Meet HealthNEXT’s world-class NEXTperts.
As part of the Culture of Health program’s subscription, you have access to our team of NEXTperts, including Chief Medical Officers, Chief Health Officers, and specialty experts with years of clinical and executive leadership experience.
Chief Medical Officers
Chief Medical Officers guide the strategic plan and actions of protecting an organization’s most important asset, its people. They are not just credentialed physicians and experienced Chief Health Officers; they are specialty physicians with corporate leadership backgrounds in treating an entire organization as if it was one patient. CMOs can counsel organizations on issues surrounding the high prevalence of hypertension, travel medicine, evidence-based benefit design, pandemic response, and much more.
Cherryl Christensen
Wayne Rawlins
Dr. Rawlins previously served as the Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at ConnectiCare and served in senior clinical leadership positions at a large national health insurer.
Dr. Rawlins served as a member of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, where he worked with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to advise and make recommendations on national vaccine policy. Dr. Rawlins has been noted as a vaccine financing subject matter expert. A specialist in health equity and resolving health disparities, Dr. Rawlins led efforts to address health disparities in underserved populations and has served on several national organizations addressing health equity. Dr Rawlins is a member of the NCQA Committee on Performance Measurement, which oversees the development and evolution of the HEDIS measurement set, one of the most widely used performance improvement tools in the healthcare industry. Dr. Rawlins is an active member of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions Medical Director Advisory Council, serving on the special COVID advisory council and the race, health, and equity advisory council. Dr. Rawlins was recently elected to serve as an external member of the National Alliance’s Board of Governors. Dr. Rawlins also serves as a board member of UCONN Health, his alma mater.
He received his medical degree from the University of Connecticut, completed an internal medicine residency and chief residency at the University of Rochester, and received an M.B.A. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Rawlins is board certified in internal medicine and treated patients in a primary care practice for more than a decade.
Ron Brooks
Dr. Ron Brooks previously served as senior medical director at Independence Blue Cross and head of patient management at Aetna. He has over 30 years of experience in population health and quality-based payment systems.
A board-certified internist, Dr. Brooks’ experience includes developing quality improvement programs in the care of chronic diseases and medical recordkeeping. He served as the Advocacy Chair of the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware chapter of the American Diabetes Association.
Dr. Brooks, a Hahnemann Medical College graduate, completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He has published articles on population health and, most recently, about the impact of Covid on telemedicine and mammography utilization. Dr. Brooks was co-editor of an issue on managed care in “Medical Clinics of North America.” He resides in Ambler, Pennsylvania.
CEO Roundtable on Cancer and Project Data Sphere®.
Andrew Crighton
Andy Baskin
Dr. Andrew Baskin, MD retired from Aetna after 22 years as the National Medical Director for Clinical Policy and Quality. He was responsible for the development and implementation of clinical policy, the national quality strategy, clinical oversight for Quality Management, and Patient Safety. Prior to joining Aetna in 1998, he practiced as a primary care Internal Medicine/Geriatrics physician in the Philadelphia suburbs.
Scott Conard
Dr. Scott Conard is a practicing family physician passionate about transforming healthcare with the goals of providing more convenience, increased access, significantly improved quality, and lower cost. Through Dr. Conard’s work with a variety of organizations and companies, including Dillard’s, National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, DFW and Texas Business Group on Health, Varsity Brands and Vistra Corp, he understands that every company has a unique culture and needs.
Shane Farrelly
His leadership skills have enabled the implementation of these programs through transformational leadership in Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, Europe, North, and Central & South America. He is an expert in Strategic Case Management and has experience in leading global international multi-disciplinary teams. During the SARS-CoV pandemic, he has helped multinationals navigate their response globally to both keep employees safe and protect business operations.
He is also an advisor to a number of International Government Agencies across Europe and LATAM, advising on International Best Practices from an Occupational Health & Health & Well-being Perspective. He is an expert in rehabilitating employees with long-term absences back to work. He has worked with the insurance industry in designing and implementing proven and effective rehabilitation programs globally. He is a senior medical adviser to pension funds globally on criteria for ill health retirement.
Dexter Shurney
During his tenure at Vanderbilt, he also held joint faculty appointments as Assistant Clinical Professor, Division of Internal Medicine and Public Health, and Adjunct Faculty, Owens Graduate School of Management. Other positions that Dr. Shurney has held include Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Healthways, Senior Health Policy Strategist in the Division of Government Affairs for the biotechnology company Amgen Inc., Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of medical affairs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, and Editor of the Journal of Managed Care Physicians.
Dr. Shurney serves on numerous boards, including The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), where he is President-elect, the Global Business Group on Health, and the National Association of Managed Care Physicians. From 2007-2009, he served as the Chair of the Tennessee Diabetes Prevention and Health Improvement Board, appointed by Governor Phil Bredesen. He was also the most recent Chair of the Business Strategies Committee for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP). For 12 years he served as the American College of Medical Quality’s (ACMQ) elected delegate to the American Medical Association (AMA).
Dr. Shurney is co-author of the book “Integrating Wellness into Your Disease Management Programs” which is a “how-to” strategic guide for employers that wish to innovate their approach to chronic condition management. Dr. Shurney is board-certified in general preventive medicine and public health. He is a fellow at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
David Beaumont
Positive Medicine: Disrupting the Future of Medical Practice was the name of his first book. He also authored the Global Chapter on Health in the OHS Body of Knowledge.
David is passionate about helping people realize that to truly experience positive health in their lives, they first have to change their own understanding of health. To truly have health, it must be viewed as a positive concept, with the realization that it is integral to every area of our lives. To move beyond being experts in disease, doctors need to be able to treat the whole person and empower people to take control and responsibility for their own lives and health.
Mark Cunningham
Mark Cunningham-Hill is a transformative senior executive and expert physician who excels at strategic thought and execution. A dynamic and knowledgeable driver of innovative quality employee health services around the world. He is President of Worldwide Health Consulting LLC, Head of the Medical Advisory Board for The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., and the Medical Direction for the Northeast Business Group on Health. He previously served in senior global roles delivering world class employee health services and wellbeing programs at Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline. He is recognized as someone who transforms organizations by creating a culture of health while driving improved business performance and productivity and reduced costs. During the SARS-CoV2 pandemic he has helped multinationals, unions and other organizations navigate their response so as to keep employees safe and protecting business operations.
Tom Fariss
Tom Fariss has served as the VP, Corporate Medical Director for Kimberly-Clark Corporation and has provided Chief Medical Officer services for Target, ArcBest, Keurig-Dr. Pepper, Accenture, Winnebago, among others. Dr. Fariss has developed and implemented innovative preventive health and well-being programs for global audiences which have included state of the art information and training on brain health, athletic and cognitive performance, nutrition, fitness, sleep, stress and resiliency. Dr. Fariss is a Founding Board member of the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), holds a current position as Adjunct Professor of Environmental Health in the Emory University School of Public Health and previous clinical positions with the Central Intelligence Agency and National Hospital for Orthopedics and Rehabilitation. He is board-certified in internal medicine and occupational and environmental medicine.
Faiyaz Bhojani
Dr. Bhojani is an accomplished health executive with a record of leading transformative change and delivering results across global employee populations in the Energy, Chemicals, and Manufacturing sectors at both Shell and ExxonMobil. He is an innovator in leveraging technology for enhancing human performance, safety, and cost optimization. He is recognized for translating strategic vision and science into clear business goals giving individuals and businesses ownership into action plans and has delivered cost optimization >20% through standardization, simplification, elimination, automation, offshoring, and restructuring.
He has led health teams in partnership with the Crisis Response to manage Covid -19 pandemic impact across offshore and onshore staff to manage business continuity. He is a member of the executive, informatics & research, and HR committee on 5 non-profits, advocating strategic growth and expansion, membership, talent recruitment, and development. Dr. Bhojani has served as a n independent consultant on obesity, diabetes, behavioral health, disability management topics for The American Journal of Managed Care®, Compass Pathways, Pfizer, and Novo Nordisk. |
Specialty Experts
As the complexity of every organization’s needs grows, our specialty experts are here to support you and your workforce in areas such as behavioral and mental health.
Dan Conti
Dan Conti spent the majority of his career in corporate behavioral health, serving the JPMorgan Chase workforce and their families for over thirty years ultimately as Managing Director and Global Head of JPMorgan Chase’s Employee Assistance & Work-Life Program. As a clinical psychologist, Dan’s career in corporate health has been driven by the knowledge that advancements in employee wellness and productivity must prioritize emotional wellbeing.
Dan has served on various boards and committees including the National Business Group on Health, the Joint Commission’s Business Advisory Group, The Depressive & Bipolar Support Alliance, and the Mental Health Association in Illinois. He has published significant research establishing the economic impact of mental health and other conditions on productivity, and has served as an Adjunct Faculty at DePaul University in Chicago, teaching courses in both the undergraduate and graduate Department of Psychology. Dan received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from DePaul.
Rebecca Kelly
Rebecca has served in a number of leadership roles, including the first-ever Director of Health Promotion and Wellness, and Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama, and Manager for American Cast Iron Pipe Company’s nationally recognized wellness program. Rebecca is a registered dietitian, exercise physiologist, and served as a certified diabetes educator for 10 years.
Rebecca is a graduate of Momentum, Alabama’s executive leadership program for women. She was recognized as one of 30 Women Who Shape the State of Alabama in 2017. In 2014, Rebecca was honored by HERO as the inaugural recipient of the Heart of HERO Award. Rebecca completed her Ph.D. in health promotion and education and MAE at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; her dietetic internship at Indiana University Medical Center; and a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition and food science from Auburn University, graduating summa cum laude while receiving the President’s Award. Dr. Kelly served as Chair of the Council on Future Practice for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and currently serves as chair-elect for the Health Project.