Maureen Bisognano, President and CEO, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), is a prominent authority on improving health care systems, whose expertise has been recognized by her elected membership to the Institute of Medicine and by her appointment to The Commonwealth Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System, among other distinctions. Ms. Bisognano advises health care leaders around the world, is a frequent speaker at major health care conferences on quality improvement, and is a tireless advocate for change. She is also an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a Research Associate in the Brigham and Women's Hospital Division of Social Medicine and Health Inequalities. Prior to joining IHI, she served as CEO of the Massachusetts Respiratory Hospital and Senior Vice President of The Juran Institute.

 

JUST ADDED! Kathleen Sebelius, 21st Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Secretary Sebelius has been a leader on health care, family, and seniors issues for over 20 years. Today, as the country’s highest-ranking health official, Secretary Sebelius is guiding the implementation of the historic Affordable Care Act. She is also at the forefront of the Obama Administration’s efforts to build a 21st century health care system, from putting a new focus on prevention to promoting electronic health records to expanding the primary care workforce. Under her leadership, the HHS has also played a leading role in meeting some of the country’s biggest challenges of the last two years by providing critical support to families during the economic downturn and coordinating the U.S. government response to the H1N1 flu. Before joining the Obama Administration, Secretary Sebelius served as Governor of Kansas, where she was named one of Time Magazine’s Top Five Governors, and Kansas Insurance Commissioner, where Governing Magazine selected her as their Public Official of the Year.

 

Jenny Allen is a Writer and Performer. Ms. Allen's essays and articles have appeared for years in many magazines, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Vogue, Esquire, More, Huffington Post, and Good Housekeeping. Recent essays appear in "Disquiet, Please!" a new anthology of humor pieces from the New Yorker, and in In The Fullness of Time: 32 Women on Life After 50 (Simon & Schuster). She is the author of a book of fables for grown-ups called The Long Chalkboard, illustrated by her husband, Jules Feiffer. She produces and performs stand-up comedy evenings in Manhattan, has appeared in Spalding Grey: Stories Left to Tell, and is a participating storyteller for The Moth. I Got Sick Then I Got Better was first performed on Martha's Vineyard in the summer of 2007; director James Lapine then collaborated with Ms. Allen and with Darren Katz on shaping and expanding the material. New York Theatre Workshop produced the show in 2009, extending it three times. I Got Sick Then I Got Better has been seen in theaters, hospitals, universities, and at cancer conferences around the country. Ms. Allen received the 2010 "It's Always Something" award from Gilda's Club NYC.

 

 

The Honorable Cory A. Booker is the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He took the oath of office as Mayor of New Jersey’s largest city on July 1, 2006 following a sweeping electoral victory. Elected with a clear mandate for change, Mayor Booker has begun work on realizing a bold vision for the city. Newark’s mission is to set a national standard for urban transformation by marshalling its resources to achieve security, economic abundance and an environment that is nurturing and empowering for individuals and families. As of July 1, 2008, Newark led the nation among large cities for reductions in shootings and murders, achieving decreases of more than 40% reductions in both categories. Under Mayor Booker’s leadership, the City of Newark has committed to a $40 million transformation of the City’s parks and playgrounds through a ground-breaking public/private partnership. The Booker Administration has also doubled affordable housing production within the last two years. Mayor Booker’s political career began in 1998, after serving as Staff Attorney for the Urban Justice Center in Newark. For his work, he has been recognized in numerous publications, including, among others, TIME, Esquire, New Jersey Monthly (naming him as one of New Jersey’s top 40 under 40), Black Enterprise (naming him to the Hot List, America’s Most Powerful Players under 40) and The New York Times Magazine.

 

 

T.R. Reid has become one of the nation’s best-known reporters through his coverage of global affairs for The Washington Post, his books and documentary films, and his light-hearted commentaries on National Public Radio. Reid majored in Classics at Princeton University, and served as a naval officer, a teacher, and various other jobs. At the Washington Post, he covered Congress and four presidential campaigns. He served as the paper’s bureau chief in Tokyo and in London, and has reported from three dozen countries on five continents. Reid has written and hosted documentary films for National Geographic TV, for PBS, and for the A&E network. He is a regular commentator on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition.” T.R. has written seven books in English and three in Japanese, and translated one book from Japanese. His latest book ‘The Healing of America,” was published in the fall of 2009 and quickly became a national best-seller. PBS Frontline made two documentaries following Reid around the world as he reported that book. Reid is a member of the board of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, the Japan-America Society of Colorado, and the University of Colorado Medical School. He has taught at Princeton University and the University of Michigan.