Health Law and Policy Program Alumni Advisory Council
The Health Law and Policy Alumni Advisory Council is comprised of prominent WCL alumni in the health law and policy community.
Joel L. Michaels (Chair)
J.D. 1975
Joel L. Michaels retired as a partner with the international law firm of McDermott, Will and Emery LLP where he was the partner in charge of the firm's Washington, D.C. Health Industry Advisory Group. In this role, he worked with health plans, health insurers, and health maintenance organizations on federal regulatory issues affecting health care coverage and health care delivery including the requirements under the Affordable Care Act. He has also served as an adjunct professor at AUWCL and at Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
Nicholas F. Alarif
J.D. 2011
Partner, McDermott, Will and Emery LLP
Nicholas Alarif is Partner at McDermott, Will and Emery LLP, where he focuses his practice on healthcare regulatory and fraud and abuse matters, including the physician self-referral law (Stark Law), False Claims Act (FCA), the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute and other healthcare compliance matters. He also advises clients on the complex legal and factual issues surrounding Medicare Parts A–D reimbursement and other Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) payment policies. He is also a Health Law and Policy Program Adjunct Professor.
SArig Armenian
LL.M. 2013
Director of Compliance, Acuity Eye Group
Sarig Armenian is the Director of Compliance for Acuity Eye Group. She is an experienced healthcare compliance attorney with a demonstrated history of working in health care, government, and the private sector. She is certified in healthcare compliance (CHC) with expertise in compliance program development and management in both long-term and acute (hospital) care settings.
Julie Barnes
J.D. 1998
Founder and Principal, Maverick Health Policy
Julie Barnes is Founder and Principal of Maverick Health Policy, a consulting firm that provides strategic advice about federal digital health policy. As a former litigator and regulatory attorney, Capitol Hill staffer, and think tank health care program leader, she offers expert analysis about interoperability, price transparency, data privacy, artificial intelligence, and related matters to help traditional health care entities and technology companies with their business decisions. She was the long-time chairperson of the American Health Lawyers Association Health Reform Educational Task Force and Editor-in-Chief of a legal textbook on managed care.
Joseph Beemsterboer
J.d. 2003
Vice President - Government Enforcement & Legal Investigations (Global Investigations), Walmart
Joseph Beemsterboer serves as Vice President - Government Enforcement & Legal Investigations (Global Investigations) at Walmart. In this role, he develops government enforcement strategies, including helping the retailer respond to regulatory enforcement actions from federal agencies. Prior to this, he spent over 12 years at the U.S. Department of Justice in its Fraud Section within the Criminal Division, most recently serving as Acting Chief.
David Berger
J.d. 1998
Senior Managing Director (Partner), Ankura
David Berger is a Senior Managing Director (Partner) at Ankura. He has over 20 years of strategic leadership experience and has served as General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for several life sciences companies. David has regularly advised numerous boards of directors and C-suite executives on legal, compliance, ethics and regulatory matters, both prospectively and in response to governmental actions. He has also assisted in the development of strategy and action plans with respect to governmental actions, has advised on interactions with the U.S. Congress, DOJ, FTC, FDA, and DEA, and has appeared before each of these as well.
Vanessa Burrows
J.d. 2006
Counsel, Simpson Thacher
Vanessa Burrows is Counsel at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. She advises pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, healthcare and technology companies, hospitals and other providers in connection with regulatory and compliance needs, as well as in connection with M&A and capital-raising transactions. She has extensive experience counseling clients with respect to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliance, health privacy, security and breach issues, fraud and abuse compliance, pharmacy law, cannabis and hemp laws, and public health matters, including medical countermeasures, emergency preparedness, and quarantine and isolation.
Alexis Gilroy
J.D. 2002
Partner and Co-leader, Global Health Care & Life Sciences Practice, Jones Day
Alexis Gilroy is a Partner and Co-leader of the Global Health Care & Life Sciences Practice at Jones Day. She is a national leader in the digital health industry and advises on complex transactional and health regulatory issues with an emphasis on virtual health methods, such as telemedicine, telehealth, and mobile health. She frequently develops and negotiates telehealth specific services and affiliation contracts and manages health regulatory matters for M&A and equity transactions with both investor/buy-side and company/target-side experience.
SONALI GUNAWARDHANA
LL.M. 2003
Assistant General Counsel-Regulatory Law, Cardinal Health
Sonali Gunawardhana is Assistant General Counsel-Regulatory Law at Cardinal Health. In this role, she provides regulatory and legal support to Cardinal Health’s businesses including both pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing and distribution. She is also a Health Law and Policy Program Adjunct Professor.
Jacob Harper
J.D. 2013
Partner, Morgan Lewis
Jacob (Jake) Harper is a Partner at Morgan Lewis in Washington, DC. Jake is a national thought-leader in the growing field of digital health and advises a variety of clients on telehealth licensure, reimbursement, and compliance issues. In addition, he represents physicians, post-acute care providers, and other healthcare industry stakeholders on internal audits, fraud and abuse, and reimbursement matters, including False Claims Act investigations and administrative appeals. Jake also represents providers in connection with regulatory considerations in healthcare transaction matters.
Lindsay Holmes
LL.M. 2014
Corporate Counsel, Amazon.com, Inc.
Lindsay Holmes is a Corporate Counsel at Amazon.com, Inc. in Arlington, Virginia. She provides legal support for Amazon’s pharmacy businesses, primarily related to operations and compliance. Prior to her role with Amazon, she was in private practice where her work focused on pharmacy and FDA-related counseling. She has been recognized by Chambers and Partners as an Associate to Watch in Healthcare: Pharmaceutical/Medical Products Regulatory, Washington, D.C. and serves on the American Health Law Association’s Development and Advancement Council.
Adanwimo Okafor
J.D. 2012
General Counself and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, The American Board of Surgery
Adanwimo (Ada) Okafor assuming the dual roles of General Counsel and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer (CDEIO) at the American Board of Surgery. In her role as general counsel, she leads the legal department and oversees the organization's legal, compliance, ethics and enterprise risk management functions. In her role as CDEIO, she leverages data analytics, coaching, facilitated discussions, workshops, and educational training to promote diversity within the house of surgery, cultivate a culture of belonging, and foster employee well-being, innovation, productivity and retention.
Corrine Propas Parver
J.D. 1982
Former WCL Practitioner-in-Residence and Founder, Health Law and Policy Project
Corrine Propas Parver retired as a partner with Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky in 2004 and then launched AUWCL’s Health Law and Policy Project, Health Law Summer Institute, and Health Law and Policy Specialization for the Law and Government LL.M. Program. She is a member of the Holy Cross Health and HCH Foundation Boards and Women Lawyers on Guard. She received AUWCL’s Women and the Law Leadership Award in 2012.
Ann Slacter
J.D. 2012
Senior Attorney, HHS, Office of General Counsel, Public Health Divison
Ann (Annie) Slacter is a senior attorney in the Office of the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, in the Public Health Division. She advises the Indian Health Service on a diverse range of health, contract, administrative, and Indian law and related matters. She participates in contract negotiations with Indian Tribal governments to transfer health care programs and services. More recently she has advised the agency on matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anna Watterson
J.D. 2011
Sr. Director, Enterprise Risk Management, Office of the General Counsel, Sutter Health
Anna Watterson is the Sr. Director, Enterprise Risk Management in the Office of the General Counsel at Sutter Health. She is responsible for developing, implementing and maturing ERM for the entire Sutter Health system. She oversees various risk management activities to provide leaders with a holistic view of the most significant risks facing Sutter Health. She has experience at a law firm, in-house, and at HHS. She is also a Health Law and Policy Program Adjunct Professor.
Past Alumni Advisory Council Members
Ebunola Aniyikaiye
J.D./M.B.A. 2017
Assistant General Counsel and Senior Director of Policy & Regulatory Affairs, Homeward
Shawn L. Fultz
J.D. 2015
Special Projects Coordinator, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Tobacco Products
Jennifer Gerton
J.D. 2009
Associate Chief Counsel, Food and Drug Administration
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