President of Clinical affairs for Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions. He is nationally recognized for his expertise in specialty oncology and the business of specialty healthcare. He has been instrumental in the development of clinical pathways in oncology care —which aim to control costs, improve quality, and increase predictability—key factors in developing a sustainable approach for caring for patients with high-cost diseases.
Prior to joining Cardinal Health, Dr. Feinberg was instrumental in establishing Georgia Cancer Specialists (GCS), one of the first and largest integrated oncology specialty practices in the southeastern United States. As CEO and president of GCS, he expanded community access to oncology care by bringing the latest cancer treatments, technologies, and clinical trials closer to the patient.
A highly sought-after speaker on cancer-related topics who regularly publishes in peer-reviewed journals, he is also the author of the bestselling Breast Cancer Answers and its follow-up book, Colon Cancer Answers.
Willard Harms, MD, MBA:
Dr. Harms is currently Vice President, Medical Affairs, for Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina. He has been with the Plan for four years and his role includes medical policy development, provider relations, and oversight of medical management. Dr. Harms spent the previous 15 years at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois where he had a similar role. Since 1990, Dr. Harms has held positions with Rush Prudential Health Plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oklahoma, and Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.
Maria Lopes, MD, MS:
Dr. Lopes has been in the managed care industry for over 19 years. She is currently the Chief Medical Officer of Magellan Rx Management, former Chief Medical Officer of EmblemHealth, Chief Medical Director of Horizon BCBS NJ and CMO of AMCHealth. In her role at MagellanRx, she oversees clinical program development and implementation, patient outreach and clinical assessment, pathway development and strategic solutions across medical and pharmacy benefits. She works closely with over 40 health plans to bring customized and innovative programs that add quantifiable clinical and economic value.
Dr. Lopes has extensive experience in Disease and Case Management, Employee Health and Wellness, and Quality initiatives to improve HEDIS/Medicare STAR performance. She has been responsible for Medical Policy Development and Implementation, Correct Coding initiatives, Fraud and Abuse, Physician Profiling and the development of a Medical Home Pilot project in NY. She has overseen Medical and Pharmacy Utilization in a network and a staff model. She has worked closely with Geisinger Health Systems on innovative strategies in tele-health, data analytics and HIT to improve patient engagement, care coordination and reduce cost trends.
Dr. Lopes is an Obstetrician and Gynecologist. She has a BA in Biochemistry from Wesleyan University, received her Medical Degree from the University of Connecticut and has a Masters Degree in Administrative Medicine from the University of Wisconsin.
Gary Owens, MD:
Gary Owens is currently President of Gary Owens Associates. He has over 30 years of experience in medical and pharmacy management. Previously, Owens was at Independence Blue Cross for 22 years, and for 10 years he was Vice President of Medical Management and Policy with responsibilities for medical and pharmacy management, technology evaluation and medical policy. Owens has presented extensively on managed care and pharmacy management topics, at conferences of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, the National Association of Managed Care Physicians, and the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care. He has written more than 90 articles on managed care, pharmacy, and biotechnology, many of which have been published in American Health and Drug Benefits, The Journal of Managed Care Medicine, The American Journal of Managed Care, and The Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy.
Patti Peeples, RPh, PhD:
Dr. Patti Peeples is a health economist, educator, marketer, pharmacist, and entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in the healthcare field. She is the Founder and CEO of HealthEconomics.Com (https://www.healtheconomics.com), a top-ranked resource portal that serves as the global CONNECTED COMMUNITYTM for individuals involved in healthcare value, including those in health economics, outcomes research, pricing, reimbursement, and market access. She is also Principal Researcher at HE Institute, a healthcare consulting agency devoted to improved patient outcomes. Dr. Peeples has served in senior positions in Medical Affairs, Health Outcomes, and Product Management and has worked for major pharma organizations including ALZA, Novartis, and Xcenda. She is on multiple Boards of Directors, including the Board of Grants for the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education, and the Advisory Board of CreateHealth.io, a digital healthcare customer insight company. She is a frequent speaker at major industry conferences on healthcare value.
Peeples is the author of dozens of peer-reviewed publications on cost-effectiveness of healthcare interventions and patient-reported outcomes, and she holds a PhD in Health Economics from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and an M.S. in Pharmaceutical Marketing and a B.S. in Pharmacy from the University of Mississippi. She completed an Administrative Pharmacy Residency at the Medical University of South Carolina. She lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida and is mom to 15-year old twin boys. In her spare time, she is an avid cyclist, and she founded an outdoor adventure group for teen-agers to inspire appreciation for nature, community, and connection.
Edward Stepanski, PhD:
Edward Stepanski, PhD, joined Vector Oncology in 2006 after holding many leadership positions in academic medical centers and in national medical societies for over 20 years. Ed brings strong organizational expertise, scientific acumen at the highest academic standards, as well as sensitivity to the needs of oncology from both the business and clinical perspective. Under his leadership, Vector Oncology developed the Health Outcomes and PharmacoEconomics (HOPE) and Pharma Services business units. Ed has co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and books covering many topics in oncology research, sleep medicine, and statistical methodology. Dr. Stepanski is also a professor of internal medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center.
Margaret Rausa, PharmD:
Margaret Rausa, PharmD, earned her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and her Doctorate of Pharmacy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Now the Vice President of Clinical Program Development at eviCore, Dr. Rausa boasts over 10 years of experience in the managed care industry, with a focus on specialty pharmacy and medical oncology, and is one of the emerging leaders in the fields of clinical pathway development and pharmaceutical management.
Prior to joining eviCore, Dr. Rausa led clinical training initiatives and served as Specialty Pharmacy Residency Director for CVS Caremark Corporation. As part of her former PBM experience, Dr. Rausa has managed a variety of specialty pharmacy clinical programs and has also led a pharmacy team in the development and maintenance of evidenced-based utilization criteria for an extensive list of specialty therapies.
Gary M. Cohen, BSPharm, RPh, CSP
Mr. Cohen is a healthcare business executive with over 30 years of experience in Pharmacy and Pharmacy related organizations including: Retail & Chain Pharmacy Management, Healthcare Publishing, Pharmacy Continuing Education, and Certification Boards.
His most recent position was Publisher of Specialty Pharma Journal, the leading journal servicing the Specialty Pharmacy Channel. He is currently serving as acting Executive Director for the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board, and is one of the Founders of the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy. Prior to Specialty Pharma Journal, he was CEO of Synergy Healthcare Communications, a full service Managed Markets Communications Agency, and had also launched Pharmacy Powerx-Pak, a leading Pharmacy Education provider. He is a graduate of the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy of Long Island University in 1981, and is currently licensed to practice pharmacy in the State of Florida. He also possesses an airman certificate.
