Advisory Board
Leana S. Wen, M.D., M.S. (Board Chair)
Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency physician, professor of health policy and management at George Washington University, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. She is also a contributing columnist for The Washington Post, a CNN medical analyst, and author of the critically-acclaimed book on patient advocacy, When Doctors Don’t Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests (St. Martin’s Press, 2013) and a new memoir, Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health (Metropolitan Books, July 2021). Previously, she served as Baltimore's Health Commissioner, where she led the nation’s oldest continuously operating health department in the U.S. to fight the opioid epidemic, treat violence and racism as public health issues, and improve maternal and child health. Dr. Wen obtained her medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine and studied health policy at the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. She completed her residency training at Brigham & Women's Hospital & Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Wen has received recognition as one of Governing's Public Officials of the Year, Modern Healthcare's Top 50 Physician-Executives, World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders, and TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People.
Dr. Leana Wen is an emergency physician, professor of health policy and management at George Washington University, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. She is also a contributing columnist for The Washington Post, a CNN medical analyst, and author of the critically-acclaimed book on patient advocacy, When Doctors Don’t Listen: How to Avoid Misdiagnoses and Unnecessary Tests (St. Martin’s Press, 2013) and a new memoir, Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health (Metropolitan Books, July 2021). Previously, she served as Baltimore's Health Commissioner, where she led the nation’s oldest continuously operating health department in the U.S. to fight the opioid epidemic, treat violence and racism as public health issues, and improve maternal and child health. Dr. Wen obtained her medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine and studied health policy at the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. She completed her residency training at Brigham & Women's Hospital & Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. Wen has received recognition as one of Governing's Public Officials of the Year, Modern Healthcare's Top 50 Physician-Executives, World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders, and TIME magazine's 100 Most Influential People.
Shannon Brownlee
Shannon Brownlee is an award-winning and internationally known essayist, writer, and speaker whose work has appeared in such outlets as the New York Times Sunday Magazine, TIME, the Atlantic, Slate, the Sunday Times of London, and the Washington Post. Her book Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer, which was published in 2007, was named the best economics book of the year by the New York Times and sparked a movement in healthcare and healthcare policy research. She was a Bernard L. Schwartz Fellow at the New America Foundation and served as acting director of the Health Policy Program before becoming senior vice president of the Lown Institute, a healthcare think tank in Boston. She is a lecturer in the Department of Policy and Management at the George Washington School of Public Health and holds a masters degree in Marine Science from the University of California. She contributes regularly to the Washington Monthly but spends most of her time in her pottery studio.
Shannon Brownlee is an award-winning and internationally known essayist, writer, and speaker whose work has appeared in such outlets as the New York Times Sunday Magazine, TIME, the Atlantic, Slate, the Sunday Times of London, and the Washington Post. Her book Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer, which was published in 2007, was named the best economics book of the year by the New York Times and sparked a movement in healthcare and healthcare policy research. She was a Bernard L. Schwartz Fellow at the New America Foundation and served as acting director of the Health Policy Program before becoming senior vice president of the Lown Institute, a healthcare think tank in Boston. She is a lecturer in the Department of Policy and Management at the George Washington School of Public Health and holds a masters degree in Marine Science from the University of California. She contributes regularly to the Washington Monthly but spends most of her time in her pottery studio.
Geoffrey Cowan, JD
Geoffrey Cowan is a lawyer, academic administrator, government official, best-selling author, distinguished professor, nonprofit executive, and Emmy Award-winning producer. After serving as the 22nd Director of the Voice of America, Cowan served as dean of USC Annenberg from 1996–2007. When he stepped down, he was named a University Professor, the inaugural holder of the Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership, and director of USC Annenberg’s Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. He is also on the faculty of USC’s Gould School of Law. In 2010, Cowan became the first president of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands. As president, he hosted a range of important retreats and three summit meetings with President Barack Obama, including his historic meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping in June 2013. Cowan is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Walter Lippmann fellow of the Academy of Political and Social Science.
Geoffrey Cowan is a lawyer, academic administrator, government official, best-selling author, distinguished professor, nonprofit executive, and Emmy Award-winning producer. After serving as the 22nd Director of the Voice of America, Cowan served as dean of USC Annenberg from 1996–2007. When he stepped down, he was named a University Professor, the inaugural holder of the Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership, and director of USC Annenberg’s Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. He is also on the faculty of USC’s Gould School of Law. In 2010, Cowan became the first president of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands. As president, he hosted a range of important retreats and three summit meetings with President Barack Obama, including his historic meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping in June 2013. Cowan is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Walter Lippmann fellow of the Academy of Political and Social Science.
Irene Dankwa-Mullan, MD, MPH
Dr. Irene Dankwa-Mullan is a nationally recognized industry physician, scientist, health equity thought leader, with over 20 years of diverse regional and national leadership experience in primary care, healthcare systems, businesses, and the community. She is currently an affiliate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University, and also serves in a strategic advisor role and Chief Health Officer for a start-up health technology company, Marti Health.She was formerly Chief Health Equity Officer and Deputy Chief Health Officer at IBM Watson Health and currently Merative. She was a member of the IBM Industry Academy, a selected community of pre-eminent leaders to drive innovation and engage in cutting-edge work for the industry. Dr. Dankwa-Mullan was formerly Director, Office of Research Innovation and Program Coordination, and Deputy Director for extramural scientific programs at NIMHD, NIH. While at the NIH, she was active on several key strategic boards and committees, including many that were cross-sectoral and transdisciplinary promoting health equity and health in all policies. She is the lead editor and co-author of the scientific textbook ‘The Science of Health Disparities Research’ published by Wiley, designed to help researchers and the community identify relevant questions, design approaches, and conduct studies to advance the discipline. This was a collaborative effort with NIH scientists and thought leaders including community advocates. She serves on various advisory committees to promote public health, health equity, as well as measures impacting health disparities. Dr. Dankwa-Mullan has published widely on health disparities, including on the integration of health equity, artificial intelligence and machine-learning, ethical AI and social justice principles into data science methods and technology development lifecycle.
Dr. Irene Dankwa-Mullan is a nationally recognized industry physician, scientist, health equity thought leader, with over 20 years of diverse regional and national leadership experience in primary care, healthcare systems, businesses, and the community. She is currently an affiliate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University, and also serves in a strategic advisor role and Chief Health Officer for a start-up health technology company, Marti Health.She was formerly Chief Health Equity Officer and Deputy Chief Health Officer at IBM Watson Health and currently Merative. She was a member of the IBM Industry Academy, a selected community of pre-eminent leaders to drive innovation and engage in cutting-edge work for the industry. Dr. Dankwa-Mullan was formerly Director, Office of Research Innovation and Program Coordination, and Deputy Director for extramural scientific programs at NIMHD, NIH. While at the NIH, she was active on several key strategic boards and committees, including many that were cross-sectoral and transdisciplinary promoting health equity and health in all policies. She is the lead editor and co-author of the scientific textbook ‘The Science of Health Disparities Research’ published by Wiley, designed to help researchers and the community identify relevant questions, design approaches, and conduct studies to advance the discipline. This was a collaborative effort with NIH scientists and thought leaders including community advocates. She serves on various advisory committees to promote public health, health equity, as well as measures impacting health disparities. Dr. Dankwa-Mullan has published widely on health disparities, including on the integration of health equity, artificial intelligence and machine-learning, ethical AI and social justice principles into data science methods and technology development lifecycle.
Peter Darrow, JD
Peter Darrow is Senior Counsel at Clearly Gottlieb. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, as well as U.S. and international financial transactions. He has extensive experience in divestitures, restructurings, and new financial products. Peter joined the firm in 1968, became a partner in 1976, and retired from the firm in 2002. He became senior counsel in 2010. He has been resident in the New York, London and Rome offices. From 2003 to 2008, Peter was a founding partner in the European-based private equity firm HMD Partners. Peter received a J.D. in 1967 from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was a member of the editorial board of the Law Review. He received an undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1964.Peter was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of WNYC Radio, New York City’s national public radio station, during 1996-1999, its first three years as an independent broadcaster after its privatization by the City of New York. More recently, he served as Chair of the Board of Directors of Public Radio International (where he remains on the board) and President of the Board of Trustees of the Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, NY. He is currently a trustee of The City University of New York Graduate Center Foundation, Chair of the Visiting Committee of the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, a member of the Harvard University Library Campaign Advisory Committee, and a trustee of the Fund for BRIC Community Media in Brooklyn.
Peter Darrow is Senior Counsel at Clearly Gottlieb. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, as well as U.S. and international financial transactions. He has extensive experience in divestitures, restructurings, and new financial products. Peter joined the firm in 1968, became a partner in 1976, and retired from the firm in 2002. He became senior counsel in 2010. He has been resident in the New York, London and Rome offices. From 2003 to 2008, Peter was a founding partner in the European-based private equity firm HMD Partners. Peter received a J.D. in 1967 from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was a member of the editorial board of the Law Review. He received an undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1964.Peter was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of WNYC Radio, New York City’s national public radio station, during 1996-1999, its first three years as an independent broadcaster after its privatization by the City of New York. More recently, he served as Chair of the Board of Directors of Public Radio International (where he remains on the board) and President of the Board of Trustees of the Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, NY. He is currently a trustee of The City University of New York Graduate Center Foundation, Chair of the Visiting Committee of the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, a member of the Harvard University Library Campaign Advisory Committee, and a trustee of the Fund for BRIC Community Media in Brooklyn.
Robert Graham, MD
Dr. Graham is the former national program director of Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q), the cornerstone of its multi-year, $300 million commitment to improve the quality and equality of health care nationwide. He also holds an appointment as a research professor of Health Policy at George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (GW). After receiving his medical degree from the University of Kansas, Graham began a distinguished career in health policy administration. He served as administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration in the U.S. Public Health Service, held senior positions with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and was CEO of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is currently chair of the board of the Alliance for Health Reform and a member of the Institute of Medicine. He is also a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine as a professor and endowed chair in the department of Family Medicine.
Dr. Graham is the former national program director of Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q), the cornerstone of its multi-year, $300 million commitment to improve the quality and equality of health care nationwide. He also holds an appointment as a research professor of Health Policy at George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (GW). After receiving his medical degree from the University of Kansas, Graham began a distinguished career in health policy administration. He served as administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration in the U.S. Public Health Service, held senior positions with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and was CEO of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He is currently chair of the board of the Alliance for Health Reform and a member of the Institute of Medicine. He is also a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine as a professor and endowed chair in the department of Family Medicine.
Christopher Oeschli, JD
Mr. Oechsli is the former President & CEO of The Atlantic Philanthropies. He has over 35 years of experience in international business, law, philanthropy and policy development in the United States, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. Mr. Oechsli previously served as Counsel to U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, whom he advised on legislation and a range of domestic and international issues. Mr. Oechsli was a senior staff member at The Atlantic Philanthropies and related companies for 17 years. He previously served as Atlantic’s Population Health Program Director from 2000 to 2005, during which time he developed and directed Atlantic’s work to strengthen the health systems in Viet Nam and South Africa. He led the foundation’s development of higher education and rule-of-law initiatives in Viet Nam, South Africa, Australia and the United States; and supported the Founding Chairman’s work in health, education and medical research in the U.S., Australia and Viet Nam. Beginning in 1990, Mr. Oechsli served as a director, counsel or chief executive of operating companies within the General Atlantic Group, an international investment subsidiary of the Atlantic Foundation. Earlier in his career, Mr. Oechsli worked with private law firms in Seattle, Shanghai, San Francisco and Taipei. In 1985, he became the first resident visiting law professor from the United States in the People’s Republic of China, where he taught constitutional and commercial law at the East China Law School in Shanghai. Mr. Oechsli is a graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles. Following studies in Chinese language at Georgetown University and graduate studies at Columbia University, he received an M.A. in Foreign Affairs and a J.D. from the University of Virginia.
Mr. Oechsli is the former President & CEO of The Atlantic Philanthropies. He has over 35 years of experience in international business, law, philanthropy and policy development in the United States, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. Mr. Oechsli previously served as Counsel to U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, whom he advised on legislation and a range of domestic and international issues. Mr. Oechsli was a senior staff member at The Atlantic Philanthropies and related companies for 17 years. He previously served as Atlantic’s Population Health Program Director from 2000 to 2005, during which time he developed and directed Atlantic’s work to strengthen the health systems in Viet Nam and South Africa. He led the foundation’s development of higher education and rule-of-law initiatives in Viet Nam, South Africa, Australia and the United States; and supported the Founding Chairman’s work in health, education and medical research in the U.S., Australia and Viet Nam. Beginning in 1990, Mr. Oechsli served as a director, counsel or chief executive of operating companies within the General Atlantic Group, an international investment subsidiary of the Atlantic Foundation. Earlier in his career, Mr. Oechsli worked with private law firms in Seattle, Shanghai, San Francisco and Taipei. In 1985, he became the first resident visiting law professor from the United States in the People’s Republic of China, where he taught constitutional and commercial law at the East China Law School in Shanghai. Mr. Oechsli is a graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles. Following studies in Chinese language at Georgetown University and graduate studies at Columbia University, he received an M.A. in Foreign Affairs and a J.D. from the University of Virginia.