Whose Experience? Centering Patients in Payment Policy

Kirsten Sloan is senior policy director at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. She leads ACS CAN ‘s policy work in support of the organization ‘s extensive federal, state, and local advocacy agendas. In addition, she manages a team of senior policy principals and analysts with a focus on access to care, emerging science, and prevention. Kirsten came to ACS CAN from the National Partnership for Women & Families, where she served as the vice president and helped manage the organization ‘s health policy portfolio. Before working for the National Partnership, she was director of federal health issues for AARP, leading advocacy efforts around Medicare and health care. Kirsten is a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle.

Brandon G. Wilson, DrPH, MHA is the Senior Director of Community Catalyst’s Center for Community Engagement in Health Innovation. The Center conducts community-based research to better understand how inequities in the US health system drive poor health outcomes for historically excluded communities and drives practice and policy strategies based on its findings. Dr. Wilson leads a dedicated team of health policy, research, and community engagement professionals who are driving people-centered financing and payment structures that are transparent, pay for value, are developed with communities; advocating for seamless integration of health and social supports that respond to the needs and preferences of communities; and, provides training and capacity building to health justice advocates to authentically and meaningfully engage in health system transformation and innovation decisions at federal, state and local levels.
Previously, Dr. Wilson served as a senior public health advisor with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Office of Minority Health (OMH). Dr. Wilson led OMH’s efforts on sexual orientation and gender inclusion data collection, policy efforts in post-acute care settings, and social determinants of health; developing the business case for health equity; and a disability justice portfolio. In 2021, Dr. Wilson was recognized by CMS Administrator Seema Verma for collaboration and leadership in addressing health care accessibility and quality for people with disabilities considering the disparities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and for superior and unwavering support of the American people. At the CMS Innovation Center, Dr. Wilson led on the Accountable Health Communities Model and the Health Care Innovation Awards, and spearheaded its inaugural health equity working group, laying the foundation for the Center's health equity strategy.
At the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Wilson led recruitment and retention efforts for increasing minority screening and enrollment in preventative and therapeutic vaccine clinical trials and participation in National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)’s community advisory board. Dr. Wilson also directed projects regarding the culture of patient safety quality improvement for the NIH’s Clinical Center Office of the Director. In this role, Dr. Wilson was recognized by NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins for exceptional dedication and commitment in identifying a potential solution for a global infectious disease threat by advancing a malaria vaccine through a clinical trial and by NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci for outstanding support of the Vaccine Research Center clinical studies.
Dr. Wilson received a master’s degree in health systems management at George Mason University, and a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) at Morgan State University. He holds faculty appointments at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and Purdue University’s School of Health Sciences. His research interests include using patient-centered and indigenous models of care; health economics outcomes research; policy analysis; and community-based participatory and action research to eliminate health disparities and advance health equity in underserved and disinvested communities.