Infosheet

Ilhaam "Illy" Jaffer Ilhaam "Illy" Jaffer is Senior Director, Federal Government Affairs at the Association for Accessible Medicines, where she is responsible for the strategic management of government relations initiatives and projects that promote the federal policy goals and objectives of the association. Illy comes to AAM with more than a decade of political and policy experience including Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), the American Cancer Society (ACSCAN), Capitol Hill, the White House, several presidential campaigns, the City of Houston, and Deloitte and Touche, LLP where she had the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a client. She holds a BS from the University of Houston and serves on the Advisory Board of the Congressional Asian Pacific Staffers Association which encompasses staff working on Capitol Hill. Blanton S. Tolbert, PhD As the inaugural Vice President of Science Leadership and Culture, Blanton Tolbert leads HHMI's Center for the Advancement of Science Leadership and Culture. He directs a broad portfolio of existing and newly launched programs that support undergraduate and graduate students from all backgrounds, better equip HHMI scientists to provide culturally aware mentorship, foster more inclusive lab environments, and develop strategic equity-centered initiatives and partnerships. Tolbert is the Jacob Gershon Cohen Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania. His research group studies the biochemical mechanisms by which RNA viruses usurp host proteins to replicate within the cellular environment, and to identify untapped targets for therapeutic intervention. The team co-discovered RNA-targeting compounds with the potential to delay or halt the replication of SARS-CoV-2 and EV-A71. Prior to this position, Tolbert was the Rudolph and Susan Rense Professor of Chemistry at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). At CWRU, he also served as the inaugural vice dean of diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence for the university's School of Medicine and as Case Comprehensive Cancer Center's first associate director for diversity, equity, and inclusion. In these roles, he spearheaded initiatives to recruit individuals from backgrounds underrepresented in science into tenure-track faculty positions and to improve the experiences of faculty, staff, and students. Tolbert has dedicated his professional career to improving access to science and science education for all individuals, including those from marginalized backgrounds. Tolbert earned a PhD in biophysics and structural biology at the University of Rochester and a BS in chemistry at the University of South Carolina. Darbin Wofford Darbin is the Senior Health Policy Advisor for Third Way's Economic program. He focuses on advocating for policies that would expand coverage, reduce premiums and out-of-pocket costs for patients, and lower prices across the health care system. On Third Way's health care team, Darbin leads Fixing America's Broken Hospitals with the goal of creating a more competitive and lower-cost hospital system. He also works to promote Democrats' work to build on the Affordable Care Act. His work and commentary has been featured in Politico, Axios, Roll Call, STAT and more. Prior to Third Way, Darbin worked on health care at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget where he authored several publications on lowering health care costs, sustaining Medicare's finances, and supporting the Inflation Reduction Act. Darbin was driven to work in policy in college while Republicans were attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Texas State University and a Master's degree in Legislative Affairs from the George Washington University. Sunday, September 29, 2024

• Cover