International Health Technology Assessments and Their Impact on Access and Patient Preferences

Dr. Ryan is the Senior Vice President and Head for U.S. and Worldwide Value, Access, Pricing and Health Economics and Outcomes Research for Bristol-Myers Squibb. In this role, Dr. Ryan is responsible for Strategic Payer Marketing, Pricing and Contracting, Real World Evidence Generation & Analytics, Access Clinical Development, Payer and Organized Customer Sales, Market Access Scientific Liaison Program, and Health Economics and Outcomes Research across the $42B BMS worldwide biopharmaceutical and biomarker portfolio. Dr. Ryan serves on a number of BMS executive leadership teams including the BMS Commercial Leadership Team, Digital Health Steering Committee, Commercial Innovation Strategy Team, Commercial Development Operating Committee, Business Development Steering Committee, Pipeline Steering Committee, and Portfolio Strategy Governance Team. Dr. Ryan also serves as the Chair for the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) and has served as the BMS board member on the Biotechnology Organization (BIO), National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC), and the University of Southern California Schaeffer Center for Health Policy.

Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr. Ryan spent 16 years at Amgen as the Vice President and General Manager of the Nephrology Business Unit for Amgen, where he was responsible for the P&L and life cycle management of Amgen’s three products used to treat patients with kidney disease; Epogen®, Aranesp® and Sensipar®.He also served as the Vice President and General Manager for Reimbursement, Value and Access, where he was responsible for all pricing, contracting, government price reporting, payer strategy and Value and Access Marketing across the $13B U.S. Amgen portfolio. 

Prior to Amgen, Dr. Ryan served as the Vice President, Department of Pharmacy, Center for Biomedical Informatics, and UPMC For Profit Operations at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Ryan also served as Chairman, Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, and he held affiliated faculty appointments with both the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, and the Center for Biomedical Informatics.  

Dr. Ryan is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of California at San Francisco, and completed his residency program at the University of Michigan.  After completing his residency, Dr. Ryan directed all clinical pharmacy research, education and operations at University of Michigan Medical Center and College of Pharmacy.  

During his career, Dr. Ryan has been invited to present over 100 national platform presentations, and has over 40 refereed journal and textbook publications.  The primary focus of Dr. Ryan’s research is U.S. health economics, biomedical informatics, and healthcare policy. Among his many and varied responsibilities, Dr. Ryan has led over 12 Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees, implemented seven for-profit businesses, and served on numerous national health care committees and boards.

Stephanie Dyson is Vice President, U.S. Policy & Government Affairs, at Bristol Myers Squibb, a global biopharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and delivering innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.  In her role, Stephanie oversees U.S Public Policy as well as Federal and State Government Affairs functions, including stakeholder engagement and grassroots activation. Stephanie is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of healthcare policy and government affairs experience. She is passionate about the difference innovation makes for patients and has a strong record of delivering results that support corporate objectives and strategy. During her career, she has worked hands-on at the Federal and State levels of government, engaging trade associations, policymakers and their staff, advocacy groups, and policy officials across U.S. executive agencies.

In addition to her training as a registered nurse, Stephanie also received a master’s degree in Political Management and Policy from The George Washington University. She has been married to Charlie Dyson, the love of her life, for over 27 years.  

Elizabeth Franklin, PhD, MSW, is an advocate for people impacted by cancer and is passionate about ensuring that patient voices are the north star in health care decision and policy making. Growing up in Kentucky where cancer, cancer mortality, and poverty rates routinely rank among the highest in the country, Elizabeth was drawn to this work by witnessing people being left behind and systems that resulted in inequitable care. These values drive her as President of the Cancer Support Community (CSC), which is the largest provider of social and emotional support services for cancer patients and their loved ones in the United States.

Elizabeth has spent two decades as a nonprofit leader and has significant expertise in professional social work, research, and public policy. She was formerly Director of Policy and Engagement at the George Washington University Cancer Institute, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy with the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and Special Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer at the headquarters of the National Association of Social Workers.

Elizabeth is a recognized author and speaker and was named a 40 under 40 leader in oncology in 2020. Her research articles have appeared in publications such as the JCO Oncology Practice, Journal of Cancer Education, Journal of Clinical Pathways, Health and Social Work, Value in Health, and Conquer Cancer Magazine. She has co-authored two books on non-profit leadership and co-edited two social work texts. In addition, she is a member and leader in various organizations and coalitions, including the Association of Oncology Social Work, Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators, National Association of Social Workers, and the Alliance for Quality Psychosocial Cancer Care. 

Elizabeth earned her doctorate at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, where she focused her dissertation on the ways in which patients define value in the cancer care system and how those definitions can be incorporated into public policy and clinical practice. Elizabeth obtained her Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her Bachelors Degree in Social Work from the University of Kentucky. Elizabeth resides in Washington, DC and is an avid reader, aspiring banjo player, volunteer crisis counselor, and proud mother of pugs.

Dr Androulla Eleftheriou obtained her graduate and postgraduate degrees in Biochemistry, Microbiology and Virology, and Business Administration from London universities. She has been awarded a number of scholarships by the Cyprus government, the World Health Organization and the Fullbright Commission. Her postdoctoral fellowship was completed at the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, GA, USA.

From 1990 until August 2006, she was Head of the Virus Reference Centre of the Cyprus Ministry of Health. Since 2005 she has held the post of director of the Cyprus WHO Collaborating Centre. She worked closely with TIF on an official basis since 1993 as a Scientific Coordinator of TIF’s educational programme, and since 2006 she has obtained an official post serving as the Executive Director of the Federation. She also regularly acts as a WHO consultant on issues related to her field of expertise.

Through her work with TIF, Dr Eleftheriou has carried out numerous projects of local, national, regional and international scope, working closely with international experts, local health professionals and thalassaemia associations worldwide. She is involved in the development and coordination of many joint activities and projects with official health-related organisations and agencies, national and regional health authorities and with numerous disease and non-disease specific patient/parents organisations.

Dr Eleftheriou is a member of Cyprus Haemoglobinopathies Forum and acts as the Director of the Cyprus WHO Collaborating Centre of the Cyprus Ministry of Health. Furthermore, she participates in the European Union Committee of Experts in Rare Diseases (EUCERD) and has served on the Board of Directors of European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and on the Advisory Board of the European School of Transfusion Medicine (ESTM). She has also been the President of the Cyprus Alliance for Rare Disorders (CARD) from 2016 to 2019, and has served as Assistant to the Directors of the e-Msc in Haemoglobinopathies course from 2006-2014.

A member of European Haematology Association (EHA) and the Chair of the Higher Scientific Committee of SITA (Sultan Sultan Bin Khalifa International Thalassemia Award, Dr Eleftheriou has published extensively in peer reviewed journals and is the author of numerous position papers. She has received a certification for Capacity Building from Harvard University and been awarded the Panos Englezos Award by TIF in 2003, for her contribution to the promotion of TIF’s mission and activities.

John M. O'Brien, PharmD, MPH, is the president and chief executive officer of the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC), which sponsors and participates in research on the appropriate use of pharmaceuticals and the clinical and economic value of pharmaceutical innovation. NPC’s research contributes to the scientific foundation for informed discussions about health care access, coverage, appropriate use and value. As president and chief executive officer, Dr. O'Brien is responsible for overseeing NPC’s policy research and communications capacity, partnerships with other health care organizations, and strategic vision.

Dr. O’Brien’s broad experience spans the private sector, academia and government. Prior to joining NPC, Dr. O’Brien was senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and deputy assistant secretary of planning and evaluation (health policy). He has also held senior policy positions in the life sciences and managed care industries, including at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, was a career official at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) during the Obama administration, and served as a health policy fellow in the U.S. Senate. 

Dr. O’Brien earned his doctorate in pharmacy at Nova Southeastern University, his master’s degree in public health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and studied pharmacy and public policy at the University of Florida. His post-graduate experience includes the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Executive Fellowship in Association Management and Leadership and the America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Certified Health Insurance Executive Fellowship.

He has held a number of academic appointments, including senior fellow at the USC-Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, clinical assistant professor at the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship program, and assistant professor of clinical and administrative sciences at the Notre Dame of Maryland University College of Pharmacy, the first program of its kind created by a U.S. women’s college.

Dr. O’Brien has served on the boards of Pharmacy Quality Solutions, Kennedy Center Circles and the Congressional Chorus.