Health Law and Policy Program

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.

Sonali Gunawardhana (Chair)

LL.M. 2003

Adjunct Professor

Sonali Gunawardhana is an adjunct professor at AUWCL and The Catholic University of America. Recently, she served as Assistant General Counsel-Regulatory Law at Cardinal Health and previously as Chief Counsel FDA and Regulatory Law at McKesson. She has also served as outside counsel to a myriad of pharmaceutical and medical device companies while in private practice at Wiley Rein LLP and Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP. Prior to her tenure in private practice, she served as Regulatory Counsel at the FDA for nearly ten years. There she assisted on a variety of legal and policy issues in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health; the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research; and the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Sonali also serves on the Board of Directors for the Food & Drug Law Institute.

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.

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

Partner, Simpson Thacher

Vanessa Burrows is Partner 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.

Leo A. Farber

Vice President & Head, US Government Affairs

Leo serves as Vice President and Head of US Government Affairs at Novartis. He leads engagement with policymakers and other stakeholders at the federal, state and local levels. He is a Trustee for the Pharmaceutical Industry-Labor Management Association and is Chairman of the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey. Prior to Novartis, Leo was at PhRMA, a government relations firm and an international law firm where he represented clients in health care, transportation, and energy. Leo holds a JD from American University (AU) and is a member of the District of Columbia and Maryland Bars. He also earned a MA from AU and BA from George Washington University

Maria Ghazal
J.d. 1995

President and CEO, Healthcare Leadership Council

Maria Ghazal is President and CEO of the Healthcare Leadership Council, the leading healthcare industry association representing all segments of American healthcare. Ms. Ghazal previously was Senior Vice President and Counsel for Business Roundtable (BRT), an association representing the CEOs of America’s top companies. Prior to joining the Business Roundtable, Ms. Ghazal was Director of Health Policy at the American Benefits Council. Her career began as an aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY). Ms. Ghazal earned a law degree from American University, a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree from Bates College. She is a member of the Massachusetts and District of Columbia Bar Associations.

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.

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

Senior Corporate Counsel, Amazon.com, Inc.

Lindsay Holmes is a Senior 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.

Emily Leongini
J.D. 2007

Partner, ArentFox Schiff

Emily Cowley Leongini is a Partner with ArentFox Schiff where she specializes in helping companies in FDA-regulated industries navigate legal and compliance issues related to product development, advertising, post-market regulation, and regulatory enforcement. With experience at the FDA and expertise across FDA-regulated industries—including consumer health, wellness, beauty, and cannabis— Emily advises on compliance with FDA, DEA USDA, FTC regulations, and associated state regulatory requirements.

Joel L. Michaels
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.

Adanwimo Okafor
J.D. 2012

General Counsel 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 and endowed the Corrine Parver Health Law Award.

Georgiana (Gia) Sullivan
Former Healthcare Compliance & Anti-Corruption Operations at Pfizer

Gia Sullivan is an experienced healthcare compliance professional, having led organizational change at pharmaceutical/biotechnology firms such as Pfizer, Genentech/Roche, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Gia’s most recent work experience was as Director of Compliance Operations at Pfizer where she was responsible for building, leading, and optimizing in-house compliance operations and enterprise risk management. Gia is a legal/compliance subject matter expert in FDA regulations related to healthcare fraud and abuse, compliance program development, healthcare Anti-Kickback and Anti-Corruption laws, Sunshine Act/Aggregate Spend, Medical Affairs activities, clinical studies and informed consent. Gia is proud to be one of the founding editors-in-chief of the WCL Health Law & Policy Brief.

Megan Tinker
J.D. 1999
Chief of Staff, Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General

Megan Tinker is the Chief of Staff of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General (OIG). As the Chief of Staff, Ms. Tinker serves as the Deputy Inspector General for OIG’s Immediate Office, where she oversees OIG’s Office of Congressional Affairs, Office of Communications, and Office of Operations. Ms. Tinker joined OIG in 2004 as a Senior Associate Counsel in the Office of Counsel to the Inspector General. During her tenure with OIG, Ms. Tinker assumed increasingly important leadership responsibilities, including Senior Advisor for Legal Affairs and Assistant Inspector General for the Office of Audit Services. Prior to OIG, Ms. Tinker was in the private practice of law and worked for several years as a congressional oversight staffer. Ms. Tinker graduated cum laude from American University, Washington College of Law and with honors from the University of Richmond.

Anna Watterson

J.D. 2011

Senior Legal Counsel for Cybersecurity, Digital Technology and US Privacy, GE Aerospace

Anna Watterson is the Senior Legal Counsel for Cybersecurity, Digital Technology, and U.S Privacy at GE Aerospace. She previously worked for seven years at Sutter Health as Director of Risk Management and Legal Counsel for Privacy and Information Security. Anna has previously taught as an adjunct professor for AUWCL.

Past Alumni Advisory Council Members

Joseph Beemsterboer

J.D. 2003
Vice President - Government Enforcement & Legal Investigations (Global Investigations), Walmart

Ann Slacter

J.D. 2012
Senior Attorney, HHS, Office of General Counsel, Public Health Division

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

Mary Beth Giblin

J.D. 1987
Head of Litigation, Surescripts

John R. Jacob

J.D. 1993

Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Houeida Saad

J.D. 1992
General Counsel, URAC

Jeff Wurzburg

LL.M. 2012
Senior Counsel, Norton Rose Fulbright

For further information, please contact Professor Asha Scielzo at scielzo@wcl.american.edu.