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In This Issue
Health Policy in Action: Integrated Care Models for Parkinson's Disease
Education: Bass Connections Showcase
People: John Purakal
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Dr. Oz, Abe Sutton, and Gov. Wes Moore Invited to Speak at 2025 Health Policy Conference
Our 2025 Health Policy Conference will bring together leading policy makers and experts from across health care and public health sectors for an afternoon of timely keynotes and panel discussions, including:
Driving Innovation to Make America Healthy Again
Keynote: Mehmet Oz, Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator (invited)
Fireside Chat: Abe Sutton, Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Deputy Administrator for CMS (invited)
Advancing Care for Medically and Socially Underserved Populations
- Toyin Ajayi, CityBlock Health
- Stephanie Carlton, Chief of Staff and Deputy Administrator, CMS (invited)
- Jana Eubank, Texas Community Health Center Association
- Devdutta Sangvai, North Carolina Secretary of Health and Human Services
Ensuring Access to Essential Medicines through Resilient Supply Chains
- Ron Piervincenzi, CEO, US Pharmacopeia
- Sarah D’Orsie, Senior Vice President, Global Government Affairs and Policy, Fresenius Kabi
- Stacy Sanders, Chief Health Advisor, U.S. Senate Finance Committee Minority Staff (invited)
State Health Policy Spotlight: Governor Wes Moore, State of Maryland
Public-Private Strategies for Financing Health Reform
- Sindy Escobar Alvarez, Doris Duke Foundation
- Tim Lash, West Health
A National Return on Investment: How Private Investment Can Accelerate Health Value
- Gregory Grunberg, Temasek
- Caroline Pearson, Peterson Center on Health Care
- Cheryl Pegus, FlyteHealth
- Lisa Suennen, American Heart Association
Data to Delivery: Scaling AI That Works for Patients
- Arda Kara, CMS Digital Technology
- Andy Slavitt, United States of Care
- David Chen, Nuna
Our annual conference is just a few weeks away! Join us in DC or watch virtually as we discuss some of the most pressing health policy challenges of 2025. Read more about the topics of discussion in the new draft agenda, and register here.
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Uplifting Patient Voices
As part of an ongoing research project, led by Core Faculty members Brystana Kaufman and Michelle Franklin and Policy Research Associate Montgomery Smith, Duke-Margolis has released a video that features individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who discuss their health needs. In the video, they describe their experiences with the health care system and the health priorities that matter to them. The project was funded through a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award and aims to advance a more patient-centered health care experience for the community. Watch the video here.
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Health Evolution Summit
The Health Evolution Summit convenes leaders from health care, policy, and life science organizations who explore solutions to transform health care together. Institute Director Mark McClellan spoke and moderated panels at the 2025 Summit, which focused on lessons learned in the past 15 years as well as priorities for the next 15. Learn more here.
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Integrated Care for Parkinson's Disease
Duke-Margolis released a white paper that described a new model for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) care, services, and payment approaches. With the prevalence of PD increasing in the United States, an opportunity exists to consider how to provide higher value care over the course of disease progression. The authors proposed elements of a care and payment model that would enable more coordinated, comprehensive care delivery for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. This work was supported by the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Read the paper here.
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Advancing Health Data Interoperability
During their Inaugural Meeting, Highlander Health and Mark McClellan discussed an upcoming policy brief that will share recommendations to guide policy and regulatory efforts toward more efficient and effective health data generation.
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Generic Drug Repurposing: Exploring the Potential Role of the Regulator and Policy Solutions
May 29, 2025 | 10:00 am – 4:00 pm ET
Location: Duke in DC Office or Virtual via Zoom
This hybrid workshop, supported by Arnold Ventures, will provide a forum for participants to discuss the potential role of the regulator as it relates to generic drug repurposing. Speakers will explore a range of proposed solutions that aim to address challenges in identifying drug repurposing targets, seeking label expansion by nontraditional developers, and ensuring responsible drug promotion and public health benefit. The goal of this workshop is to identify priority recommendations and opportunities to address key regulatory challenges and help to unlock the full potential of generic drugs.
Learn more and register here.
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Bass Connections Showcase
Duke’s Bass Connections hosts an annual showcase for project teams to present their research. This year, two teams from the Duke-Margolis led Health Policy and Innovation Theme were finalists in the poster competition:
Congratulations to these amazing teams!
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Health Policy Week
The Duke Student Collaborative on Health Policy hosted several events during their annual Health Policy Week, including a discussion on state-level policymaking with Katie Huber and Sam Repka. They presented on the state policymaking process, current health policy issues in North Carolina, and their ongoing research projects focused on improving health in North Carolina.
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Core Faculty member John Purakal and former Duke-Margolis intern Velda Wang received a Sullivan Award from Duke University in recognition of their commitment to community service. Congratulations, John and Velda! Read the Duke Today story here.
| | Core Faculty member Arti Rai commented on the importance of federal funding to advance universities’ research efforts in an article in the Boston Globe. This relationship between the federal government and academic research institutions, Arti noted, has led to significant scientific innovation and provided a boost to the economy. | | Core Faculty member Frank Sloan was quoted in a North Carolina Health News article, which discusses proposed NC legislation targeting reforms for prior authorization, hospital billing, and price transparency. In particular, Frank noted that the price transparency bill would likely have a minimal impact on the rising cost of health care. Read more here. | | In an article on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and the future of emergency preparedness, Trib Live quoted Core Faculty member Gavin Yamey, who mentioned that federal communication and policies led to the erosion of public trust in science and governmental health agencies. | | |
Mark McClellan discussed the recent layoffs and budget cuts across federal health agencies, specifically regarding their potential impact on disease prevention and public health, during an interview with CNBC. Mark emphasized the importance of the work these agencies do and advised caution in overburdening them. Watch the video here.
Mark was also quoted in two articles reporting on the same subject, one published in JAMA Health Network and the other from Reuters.
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Research Director Rebecca Whitaker was a speaker during a plenary session at the State HIT Connect Summit, where she discussed how data sharing and multi-stakeholder collaboration can enhance whole-person care in North Carolina.
Rebecca also spoke at the Primary Care Collaborative’s webinar and explored ways to simplify value-based primary care. During both events, she referenced the North Carolina State Transformation Collaborative’s work to advance value-based and whole-person care.
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Core Faculty member Nathan Boucher co-authored an op-ed in the Raleigh News & Observer to discuss a recent presidential action calling for the full federal recognition of North Carolina’s Lumbee tribe, which would allow for greater access to health care services. The authors offer policy recommendations to ensure the recognition plan helps build trust and promotes whole-person health. Read more here.
Nathan also published an op-ed in the Fayetteville Observer to discuss the proposed federal spending cuts and, if these cuts involve Medicaid, what impact North Carolina’s rural populations may see on their already limited health care services. Read more here.
| | Assistant Research Director Frank McStay was quoted in Blood Cancers Today’s article that discussed the Community Oncology Alliance’s Prescription for Health Care Reform, which outlined policy recommendations to address systemic challenges of the health care system. Frank noted that moving toward a more person-centered, population-based payment system can improve the health care system while limiting drug shortages. | | |
Research Director Rachele Hendricks-Sturrup spoke at two events, where she discussed patients’ willingness to share real-world data with researchers and their concerns over privacy.
· Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN) 2025 Conference
· WiDS Chicago 2025
Real-world data can help inform more effective clinical research, and ensuring patient information is kept secure and private can help patients feel more comfortable with sharing this important data.
| | Research Associate Brianna Van Stekelenburg presented at a private meeting on the future of maternal health and Medicaid, hosted by The Century Foundation and Community Health Acceleration Partnership. Brianna shared how state-level funders can support state Medicaid agencies with data and policy analysis to improve maternal health based on Duke-Margolis’ work in North Carolina. | | Postdoctoral Associate Kun Li and Core Faculty member Kate Bundorf were awarded a research grant from the NIHCM Foundation to study the relationship of hospital competition, vertical integration, and value-based payment program participation. Read the press release here. | | | | |
