John A. Batsis, MD, FACP, FTOS, AGSF, FGSA is an Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine, with a joint appointment in the Department of Nutrition in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, in Chapel Hill, NC. Dr. Batsis provides clinical care in the outpatient and nursing home setting to older adults with obesity multimorbidity, and frailty. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, American Geriatrics Society, Gerontological Society of America, and the Obesity Society

Dr. Batsis is a geriatrician and health services researcher.  He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, and Obesity Medicine. He received his undergraduate degree from McGill University with Great Distinction, his Medical Degree with Honors from the University of Dublin, Trinity College, in Dublin, Ireland, and completed a medical-surgical internship in Dublin at St. James’ Hospital. He then completed his residency training in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He also holds a Certificate in Translational Science Activities from the Mayo Graduate School of Medical Education. 

His specific clinical and research interests are in the synergistic impact of obesity on important outcomes relevant to older adults, including physical function and quality of life.  His recent work has focused on translating large-dataset epidemiology-based work to clinical trials in older adults focusing on body composition changes during weight loss efforts. Importantly, he leverages his ongoing experience in providing clinical care to older adults with multimorbidity and frailty which inform his research work that provides opportunities to enhance the delivery of care to this high-risk population.  He additionally has a keen interest in using technology, including telemedicine and remote patient monitoring, to enhance health promotion efforts among older adults.

Dr. Batsis is currently funded by the National Institute on Aging and has published over 150 papers. He has received several clinical and research accolades having received the New Investigator Award from the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and was selected to the prestigious TidesWell Emerging Leaders in Aging Program for mid-career faculty in geriatrics. He is heavily involved at the national level as a long-standing member of the research committee of AGS and its Co-Chair of the Diversity in Research Subcommittee. He recently was appointed to the editorial boards of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society and the Journal of Gerontological Medical Sciences. 

Angie Boddie is director of Health Programs for the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, Inc., (NCBA), a national aging organization whose major focus is to meet and address the social and economic challenges of African American and Black older adults.  Boddie provides technical assistance and programmatic expertise to plan, implement, and direct Title VII programs that impact African American health and wellness, vitality, and activity at a mature age.  

She is also a member of the Diverse Elders Coalition (DEC), a national organization representing American Indian and Alaska Native Elders; Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian older adults; Black and African American older adults; Hispanic and Latinx older adults; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults.  The DEC works promotes policy changes and programmatic solutions that respond to demographic shifts and barriers facing diverse communities.   

Boddie is the creator and contributing author to “The Caucus Corner”, an external newsletter published by NCBA that highlights employment, health, and housing national trends as well as federal and state policies affecting the advocacy, delivery of services, and technical assistance offered to older adults.  She is also a contributing author for “A Journey to Wellness”, an online health news magazine for African Americans, and the co-author of “How Aging Black America Lives,” a demographic report that examines the social and economic quality of life indicators for African American older adults compared to their counterparts. 

Boddie is a graduate of the University of Maryland, with a B.S. degree in Paralegal Studies.  She holds a master’s degree in Public Relations, Corporate Communications from Georgetown University.  She also serves an alumni instructor for the Master of Professional Studies, Public Relations, Corporate Communications program at Georgetown University.

Stacy A. Bohlen (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians), is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Indian Health Board (NIHB). With the support of a strong, tribally-elected Board of Directors, Ms. Bohlen’s service to NIHB has contributed to the organization’s successful work to establish and elevate the Tribal presence for improving health care in the Nation’s Capitol, promoted and strengthened the organization’s service to all federally recognized Tribes, significantly increased NIHB’s budget, staff and connectivity to the Tribes and increased NIHB’s effectiveness. Prior to joining NIHB, she was the Director of Federal Relations for the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Deputy Director of the American Osteopathic Association’s Washington, DC Office, and served on the staff of former U.S. Congressman Bob Traxler. Ms. Bohlen received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, MI. She was born and raised in Michigan.

Kathleen Cameron, BSPharm, MPH, has more than 25 years of experience in the health care field as a pharmacist, researcher, and program director focusing on falls prevention, geriatric pharmacotherapy, mental health, long-term services and supports, and caregiving. Cameron is Senior Director of the NCOA Center for Healthy Aging, where she provides subject matter expertise on health care programmatic and policy related issues and oversees the Modernizing Senior Center Resource Center.

Heather Chun is the Senior Director of Aging & Caregiving – Honolulu at the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging. As a geriatric social worker, Heather brings over 15 years of experience in program planning and development, civic engagement, and community building, working across national and regional long-term service and support systems. Prior to NAPCA, Heather worked in Hawaii’s Aging Network where she helped develop systems change initiatives- such as Age Friendly Honolulu, the Hawaii Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative (HADI), and the Hawaii State Plan on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). Heather serves on HFC’s inaugural Care Advisory Committee, and in her community, is a contracted Assessor with Hawaii’s Veterans Directed Care Program. After work, Heather enjoys exploring Hawai’i and cooking brain healthy foods for her family!

Dr. Stanford practices and teaches at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/ Harvard Medical School (HMS) as one of the first fellowship-trained obesity medicine physician in the world. Dr. Stanford received her BS and MPH from Emory University as a MLK Scholar, her MD from the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine as a Stoney Scholar, her MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government as a Zuckerman Fellow in the Harvard Center for Public Leadership, and her executive MBA as a scholarship recipient from the Quantic School of Business and Technology. She completed her Obesity Medicine & Nutrition Fellowship at MGH/HMS after completing her internal medicine and pediatrics residency at the University of South Carolina. She has served as a health communications fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and as a behavioral sciences intern at the American Cancer Society. Upon completion of her MPH, she received the Gold Congressional Award, the highest honor that Congress bestows upon America’s youth. Dr. Stanford has completed a medicine and media internship at the Discovery Channel. An American Medical Association (AMA) Foundation Leadership Award recipient in 2005, an AMA Paul Ambrose Award for national leadership among resident physicians in 2009, she was selected for the AMA Inspirational Physician Award in 2015. The American College of Physicians (ACP) selected her as the 2013 recipient of the Joseph E. Johnson Leadership Award and the Massachusetts ACP selected her for the Young Leadership Award in 2015. She is the 2017 recipient of the HMS Amos Diversity Award and Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) Award for Women’s Health. In 2019, she was selected as the Suffolk District Community Clinician of the Year and for the Reducing Health Disparities Award for MMS. She was selected for The Obesity Society Clinician of the Year in 2020. In 2021, she has been awarded the MMS Grant Rodkey Award for her dedication to medical students and the AMA Dr. Edmond and Rima Cabbabe Dedication to the Profession Award which recognizes a physician who demonstrates active and productive improvement to the profession of medicine through community service, advocacy, leadership, teaching, or philanthropy. 

Dr. Yanira Cruz is the President and CEO of the National Hispanic Council on Aging. She focuses on providing the Latino perspective on public health, older adult and caregiver issues to increase policy-maker and public understanding of the needs impacting vulnerable sectors of our society and to encourage the adoption of programs and policies that equitably serve everyone. To further these efforts, Dr. Cruz serves on the National Senior Citizens Law Center, is a member of the American Society on Aging (ASA) for more than 10 years, and is a member of the Leaders of Aging Organizations (LAO). She is also a founding member of the Diverse Elders Coalition. Recently, Dr. Cruz was named one of the top 50 Influencers in Aging by Next Avenue. Dr. Cruz is an appointee serving on the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services, which advise the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Cruz received her Bachelor of Science in Biology and holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and a Doctorate in Public Health with a specialty in global health from The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Service

Larry Curley, MPA, is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. He has worked in the field of aging and healthcare for more than 40 years, first as a planner at an Area Agency on Aging in Pima County, Arizona. He was a lobbyist in Washington, DC, successfully advocating for the passage of Title VI of the Older Americans Act, an amendment he drafted; he also directed the Navajo Nation’s Head Start program. Curley served as Nursing Home Administrator of a tribal long term care facility; hospital administrator; on many commissions, boards and as a college instructor at the University of Nevada-Reno and Eastern Washington University. Twice he was appointed Executive Director of the Navajo Nation Division of Health. In 2018, he was named Assistant Dean of the Four Corners Region for the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and served as the Public Representative on the American College of Physicians Clinical Practices Committee. Prior to being selected as Executive Director of the National Indian Council on Aging, he served as Director of Program Development for the Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services in northwest New Mexico.

Josh Hodges plans, organizes, and aligns NCOA's programmatic portfolios and network activation strategy to enable the organization to reach millions of individuals and empower them to enroll in benefits programs, prevent falls, and manage their health.

Prior to NCOA, Hodges worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living (ACL) where he was Acting Deputy Administrator of the Center for Integrated Programs. In this role, he oversaw 11 aging and disability programs with a total portfolio over $110 million. He also oversaw the creation of the Office of Healthcare Information and Counseling and led the transition of the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIPs) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) to ACL.

Prior to ACL, Hodges worked at Customer Value Partners where he designed and implemented a new enterprise portfolio management system, and for Grant Thornton, LLP where he provided direct support to federal government agencies.

Patricia M. D'Antonio, BSPharm, MS, MBA, BCGP is the Vice President of Policy and Professional Affairs for The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and a board-certified geriatric pharmacist. Trish is responsible for developing and managing GSA’s relationships with other organizations in the aging arena and leading major Society programs and projects. She directs GSA’s policy initiatives through the National Academy on an Aging Society, GSA’s non-partisan public policy institute.  Additionally, she serves as the Program Director for the Reframing Aging Initiative, a long-term social change endeavor designed to improve the public’s understanding of what aging means and the many ways that older people contribute to our society. Before joining GSA, Trish served as Executive Director for the District of Columbia Board of Pharmacy and Program Manager for the Pharmaceutical Control Division, where she was responsible for the regulatory and policy development for the practice of pharmacy in the District, inspection and investigation of regulated facilities. She served as liaison to the FDA, DEA, and other federal, state, and city organizations that promote safe handling of medications. She received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Duquesne University and her Master of Science in Health Finance and Master in Business Administration with a concentration in health care from Temple University. She completed a residency in administration and finance at The Philadelphia Geriatric Center.

Sue Peschin, MHS, is president and CEO at the Alliance for Aging Research, the leading national non-profit organization dedicated to improving healthy aging for all. Since 2012, Ms. Peschin has been a driving force in the growth and success of the organization. As a thought leader on aging-related health issues, Sue has led the Alliance in efforts to: boost older adult immunization rates; increase NIH Alzheimer’s disease and aging research funding; raise awareness of geriatric cardiac issues; develop Talk NERDY to Me (NERDY-Nurturing Engagement in Research and Development with You), a PCORI-funded, older patient and family caregiver research engagement network; address costs of healthcare and value frameworks; and reform Medicare treatment access issues. She participates in major industry and policy symposiums around the country each year and has published opinion pieces in news outlets nationwide. Prior to the Alliance, Sue served in senior roles at the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, Consumer Federation of America, Hadassah, and the Violence Policy Center. Ms. Peschin currently serves on the Boards of Heart Valve Voice U.S. and the King Farm Neighbors Village; the USP Council of the Convention; and on the University of Maryland Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center Community Advisory Board. Ms. Peschin earned a B.A. in Sociology from Brandeis University, and a M.H.S. degree in Health Policy from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Meredith Whitmire is the Policy Director of Defeat Malnutrition Today. She is also the Vice President of Matz, Blancato and Associates and the Policy and Advocacy Director for the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs (NANASP). In these roles, she provides policy analysis and direction for and advocates on behalf of a wide variety of aging topics, including nutrition, elder justice, and community-based services. She holds a JD from Georgetown University Law Center and a BA from Georgetown University.

Sherrill Wayland, Senior Director of Special Initiatives and Partnerships, serves as a trusted thought partner to national initiatives team members and SAGE staff across the organization. They lead the National Resource Center on LGBTQ Aging, serves as SAGE lead for the Long-Term Care Equality Index (in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation) and works in close partnership with SAGECollab, SAGECare, and the Diverse Elders Coalition. Sherrill began work with SAGE at the local level in 2008, founding the SAGE Affiliate in St. Louis, MO (now Missourians Aging with Pride). Sherrill earned a Master of Social Work degree from the Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, and has over 25 years of professional experience in the fields of education, disability, and LGBTQ+ older adult advocacy.

Janet Williams is senior manager in the Improving Health Outcomes (IHO)  group at the American Medical Association.  She has more than 30 years public health program and policy development experience.   At the AMA she collaborates with large health systems on strategy development and implementation of a diabetes prevention strategy. She also manages IHO’s policy portfolio that includes institutional, regulatory and legislative policies.  She managed the AMA’s prediabetes initiative with the YMCA of the USA under the CMMI award by recruiting clinical practices, health systems and physicians to identify and refer their patients with prediabetes to the YMCA’s program.  Before joining the AMA, Janet was director of tobacco prevention and control for the Cook County Department of Public Health and deputy executive director of public affairs for the American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago.  She holds a masters in media advocacy and public policy from DePaul University.