Thank you to the experts who made this year’s Health Policy Fellowship a success
July 30, 2025
CHRT’s 2025 Health Policy Fellowship wrapped up in May, capping off five months of learning for the twelve fellows who participated in the annual program. The fellowship helps emerging health leaders—working in policy, nonprofit, clinical, and academic spaces—build the skills, experiences, and relationships that support effective health policy leadership at the state and national level.
CHRT is deeply grateful to the health policy experts who contributed their time and insights. Their expertise was central to the fellowship experience.
In Lansing, the fellows met with legislators and policymakers:
- Rep. Carrie Rheingans, House Agriculture Committee; House Families and Veterans Committee
- Rep. Curtis VanderWall, Chair, House Health Policy Committee
- Rep. John Roth, Chair, House Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee; Vice Chair, House Higher Education and Community Colleges Subcommittee
- Sen. Sylvia Santana, Chair, Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee; Vice Chair, Senate Health Policy Committee, Senate Corrections and Judiciary Appropriations Subcommittee, Senate Housing and Human Services Committee, and Senate LARA/DIFS Appropriations Subcommittee
And in Detroit, fellows met with:
- Reverend Simmons, Executive Director, Brightmoor Alliance
- Zina M. Davis, Executive Director, Children of the Rising Sun Empowerment Center
- Kristine Walton, Supervisor, Women Inspired Neighborhood (WIN) Network at Henry Ford Health
- Eric Candela, Director of Public Policy, Forgotten Harvest
- Espy Thomas, Owner, Sweet Potato Sensations
- Shamayim “Mama Shu” Harris, Founder and CEO, Avalon Village
- Dr. Felix Valbuena, CEO, Community Health and Social Services Center (CHASS)
In Washtenaw County, fellows had eight sessions, meeting with:
- Marianne Udow-Phillips, Senior Advisor, CHRT
- Joshua Traylor, Executive Director, CHRT
- Karla Ruest, Senior Consultant, Capitol Affairs
- Marisa Eisenberg, Professor, Departments of Epidemiology, Complex Systems, and Mathematics, University of Michigan
- Tayo Moss, Policy and Program Officer, Michigan Health Endowment Fund
- Kim Ross, Chief Government Relations Officer, Michigan Medicine
- Kris Kangas-Kraft, Director of State Relations, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
- Kirk Roy, Senior Vice President and Chief Actuary, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
- Toshiki Masaki, Operating Model Transformation Manager (Retired), Ford Motor Company
- Ted Makowiec, Senior Vice President and Health Consultant, Segal
- Phillis Englebert, Owner, Detroit Street Filling Station, The Lunch Room, and North Star Lounge
- Debra Roberts, Vice President of Operations, HealthFocus
- Sarah Wang, Policy Engagement Program Manager, Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation
- Elizabeth Kutter, Senior Director, Michigan Health and Hospital Association
- Meghann Keit-Corrion, Government Policy Advisor, Dykema
- Melina Brann, Director of Government Relations, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan
- Dr. Vanessa Dalton, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan
- Dr. Jonne McCoy White, Academic Research Specialist, MIRACLE Center
- Nicole Marie White, CPM, Policy Director and Co-founder, Birth Detroit
- Meghan Groen, Medicaid Director, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
- Patricia Graham, Plan President and CEO, Meridian
- Todd Anderson, Market President, Blue Cross Complete
- Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Chief Medical Executive, MDHHS
- Christina Floyd, Deputy Director of Public Health, City of Detroit
- Khalil Al-Hajal, Deputy Opinion Editor, Detroit Free Press
- Kate Wells, Public Health Reporter, Michigan Radio
- Robin Erb, Health Reporter, Bridge Michigan
- Kristen Shamus, Health Reporter, Detroit Free Press
- Dr. Mark Fendrick, Director, Center for Value-Based Insurance Design, University of Michigan
- Kelly Ainsworth and Sean McCabe, 2025 CHRT Fellows
- Kristina Leonardi, Director of Aging and Community Services, MDHHS
- Katie Abraham, Policy Advisor, Michigan Opioid Task Force
- Jared Welehodsky, State Assistant Administrator, MDHHS
- Charles Reuland, Chief Operations Integration Officer, University of Michigan Health
- Ginny Creasman, Medical Center Director, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System
- Dr. Richard Schildhouse, Chief of Staff, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System
- Dana Habers, Chief Innovation Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Pharmacy Services, U-M Health
- Chris Kolb, Vice President for Government Relations, University of Michigan
CHRT is honored to support a fellowship that brings together leaders from across Michigan’s health ecosystem and connects them with some of the state’s most influential policymakers and practitioners. We thank all the experts who shared their time, stories, and strategies and we look forward to building on these connections in the year to come.