Council of Consumers

 

Mission Statement

The National Physicians Alliance Council of Consumers (COC) is founded to ensure that the NPA remains true to its mission of elevating the needs of patients and communities as the highest priority for our advocacy efforts.  The COC fosters the development of partnerships between physicians and patients to improve health and health care.  This body of patients and consumers participates in the development and review of NPA policies and strategies.

 

Member Bios: 

A. Gene Copello, MSW, PhD

Gene Copello is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Center for Public Policy Research and Ethics at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. He is also the Executive Director of The AIDS Institute, a national nonprofit and nonpartisan public policy research, advocacy, and education organization.  Previously, Dr. Copello served as Chief of HIV Services for the City of San Francisco and also spent six years as Executive Director of the San Mateo County AIDS Program in California.  He began his career in HIV/AIDS as a faculty member at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he also founded and directed the Vanderbilt AIDS Project.  Dr. Copello received his doctoral degree in medical ethics and public policy from Vanderbilt University.  He also holds a master of divinity degree from Vanderbilt University in ethics and a master of social work degree from the University of Tennessee. 

Rachel DeGolia, MPA

Rachel Rosen DeGolia is the Executive Director of the Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN), headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.  UHCAN supports and collaborates with a wide diversity of organizations and advocates organizing at the local, state and national levels around multiple approaches to advance comprehensive health reform.  Rachel has worked for UHCAN since its founding in 1992, previously serving as Associate Director, Communications Director and Organizing and Operations Director.

Rachel has been fortunate to work in the nonprofit advocacy field throughout her career, previously in the civil liberties field.  She was the Director of the Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights for 15 years, and served in various positions with the National Committee Against Repressive Legislation (formerly the National Committee to Abolish HUAC).  Rachel received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago in 1975 and a Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Non-Profit Management in 2003 from the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University.

Marcia Hams, MA

Marcia Hams is the Assistant Director of The Prescription Project at Community Catalyst, a national nonprofit consumer advocacy organization working to create equitable access to health. The Prescription Project, funded by Pew Charitable Trusts, is a new national initiative based at Community Catalyst, in collaboration with the Institute on Medicine as a Profession at Columbia University.  The Project seeks to reduce drug company influence on physicians, medical professional organizations and public policy as well as promote evidence-based prescribing practices.  As Assistant Director, Ms. Hams is part of the senior leadership of the Project and directs its state-level initiatives, through which the Project engages policy makers, advocates, physicians, health care organizations and public and private payers to organize for change in public and institutional policies.  Ms. Hams has worked for over sixteen years to expand access to quality, affordable health care through her work at Community Catalyst and its partner organization, Health Care For All, one of the most influential state consumer health organizations in the country. As HCFA's Deputy Director for Programs, she managed all major program areas and in previous HCFA positions she conducted policy analysis, coordinated campaigns and did legislative advocacy on children's health access, Medicaid, managed care, free care and community benefits.  She managed HCFA's survey research on the insurance status of fishing communities in New England and collaborated in the development of the Massachusetts Fishing Partnership Health Plan.  She has completed her doctoral coursework in health policy at the Brandeis University Heller School and holds a M.A. from Boston University and a B.A. from Pomona College, Claremont, CA.  

Jen Ng'andu

Jen Ng'andu is a senior health policy analyst with the National Council of La Raza, where her work focuses on parity in health care; quality and affordability of health coverage for Latinos; immigrant eligibility barriers to health care; and culturally- and linguistically-appropriate health care for people with limited English proficiency.  She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Duke University and has previously worked as a policy assistant at the National Immigration Law Center.  

Kathleen Stoll, MA, JD

Kathleen D. Stoll is the Director of Health Policy at Families USA, a national nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans. In this position, she oversees the organization's formulation of health policy positions and the analysis of specific health care proposals. Ms. Stoll also oversees the delivery of technical assistance to state advocates and state legislators on health policy and programs.Prior to joining Families USA, Ms. Stoll served for 10 years as the Director of Public Policy at the Center for Women Policy Studies, a nonprofit, multi-issue policy research and advocacy organization. Ms. Stoll also served as the Director of the National Resource Center on Women and AIDS Policy of the Center for Women Policy Studies. The Resource Center was the first national, woman-focused effort to address the impact of the AIDS epidemic on women, to bring critical women and AIDS policy issues before federal AIDS policy makers, and to bring the voices of women living with HIV/AIDS into the policy arena. 

In addition, Ms. Stoll has served as the Legislative Director for U.S. Congressman Robert T. Matsui and as a Special Assistant for Health and Welfare Issues for the House Ways and Means Committee. Her legislative experience also includes serving as Staff Attorney for the Committee on Human Services of the District of Columbia City Council. Her first job in Washington, D.C. was as a Revson Foundation Women's Law and Public Policy Fellow working at the National Health Law Program.