Speakers
This year's conference includes many expert speakers with a wide variety of backgrounds.
Tom Carter
Tom Carter leads as Vice President of Kaiser Permanente’s Workforce Health Consulting Group and Kaiser Permanente On-the-Job®.
Tom's background includes career positions with several healthcare organizations. He began his healthcare career in 1982 with Blue Cross of Northern California, and after seven years, accepted a position with US Behavioral Health as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, where he focused on working with large commercial carriers and Fortune 500 companies. In 1992, Tom became the Vice President with Lifeguard, a non-profit regional health plan in San Jose, where he led Sales, Marketing and Product Management. In 2004, he joined Kaiser Permanente to lead Sales and Advisor Relations statewide.
Amit Sangani
Amit Sangani is the Founder and President of Strive Well-Being, Inc., an 11-year old, nationwide company that deals with on-site fitness and wellness management. He is a certified and experienced population health management consultant with designations as WELCOA Faculty and CCWS and he has designed and implemented industry best-practice workplace wellness programs, that have been recognized by both the CDC and NIH.
With more than 12 years’ experience in the field of health promotions and population health management, Amit oversees the business development, marketing, and strategic planning of Strive Well-Being. He is in his element when consulting Strives national key accounts on wellness and fitness initiatives. He works with Strive clients daily, developing creative, innovative ways of integrating fitness and wellness into workable habits, and into community centered programs.
Amit holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Finance and Marketing with a minor in health sciences from San Diego State University. His professional aim is to enhance the culture of health and well-being for the organizations and populations that his company serves.
Merrie Kay Alzola
Northwest, transitioned to the California Market Access team in 2018 as a Regional Account Manager. She received the Novo Nordisk Award of Excellence in 2014 and has received numerous recognitions for her collaboration and account management.
Graduating Washington State University with a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree, Merrie Kay began her career by focusing in community practice and association involvement. She spent over two decades at Fred Meyer Pharmacy, a division of Kroger, holding positions of Pharmacist, Pharmacy Manager, Pharmacy Clinical Care Coordinator, Regional Supervisor and Director of Pharmacy Sales & Operations. Her focus has always been around Diabetes Care and patient education being innovative in the early ’90’s around establishing a community diabetes program in the NW teamed with key thought leaders in the area.
She currently serves as Immediate Past President of the Oregon/SW Washington chapter of JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation), is the Chair of the Washington State University, College of Pharmacy-Deans Advisory Council, is the Treasurer of the Oregon Society of Health System Pharmacists, the Pharmacist Director for Clark College Pharmacy Technician Program, and on the Board of Directors for Gales Creek Camp for Children with Diabetes.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Pete Smith
For over 20 years, international speaker and coach Pete Smith has helped individuals, teams, and organizations improve their leadership and personal development. His experience, concepts, and tools have helped organizations improve their leadership effectiveness, elevate engagement at all levels, transform company cultures, and consistently perform at high levels.
He is the author of Dare to Matter, the #1 Best Seller in the Human Resources and Personnel Management Category, and the #2 Best Seller in the Business Motivation and Self-Improvement category.
Dr. Jeffrey Durmer
Dr. Jeffrey Durmer is a systems neuroscientist, neurologist and sleep medicine physician with particular expertise in technology enabled sleep-health delivery systems. He began his career at the University of Pennsylvania studying the neurophysiology of central nervous systems that generate sleep and circadian rhythms in animals. Currently, he is Chief Medical Officer of FusionHealth, an Atlanta-based sleep healthcare technology firm, and Nox Medical, an Icelandic-based sleep medical device technology company.
Dr. Durmer provides scientific and clinical guidance for multiple sleep-related organizations involved in the healthcare technology, pharmaceutical, and clinical science/practice arenas.
He has published multiple medical textbook chapters, original research papers and abstracts. His collaboration with international clinical research teams led to the development of medical criteria used to diagnose and treat Restless Legs Syndrome in adults and children. He serves as the Sleep Performance Director for the United States Olympic Weightlifting team and multiple other sports organizations including the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and the NCAA DIII Championship Emory University Swimming & Diving team. In addition, he is the appointed Sleep Medicine advisor to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Natalie Hartenbaum, MD
Natalie P. Hartenbaum, MD, MPH, FACOEM, obtained her medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine, completed her residency and internship for internal medicine at Abington Memorial Hospital and Tulane University School of Medicine, and finished her residency for occupational medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. She is a certified medical examiner and board certified in internal and occupational medicine.
As the president and chief medical officer of Occumedix, Dr. Hartenbaum provides occupational health and safety consulting services to companies of various sizes, professional organizations, hospitals and clinics. She offers expert medical review and litigation support on issues of the American with Disabilities Act and Fitness for Duty.
Dr. Hartenbaum is on faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. She is Past-President of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and a former member of the Board of Trustees of the American Board of Preventive Medicine.
Faith Borges
Faith Borges is a Legislative Advocate with the firm California Advocates Inc, where she provides professional advocacy services before the legislature and regulatory agencies, focusing on the firm's insurance, public entity liability and workforce development clients. She has been in government affairs in the State Capitol since 2012. Serving for years in both houses of the Legislature, she is a policy and strategy expert. During her tenure as Legislative Director for Assemblywoman Catharine Baker, she sent many bills to the Governor’s desk, including bills on transportation, healthcare, and privacy, all of which were signed into law.
Mrs. Borges has been the recipient of numerous Legislative Resolutions in her honor including recognition by Senators Steinberg and Gaines and Assemblywoman Baker in appreciation of her exemplary work in public service. She is an active member of the California Chamber of Commerce’s’ Employer’s Coalition, the Public Employer Advocates Coalition, and the Institute of Governmental Advocates. Her legislative work within the health insurance industry has been recognized on a national level with the State Legislative Excellence award in 2018 from the National Association of Health Underwriters.
Faith earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California Santa Barbara and went on to become a California Senate Fellow earning her graduate certificate in Applied Policy and Government from Sacramento State University.