Richard Sorian is Deputy Director. He coordinated the work of the Consumer Rights, Protections, and Responsibility Subcommittee and the Commission's work on the Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. Mr. Sorian also was responsible for the Commission's communication with external organizations, Federal departments and Agencies, and congressional staff. Previously, he served as a senior advisor to Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala, where he advised the Secretary on issues related to managed care, health care financing, HIV/AIDS, and other health policy matters. Mr. Sorian has had a long career as a health care policy journalist, serving as editor of Medicine and Health, a nationally recognized weekly newsletter focused on health policy development. He is the author of The Bitter Pill: Tough Choices in America's Health Policy (McGraw-Hill, 1989) and chief author of A New Deal for American Health Care (Faulkner and Gray, 1993). Mr. Sorian is a graduate of the George Washington University with a joint degree in journalism and political science and attended the Harvard School of Public Health as a journalism fellow.
Ann Page is Associate Director for Policy. She coordinated the work of the Subcommittee on Roles and Responsibilities of Public and Private Purchasers and Quality Oversight Organizations and coordinated the work of the policy staff. Her writing and analysis focused on issues related to group purchasers, consumers, and quality oversight. Ms. Page has 20 years of health care experience in clinical, policy and educational settings. Previously, she served as Director of Quality and Consumer Programs at the Institute for Health Policy Solutions and Senior Director for Program Development at the National Committee for Quality Assurance, where she directed the development of Medicaid HEDIS. While at the Health Care Financing Administration, she developed the Medicaid Quality Assurance Reform Initiative, the first articulation of Federal quality-of-care guidelines for Medicaid managed care. She has held several positions in State government, including Deputy Staff Coordinator of the Governor's Commission on Health Care Policy and Financing for Maryland and Executive Director for the Geriatric Area Health Education Center for the University of Maryland schools of medicine, nursing, law, pharmacy, dentistry, and social work. She received her bachelor of nursing and master's in public health from the Johns Hopkins University.
John Dicken is a Senior Policy Analyst. He coordinated the work of the Quality Improvement Environment Subcommittee. His writing and analysis focused on issues relating to national aims for improvement, health care research, evidence-based health care, and vulnerable populations. Previously, Mr. Dicken was a senior evaluator with the U.S. General Accounting Office, where he coauthored reports on health care financing issues, particularly related to private health insurance. He also served as a Jacob Javits Fellow with the health staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources. He received a master's degree in public policy and administration from Columbia University.
Elizabeth Docteur is a Senior Policy Analyst. She coordinated the work of the Commission's Subcommittee on Quality Measurement. Her writing and analysis focused on identifying resources and mechanisms for promoting systemwide reporting on health care quality, including a public-private partnership for implementing the Commission's recommendations. Previously, Ms. Docteur was a senior analyst with the Physician Payment Review Commission, a nonpartisan congressional advisory body, where her work addressed quality and access to care, the emergence of managed care in Medicare, and other issues relating to reform of the Medicare program and the U.S. health system. She holds a master's degree in public policy analysis from the University of Rochester.
Mary Gerald is the administrative assistant to the Executive Director and Deputy Director, and served as assistant to the Commission staff. Ms. Gerald's responsibilities include monitoring the day-to-day functions of the office and managing the airline travel for all Commissioners and staff. With 21 years of government service, her most recent experience was at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she served as staff assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health. Ms. Gerald attended the University of the District of Columbia majoring in Sociology.
Edward (Chip) Malin is the Senior Advisor to the Executive Director. He developed and directed the organizational planning for the Commission. Mr. Malin served as the primary contact for the media and external organizations and was the Commission's liaison to the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services. He designed and oversaw the Commission's Web page and coordinated the dissemination of the Commission's work. Before joining the Commission staff, Mr. Malin served as a personal assistant to Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna E. Shalala. Previously, he served in consulting roles with Group Health Association of America and the Democratic Leadership Council, where he worked independently to strengthen their membership base. Mr. Malin is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a degree in business finance and economics.
J. Peter Nixon is a Senior Health Policy Analyst with the United States Department of Labor and served as a liaison to the Commission staff. His writing and analysis focused on issues related to health care workforce policy, organizational change in the health care industry, and the role of health care information systems in supporting quality improvement. Previously, Mr. Nixon served as a senior policy analyst at the Service Employees International Union, a labor union representing 1.1 million workers in health care, social services, building services, and allied industries. He holds a master's degree in public policy from Georgetown University and a bachelor's degree from McGill University.
Marilyn Park is a Senior Benefits Law Specialist with the United States Department of Labor and served as a liaison to the Commission staff. Her writing and analysis focused on the issues of consumer assistance, medical privacy, and compensation for those who are injured. Previously, Ms. Park served as Counsel to the Vice Chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board, where she focused on workplace and benefits appeals of Federal employees. She also directed projects addressing employee benefit policy and legal issues at the Pension Rights Center and National Senior Citizens Law Center. Ms. Park holds a law degree from the George Washington University Law School.
Karen Titlow is an Assistant Policy Analyst. She provided research and administrative support for the Commission's staff. Her research and analytic work focused on issues related to discrimination, responsibility, and error reporting. Previously, Ms. Titlow was a practicing physical therapist in the Washington, DC, area. She received a graduate diploma in manipulative therapy from Curtin University in Australia and is completing a master's degree in philosophy (with a concentration on bioethics) at Georgetown University.
