Sonja Nesbit, MPA, is a senior policy advisor at Arnold & Porter. She brings over 20 years of experience working with members of Congress and senior staff to her role in the firm’s Legislative & Public Policy practice. Ms. Nesbit was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the deputy assistant secretary for Legislation at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) where she managed legislative portfolios for multiple government agencies. Ms. Nesbit also has experience assisting in introducing and passing legislation in the House Ways and Means Committee, including provisions related to the Affordable Care Act. She provided strategic counseling to achieve federal legislative and regulatory goals and has developed and executed healthcare advocacy campaigns. Ms. Nesbit is able to provide real-time political intelligence on federal legislative and regulatory matters, as well as advice on how to engage the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on policy matters. She provided counsel to clients seeking to navigate the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reimbursement and payment policy and the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. Maintaining strong working relationships with key members of Congress, Ms. Nesbit secured meetings with senior health officials, secured funding requests and assisted in expanding federal grant programs. She also assisted in responding to information requests from Congressional committees conducting oversight and investigations and led crisis communications campaigns. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Nesbit served as a managing director in the Strategic Communications segment of FTI Consulting, where she focused primarily on the healthcare and life sciences sectors. In this role, Ms. Nesbit provided strategic counsel to help clients achieve their short- and long-term legislative and regulatory goals. As deputy assistant secretary for Legislation at HHS, Ms. Nesbit managed legislative portfolios for the FDA, Centers for Disease Control, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Institutes of Health, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, the Administration for Children and Families, and the Indian Health Services. She has a strong healthcare policy background, including an understanding of federal healthcare programs, the healthcare delivery system, and the FDA drug and medical device approval process. Ms. Nesbit is a registered lobbyist. She is also a published author and has participated, as both a speaker and a panelist, in several events focused on healthcare.
Contact: sonja.nesbit@arnoldporter.com
Ipsita Smolinski, MBA, MPH, is managing director at Capitol Street. She is a veteran healthcare policy advisor and expert on the regulatory and legislative processes. She provides in-depth research and policy consulting on a diverse set of topic areas, from healthcare provider services and insurance – specifically the business impact of Washington-based policies – to life-sciences, including biopharmaceuticals, the supply chain, and medical devices. Ms. Smolinski has more than 20 years of diversified experience in healthcare policy research and consulting. She founded and is the managing director of Capitol Street, a health policy consultancy, and she is a frequent expert source for media such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, and others. She and her team provide clients with real-time, germane analysis of policies and legislation. Prior to launching her consulting practice in 2009, Ms. Smolinski was the senior equity research analyst for Healthcare Policy at J.P.Morgan. Before joining J.P.Morgan, Ms. Smolinski advised clients on health policy and trends at Citigroup and Bear Stearns. Earlier in her career, she spent several years as a healthcare management consultant at the Lewin Group, a Washington-based firm specializing in managed care and healthcare payment policy, and she worked at both Pfizer and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Ms. Smolinski holds a faculty appointment at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. She teaches coursework in Healthcare Economics & Healthcare Corporate Finance. Ms. Smolinski holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Columbia University. She received her B.A. from Johns Hopkins University.
Contact: ipsita@capitol-street.com
Josh Trent, M.A., is a principal based in Leavitt Partners’ Washington, D.C. office. Josh has more than a decade and a half of experience in the federal government—from the White House, to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to the U.S. Senate and U.S. House on Capitol Hill. In his role at Leavitt Partners, Josh develops and manages multi-sector alliances and advises clients throughout the health care sector on federal health care policy and strategy. He specializes in public insurance under Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, commercial health insurance, the 340B program, and the Affordable Care Act. Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Josh served as chief health counsel for Chairman Greg Walden of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the U.S. House of Representatives. In that role, Josh was the lead House staffer for the landmark legislation to combat the opioid crisis, The SUPPORT Act (P.L. 115-271). He also led the House’s work to reauthorize The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, which was eventually enacted the following year (P.L. 116-22). Josh previously served under both Walden and Chairman Fred Upton as deputy chief health counsel. In this role, he played a key part in crafting the Medicaid, Medicare, and state Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provisions in the House’s Bipartisan Budget Act (P.L. 115-123), and he led the House’s work to enact the longest extension of the CHIP in the history of the program (P.L. 115-120). Previously, as professional staff under Chairman Upton, Josh assisted in the development and passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (P.L. 114-198) and the sweeping law to advance the discovery, development, and delivery of cures and treatments, The 21st Century Cures Act (P.L.114-255). Prior to working in the House, Josh served for five years as health policy advisor for U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK). In that role, Josh was involved in the legislative process leading to the enactment of the Affordable Care Act. Before coming to Capitol Hill, Josh spent six years in the administration of President George W. Bush, including three years as an executive recruiter in the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House helping identify and recruit individuals for senior Administration roles. He also spent a year and a half as deputy director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Josh received his bachelor of arts from Union University and received his master’s degree in international politics from the University of Bath in Bath, England.
Contact: josh.trent@leavittpartners.com
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