NPAF PAF Press Release Welcoming Established Leader August

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National Patient Advocate Foundation and Patient Advocate Foundation Welcome
Established Leaders to Enhance Alliance Building, External Relations for Key Patient
Advocacy Programs
–Two new senior hires bring decades of experience and successful track records working on
programs to assist uninsured and underinsured Americans –
WASHINGTON – The National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF) and the Patient
Advocate Foundation (PAF) – two of the nation’s leading voices in improving patient access to
quality healthcare – today welcomed Andrew Weber as PAF’s Executive Vice President (EVP)
of External Relations, Co-Pay Relief Program, and Lisa Hughes as NPAF’s new Director of
Strategic Partnerships and Projects. The Washington, DC-based NPAF is a leading advocacy
voice for patients at the state and federal level. NPAF’s Hampton Roads, VA-based sister
organization, PAF, provides direct patient services to individuals with chronic, life-threatening
and debilitating illness facing access to health care issues.
Weber, as PAF EVP of External Relations, Co-Pay Relief Program (CPR) will play a key role in
managing the life cycle of comprehensive fund development for CPR as well as designing and
implementing competitive market strategies to support the continual expansion and evolution of
the program. By cultivating strong external relationships, Weber will assist PAF’s executive
leadership in growing and sustaining a portfolio of partners and donors that collectively support
the CPR program.
Weber has spent more than 20 years building and leading multiple industry coalitions,
successfully managing non-profit business development teams, and working with various
strategic consultancies to uncover insights directly leading to new opportunities to transform
healthcare. Weber’s newly created position at PAF will allow him to strengthen and enhance the
award-winning Co-Pay Relief Program.
“It is exciting to see the expansion of PAF’s CPR signature initiative grow from its inception to a
program-wide endeavor and we welcome Andrew’s focus, energy, and leadership in the area of
co-pay relief, where we can directly impact patients’ ability to access the care they deserve,” said
Alan Balch, CEO of both NPAF and PAF. “Andrew joins us at a pivotal moment for America’s
patients living with chronic and debilitating diseases and we look forward to carrying out the
mission together.”
“Working on behalf of the CPR program at PAF puts me at the epicenter of one of the most
common hurdles patients face when trying to access critical healthcare services.” said Weber.
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“The Patient Advocate Foundation is a leader in the effort to transform the delivery of healthcare
so important services reach those in need and so cost does not compromise quality care.”
Lisa Hughes will spearhead NPAF’s membership and strategic alliances for Project Innovation, a
broad-based nationwide cancer care initiative launched in April and chaired by PAF and NPAF
Founder and Chairman of the Board Nancy Davenport-Ennis.
“Lisa has a wealth of talents and a track record of bringing together diverse stakeholders with
common objectives,” remarked Nancy Davenport-Ennis, founder and Chairman of the Board of
Directors for both the NPAF and PAF. “She will be an invaluable asset to Project Innovation’s
important work and the work of NPAF.”
“NPAF and PAF have a long history of working with national advocacy partners to advance
common goals in ensuring accessible, affordable, quality healthcare for all Americans,” added
Balch. “We could not be more pleased to welcome Lisa and Andrew to our teams. In their
respective fields, each has demonstrated tremendous ability to build strategic alliances and
coalitions in an effort to improve healthcare for Americans who need it most.”
Hughes’ chief focus will be Project Innovation, which is a national movement designed to
accelerate the pace of medical discovery in cancer, deliver safe and effective breakthrough
therapies to patients quickly, and save lives. Hughes and her team will work to coalesce patient
advocates, healthcare professionals, biomedical researchers, medical innovators, payers,
policymakers, and thought leaders, in an effort to identify and advance solutions to overcome
obstacles in cancer care therapies and research.
Prior to joining NPAF, Hughes served as Director of Patient Advocacy Relations for Allergan,
Inc., where she led Allergan’s strategic alliances with the patient advocacy community in
Urology and Neuroscience. She has also held leadership positions at the Prevent Cancer
Foundation, the National Coalition for Cancer Research, and the Coalition for the Advancement
of Medical Research (CAMR).
“I have long admired NPAF’s leadership in improving healthcare access and affordability for
patients, and I’m excited to be a part of such a remarkable team,” said Hughes. “My career has
been dedicated to empowering patients and enhancing their healthcare experiences, so I’m
pleased to be joining an organization that shares my personal vision so fundamentally.”
“From their inception, both NPAF and PAF have sought to bring in the best and the brightest to
lead initiatives that serve the thousands of patients who depend on our services,” concluded
Davenport-Ennis. “Lisa Hughes and Andrew Weber are no exception to that tradition. They are
both exceptional and we welcome them, their ideas, and their commitment as we all work
together on behalf of our most vulnerable populations to remove access barriers to life saving
and life enhancing healthcare.”
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