The Johns Hopkins University system is uniquely positioned to tackle the question of drug pricing as the school is the number one public health program, has a partnership with a top-ranked law school, and recently launched an accredited business school. It was an opportunity to take center stage on one of America's most complex public debates. Link to JHU Carey event archive page.
The timing couldn't have been better. About six months before the Symposium, Maryland passed groundbreaking legislation to prevent "price gouging" on generic drug pricing. A key policy advisor who helped craft the legislation joined our opening panel: Bill Padula, also an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Two months before the Symposium, Intermountain Healthcare in Utah announced their intention to launch a new nonprofit 501(c)3 FDA-approved generic drug manufacturing company with the potential for massive market disruption. Their Vice President of Enterprise and Initiative, Dan Liljenquist (also a former Utah State Senator), gave the keynote address. Seizing this exciting moment, JHU Carey Business School hosted a vibrant forum at the intersection of public health policy and market forces.
I joined this project at its earliest phase with Symposium Director Dr. Stacey Lee to define strategic goals and to position JHU Carey Business School as a national thought leader. In this work I drew on my background in project management, event planning, nonpartisan policy reform, and large team coordination. Every detail of the symposium supported the motto of JHU Carey Business School: "Business with humanity in mind."
