Meet our 2021 Employee Champions. We recognize individuals who strive to advance science and support innovation so that patients around the world can get the medicines and treatments they need. This year’s recipients have demonstrated commitment and resiliency that goes above and beyond expectations.

Brendan Bertsch

Executive Director, Contracts and Pricing | Boehringer Ingelheim

Brendan actively engages with external stakeholders to support our industry and demonstrate the value of our medicines to policymakers. He has educated state legislators on the drug supply chain and value-based insurance designs so that legislators have the knowledge to make informed decisions about legislation seeking to ensure patient access to affordable medicines.

Pedro Costa

Senior Director, Government Affairs/SC | Johnson and Johnson

Pedro works in Public Affairs for Johnson & Johnson and had quite the year in 2017. In his role, he has helped create a more favorable climate for companies to invest and create jobs in Puerto Rico. Following the devastating effects of hurricane Maria, Pedro worked to ensure that patients could access critical medications and

Kristie Fischer

Executive Associate | Bristol-Myers Squibb

Outside of Kristie’s role at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS), she is a Helping Hands Volunteer Program Administrator, coordinating employee engagement for service hours to charities. In 2017, more than 1,400 volunteers gave over 6,200 volunteer hours and participated in 65 events. Kristie also leads employee community outreach with the Salvation Army Backpack Drive, Bentley Community Services,

Dr. Leonard Friedland

Vice President, Director Scientific Affairs and Public Health, Vaccines North America | GlaxoSmithKline

Dr. Friedland is a licensed pediatrician in Pennsylvania. Prior to joining GSK, he conducted his residency in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and his fellowship in pediatric emergency medicine at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, also in Philadelphia. He helps develop vaccines for children, adolescents, adults, the elderly, and during pregnancy. These include

Daniel Hoeppner

Associate Director of Neuroscience | Astellas Research Institute of America

Daniel’s peers recognize his knack for translating the complexity of today’s science to patients, colleagues and lawmakers. Over the past year, he has educated federal and state policymakers on the innovative ways that Astellas is advancing neuroscience. He’s participated in researcher “fly-ins” in DC and Sacramento and organized facility visits for legislative staff in San

Gregg Lanez

Senior Patient Support Specialist | Celgene

In his day-to-day role, Gregg helps patients navigate their insurance benefits, understand their options for assistance, and ultimately ensure that they get the medicines they need. Gregg sees firsthand the impact that public policy can have on a patient’s ability to access life-changing and life-saving medicines. He is a regular attendee at Celgene’s Annual Legislative

Tony Major

Senior Software Engineer | Eli Lilly and Company

Tony has been a key figure in educating public policymakers on the process of innovation, the cost of R&D and the lost opportunities when not making investments in these areas. To translate this arduous work, he has helped develop an augmented reality program and sample presentations for policymakers. The presentation includes 3-D goggles that show

Jen Norton

Vice President, Market Access & Reimbursement | Biogen

Jen has volunteered her time to help educate federal legislators on Biogen’s public policy goals. She has traveled to DC several times to meet with Biogen’s Government Affairs team and members of Congress. She has a unique talent for explaining the complexities of drug pricing and value-based contracting so that members of Congress and their

Marie-Claire Peakman

Head Primary Pharmacology, Medicine Design, Worldwide Research & Development | Pfizer, Inc

Dr. Peakman proactively educates policymakers on the importance of the industry’s work. She represented Pfizer at the 2018 Connecticut Pharmaceutical Researchers’ Day at the Capitol and worked with the Pfizer Legislative Team to advocate before the Rhode Island legislature. Dr. Peakman serves on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut and

Frank Stone

Director, U.S. Managed Markets Finance | Merck

Frank has played an instrumental role in helping Merck conduct extensive modeling of the economic and market impact of a wide variety of legislative and regulatory proposals. He has a passion for using data to explain the underlying business environment and has done that for Merck since 2006. This work helps Merck and the industry