Boosting public policy team, HDMA promotes directors

ARLINGTON, Va. Boosting its advocacy profile in Washington and in state houses throughout the U.S., the largest group representing the nation’s pharmaceutical and health care wholesalers announced a series of promotions in the public policy arena.

Among the staff changes HDMA announced Tuesday: the elevation of Elizabeth Gallenagh to vice president of government affairs. Prior to her promotion, Gallenagh, an attorney, was HDMA’s senior director of state government affairs.

Reporting to her will be two other newly promoted HDMA managers: Kristen Freitas, who has been named director of federal government affairs; and Daniel Bellingham, who has replaced Gallenagh as director of state government affairs.

“These promotions recognize the tremendous efforts of the HDMA Government Affairs staff this year, which helped to advance public policies that improve patient safety, supply chain security and innovation,” said the organization’s senior vice president of government affairs, Scott Melville.

In the coming year, the newly expanded team he oversees will focus on priority policy issues impacting drug and health care distributors, said Melville. Among those priorities: uniform federal pedigree legislation, importation, regulation of controlled substances, and Medicare and Medicaid reform/reimbursement.

“We are anticipating a greater focus on healthcare issues in 2009, both in the Congress and in the states,” Melville added.