Closing the Care Gap: A Multipronged Approach for Diverse Medicare Populations

Vivian is the Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Community Impact at The SCAN Foundation. 

For over a decade, Nava-Schellinger has used equity as a baseline principle, whether working on large-scale reimbursement programs focused on Medicare/Medicaid populations, securing funding for health literacy programs to drive Affordable Care Act (ACA) outreach in vulnerable communities, or advocating for greater health and economic security across the lifespan for underrepresented populations.

A proud Tejana, born and raised along the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, Nava-Schellinger has successfully merge business strategy, development, organizational management, and health equity to ensure that all communities have access to the information they need to make informed decisions about their health and financial well-being. 

Nava-Schellinger is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso (B.A. Political Science, M.S. National Security Studies), and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University (J.D.)

Shannon MacKenzie leads the design and implementation of clinical programs, community activities and data strategies that advance health equity for Aetna Medicare multicultural members. She has over 20 years of experience in Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) and has been the Principal Clinical Operations Consultant for equity-advancing grants under the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD), The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Data Across Sectors for Health (DASH) initiative. 

Dr. Khaldun leads the CVS Health strategy to advance health equity for patients, members, providers, customers, and the communities served across all lines of the CVS Health business. Prior to this role, she served as the Chief Medical Executive for the State of Michigan and Chief Deputy Director for Health in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), where she was responsible for public health and aging programs, Medicaid and behavioral health. She led Michigan?s COVID-19 response and is credited for Michigan?s early identification of and strategy to address disparities in COVID-19 outcomes. In 2021, she was named by President Biden to the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. Dr. Khaldun practices emergency medicine part-time at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. She is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management in the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Dr. Baquet-Simpson brings 30 years of medical management experience and 12 years of experience in clinical practice as a family medicine physician. At Aetna, she drives quality outcomes for Medicare members in value-based contracts and leads clinical performance improvement efforts. She also provides clinical leadership to the Aetna Medicare Multicultural program, a cross-functional initiative aimed at creating a culture of health equity by reducing health care disparities for Black and Hispanic members and their communities.

An internal medicine physician, Dr. Sharp brings her experience with patient primary care and post-acute care transition for older adults to her role at Aetna. She develops, implements and promotes strategies, policies, and programs that drive the delivery of holistic care. She also champions strategic initiatives that impact clinical results and improve the member experience for Aetna?s rapidly growing Medicare business.