In her role, Cheryl leads Diplomat’s Industry Relations team in finding partnerships and crafting health care solutions. Specifically, Cheryl leads Diplomat’s corporate efforts in identifying new opportunities within the pharmaceutical industry. She then collaborates with manufacturers to design services and distribution solutions that support their patients’ journey

Cheryl brings more than 25 years of industry experience, with work in independent and specialty pharmacy, as well as in managed care consulting and health care IT. Before joining Diplomat in July 2011, Cheryl worked as the senior director of clinical services at Sanovia Corporation, where she managed new product development and sales support. Prior to her tenure at Sanovia, she held roles with Priority HealthCare as a pharmacist-in-charge for oncology and lead pharmacist for pain management. Cheryl also founded C. Allen & Associates, a firm focused on managed care consulting, and Eden Drug Company, an independent pharmacy.

Cheryl earned her Bachelor of Science in pharmacy at Samford University’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy, and her MBA at Saint Joseph’s University Erivan K. Haub School of Business with a focus in pharmaceutical and health care marketing.

Dr. Balch is the Chief Executive Officer of Patient Advocate Foundation and National Patient Advocate Foundation.

Dr. Balch has nearly fifteen years of executive leadership in the non-profit sector with an emphasis on consensus-building and collaboration. He has led numerous federal advocacy efforts on a range of issues both at the legislative and regulatory level over the years. He became the CEO of both PAF and NPAF in 2013. From 2006 - 2013, he served as the Vice President of the Preventive Health Partnership -- a national health promotion collaboration between the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, and American Heart Association. Prior to his work with the Preventive Health Partnership, Dr. Balch was the Executive Director of Friends of Cancer Research.

Dr. Balch has served on the Executive Board of the Patient Advocate Foundation and National Patient Advocate Foundation since 2007. Dr. Balch also serves on numerous advisory boards and committees. He is a member of the External Advisory Board for the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR), a member of the Duke-Margolis Payment Reform Group, a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Avalere Cost of Care Advisory Board, a member of the Quality and Outcomes Committee for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), and recently served as a member of the Guiding Committee for the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network (LAN). Dr. Balch also serves on the Finance Committee and the Membership Committee for the National Health Council in Washington, DC, is a member of the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s Consumer Advisory Council, and sits on the inaugural board for The American Journal of Managed Care’s (AJMC) Institute for Value-Based Medicine (IVBM).

He earned his PhD in environmental studies with a concentration in political economy in 2003 from the University of California, Santa Cruz; his master’s degree in environmental sciences in 1997 from the University of Texas in San Antonio; his bachelor’s degree (cum laude) in biology in 1994 from Trinity University in San Antonio. Dr. Balch is the Chief Executive Officer of Patient Advocate Foundation and National Patient Advocate Foundation.

Dr. Balch has a decade of executive leadership in the non-profit sector with an emphasis on consensus-building and collaboration. From 2006 - 2013, he served as the Vice President of the Preventive Health Partnership -- a national health promotion collaboration between the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, and American Heart Association. Prior to his work with the Preventive Health Partnership, Dr. Balch was the Executive Director of Friends of Cancer Research. He has led numerous federal advocacy efforts on a range of issues both at the legislative and regulatory level over the years. For example, he helped to organize and lead a coalition that successfully fought for improvements in the regulatory process for the review of cancer drugs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He also contributed to the development of key federal policies related to the Affordable Care Act.

Dr. Balch serves on the Executive Board of the Patient Advocate Foundation and National Patient Advocate Foundation. Dr. Balch also serves on numerous advisory boards and committees. He is a member of the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s Wellness and Health Promotion Advisory Committee, a member of the Guiding Committee for the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network (LAN), a member of the Advisory Board for the Patient Resource Cancer Guides, External Advisory Board member for the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR) and a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Avalere Cost of Care Advisory Board. Dr. Balch also serves on the Finance Committee and the Membership Committee for the National Health Council in Washington, DC and recently accepted an invitation to join the inaugural board for The American Journal of Managed Care’s (AJMC) newest initiative, the Institute for Value-Based Medicine (IVBM). He is also a member of the 2017 Access to Innovation Forum Steering Committee for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). He earned his PhD in environmental studies in 2003 from the University of California, Santa Cruz; his master’s degree in environmental sciences in 1997 from the University of Texas in San Antonio; his bachelor’s degree (cum laude) in biology in 1994 from Trinity University in San Antonio.

Todd Hobbs, MD, is vice president and chief medical officer for Novo Nordisk in North America, where he leads the organization’s focus on the implications of diabetes for the patient, healthcare system and healthcare professionals.

Dr. Hobbs provides overall medical guidance to Novo Nordisk’s diabetes- and obesity-related projects. He provides input into the clinical development and life-cycle management strategies for diabetes and obesity, as well as medical input into the R&D; pipeline. He is involved with the optimization of relationships with top key opinion leaders and medical societies, and provides guidance to and participates in consultant advisory boards and key patient and professional associations and top thought leaders in diabetes.

Dr. Hobbs began his career at Novo Nordisk in 2004 as a field medical scientific director, then moving to the position of senior medical director, diabetes, in 2010. He led the Medical Affairs activities for all of Novo Nordisk’s current insulin products and devices, as well as supporting future insulin products through strategic and tactical activities.

In 2016, he started a 3 year term serving on the board for the American Medical Group Foundation (AMGF), the research foundation arm of the American Medical Group Association (AMGA).

Prior to working at Novo Nordisk, Dr. Hobbs had established a clinical practice based in Louisville, Kentucky, focusing on the intensive management of patients with diabetes of all ages, and served as chairman of the Medicine Department for a large Regional Medical Center in Kentucky. During this 10-year clinical career, he cared for more than 2,500 adults and children with diabetes, including outpatient and inpatient care, as well as intensive care.

Dr. Hobbs’ has a unique perspective on and personal dedication to the treatment of diabetes: his own experience with the disease began more than 25 years ago when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. His passion for defeating the disease intensified even more with the diagnosis of one of his sons with the same condition at the age of five.

An internationally renowned thoracic surgeon, researcher, author and academician, Larry R. Kaiser, MD, is the leading health sciences executive at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. He serves as CEO of the Temple University Health System, Senior Executive Vice President for the Health Sciences, and Dean of Temple University School of Medicine. Prior to joining Temple University Dr. Kaiser was the President of UTHealth, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston from 2008 until April 1, 2011.

Dr. Kaiser graduated from Tulane University School of Medicine in 1977 and completed his internship and residency in General Surgery as well as a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the University of California (Los Angeles). He then completed a residency in cardiovascular surgery and thoracic surgery at the University of Toronto. Following that, he served as a thoracic surgeon at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Cornell University Medical College (New York) and was then recruited to Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis) where he was promoted to Associate Professor of Surgery in 1990.

In 1991, Dr. Kaiser was recruited to the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) where he held a succession of positions of increasing responsibility, including Associate Professor of Surgery, Chief of General Thoracic Surgery, Founder and Director of the university’s lung transplantation program, and Director of its Center for Lung Cancers and Related Disorders. In 1995, he was promoted to Professor of Surgery and in 1996 was named the Eldridge Eliason Professor of Surgery, the first individual to hold that chair. In 2001, following a national search, he was named the John Rhea Barton Professor and Chairman of the Department of the Department of Surgery at Penn.

In 2008, Dr. Kaiser was selected as the President of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. There, he was responsible for six schools, more than 10,000 faculty and trainees, and a 900-member physician practice.

Dr. Kaiser’s research and clinical interests include lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma and mediastinal tumors. He is the author or co-author of 14 books and over 250 original papers.

Dr. Kaiser has served in a number of leadership capacities for professional societies and associations, and has been a director of the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. In 2004, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. His recent honors include citations in Castle Connolly’s “America’s Top Doctors for Cancer” 6th edition, Who’s Who in the World, and Philadelphia Magazine’s “Top Docs,” among others.

Stella K. Vnook is a Head of Access Services and Patient Support at Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Responsible for leading two critical components of the Market Access function at Jazz: Patient Services and the Field Access Managers (focused on Hematology/ Oncology, Sleep/ Narcolepsy, Pain Franchises). With her leadership, Jazz team will optimize patient services program’s design and delivery with an evidence-based approach to optimize patient access.

From 2014-2017 Stella was a Head of Managed Markets at Purdue Pharma, where she successfully re-shaped Market Access Division; infusing a new payer strategy and contracting analytics around profitable access. Her scope of responsibilities included Commercial, Pharmacy, Government and Institutional channels for Purdue’s Sleep, Pain, OIC and OTC Franchises.

At Blackstone Private Entity, Catalent, Stella accelerated revenue growth and helped the company file an IPO in early 2014. Heading up the Global Marketing and Strategy for Softgel Technology (B2B), her teams developed and implemented highly successful marketing programs to launch 9 products, build 2 Joint Ventures and led numerous acquisitions in LATAM, Asia-Pacific and EU to further growth Rx and Consumer brands for Catalent.

At Merck, she led the new commercial strategy efforts as a Director of US Strategy Office, focusing on customer centricity, integration of Schering Plough and other critical M&A; activities. As part of Merck, and Schering-Plough Joint Venture, she formed new managed markets organization, launched multiple brands, re-engineered sales structures to fit the needs of JV which led to immediate success in gaining profitable access, drive product launch efficiency and create patient and provider awareness of product benefits.

Stella holds a B.A. in Biology & Anthropology, a Pharmacy Degree from Temple University (PA License) and M.B.A. from LaSalle University. She is certified in Six Sigma (Green Belt), Lean Sigma and Organizational Change Management.