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Our Team

Meet the team 

Lauren Bedel

Lauren Bedel

Senior Health Policy and Program Associate

Meet Lauren

lbedel (at) nehi-us (dot) org

Lauren Bedel (pronounced ‘beetle’) joined The Network for Health Innovation (NEHI) in May 2021 as the Senior Health Policy & Program Associate. In her time at NEHI, she has developed subject matter expertise on several areas critical to advancing health care innovation, including streamlining prior authorization by advancing automation, improving vaccination coverage among Medicare beneficiaries, and understanding patient and other stakeholder perspectives on improving telemental health care for Medicaid enrollees.

Before joining the NEHI team, Lauren was a Research Associate in the Department of Pediatrics at The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Southern California. There, she utilized qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate health outcomes among underserved populations across the U.S.

Lauren earned a Master’s in Public Health from UCLA and a BA in Health, Society & Populations and Sociology from the University of Kentucky.

When she’s not working, Lauren can be found running along the Charles, making seemingly daily pilgrimages to the library, knitting or crocheting something she’s confident she won’t lose interest in halfway through, or thrifting for artwork that isn’t haunted (but you never really can tell…).

Claire Cruse

Claire Cruse

Senior Director of Program Development

Meet Claire

ccruse (at) nehi-us (dot) org

Claire joined the NEHI team in November 2022 as Senior Director of Program Development. She combines her health policy and health services research background, deep understanding of issues that cut across health care industry stakeholders, and focus on health care innovation to direct research programs for NEHI.

Claire joined NEHI after more than 10 years at Deloitte, most recently leading strategy and operations for the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and Deloitte Health Equity Institute. While there, she directed strategic initiatives for the team of health services researchers and health equity program experts. For many years, she also led research for the Center for Health Solutions around several priority areas, including health equity and the drivers of health, health care consumers, Medicare and Medicare Advantage policy, aging, and health care innovation. Prior to Deloitte, she worked in the nonprofit sector, working to advance policies and services focused on older adults. This remains an area of passion for her both in her professional and personal life.


Claire earned her Master of Public Health and Health Policy at The George Washington University; graduate certificate in Gerontology at The University of Georgia; and bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Sociology at The University of Georgia.

Claire is based out of Denver, Colorado. When she’s not working, she can be found working on any number of ongoing sewing projects or with her husband chasing her two boys around on bikes or snowboards.

Steve Herskovitz

Steve Herskovitz

Vice President of Marketing and Member Engagement

Meet Steve

sherskovitz (at) nehi-us (dot) org

Steve Herskovitz has been a healthcare marketing professional for 30 years with experience in hospital systems, managed care organizations, pharma/biotech, medical devices, and CROs. He has written and spoken extensively on issues ranging from ‘narrative’ branding to reimbursement for new biotech products and oncology therapeutics.

Prior to joining NEHI, Steve spent the last 10 years as the leader for Marketing, Communications, and Education at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. There, he led branding and advertising efforts; revised and grew the Cancer Center’s web, social media, and digital presence; oversaw marketing strategies for a network of 12 hospitals in New England; collaborated with the Cancer Center’s international partner to help launch Jiahui International Hospital in Shanghai; created new patient and physician educational platforms; improved the Cancer Center’s patient experience; and created strong and meaningful partnerships with the Red Sox and Patriots Radio Networks, WGBH, iHeart, and others.

Steve ran his own healthcare consulting company, Hammond Hill, for 13 years. Hammond Hill worked with an array of large and small, established, and start-up organizations across the healthcare landscape, providing branding and messaging work, market research, and business strategy consulting services.

Tom Hubbard

Tom Hubbard

Senior Vice President of Policy Research

Meet Tom

thubbard (at) nehi-us (dot) org

Tom Hubbard leads NEHI’s projects on coverage and payment for innovative biopharmaceuticals, comparative effectiveness research policy, Real World Evidence, medication management, and patient medication adherence. Mr. Hubbard leverages his policy and technology experience to examine ways the country’s health care system can be transformed, focusing on the promotion of medical innovation and the improvement of quality and efficiency in clinical care.

Mr. Hubbard came to NEHI after seven years at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), where he led industry-focused projects and supervised the annual publication of the MTC Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy. His work has included supervising the I-495 Technology Corridor Partnership, an industry-municipal collaboration on growth, and leading projects on broadband deployment, federal research funding advocacy, and nanotechnology.

Previously, Mr. Hubbard served as Executive Assistant for Economic Affairs to U.S. Senator John Kerry, as Deputy Director of Development for Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, and as Director of Community Development and Planning for the City of Gardner, Massachusetts.

Mr. Hubbard graduated from Harvard College and holds a master's in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Lilly Middleton

Lilly Middleton

Marketing and Communications Specialist

Meet Lilly

lmiddleton (at) nehi-us (dot) org

Lilly Middleton is a marketing and communications professional with a background in art history and media theory. She is passionate about the ability of visual media to communicate societal change. Most of her career has been spent within the healthcare sector, and she has a strong interest in using her skills to better public health and equitable healthcare.

At NEHI, she coordinates member- and public-facing communications such as website content, social media, email newsletters, and more. Lilly comes to NEHI with experience in brand management, paid media, and organic social strategy. Most recently, she worked as the Digital Media Project Manager at Fresenius Medical Care North America.

Lilly received a BA in Art History from Dickinson College.

When she’s not at work, Lilly is most likely spending time with her two cats, planning trips with friends, reading a book, or indulging in her favorite pastime, jewelry making.

Cristy Taylor

Cristy Taylor

Chief of Staff

Meet Cristy

ctaylor (at) nehi-us (dot) org

Cristy Taylor is a self-motivated business professional with many years of C-level administrative support. She will be working closely with the CEO and the Board of Directors as well as the rest of the NEHI team.

Cristy brings energy, organization, and a team-player mentality to NEHI. She has experience in finance, budgeting, project management, and office administration. She has spent nearly the last decade working in the education field and is excited to close that chapter and make her debut in the healthcare industry. Cristy received her BS in Management at Keene State College.

Cristy was born and raised in southern NH and looks forward to raising her small family in the shadow of Mt. Monadnock. When Cristy isn’t at the office, she enjoys spending time with family, hiking, working on DIY projects, and spending time in the sun.

Wendy Warring

Wendy Warring

President

and CEO

Wendy Warring

Wendy Warring

President and CEO

Meet Wendy

wwarring (at) nehi-us (dot) org

Wendy Warring, J.D. became President and CEO of NEHI in January 2020. She is focused on strengthening NEHI’s role in advancing innovative care models and technologies that improve access to effective health care, especially by lowering individuals’ health care costs. This will require creativity and collaboration among key health care industry stakeholders and NEHI is well-equipped to stimulate and leverage scalable interdisciplinary approaches.

Warring previously served as Senior Vice President of Network Development and Strategic Partnerships at Boston Children’s Hospital. She was responsible for developing strategies and executing operational initiatives to strengthen relationships between Boston Children’s and primary care physicians, hospital systems, and other providers locally, regionally, and nationally. She has also held positions as Executive Vice President & COO at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and EVP of UMass Memorial Health Care, both positions involving the implementation of strategies to strengthen the organizations’ ability to deliver accessible and affordable care.

Warring has substantial experience in the public sector as well. She was the Massachusetts Commissioner of the Division of Medical Assistance where she directed the state's Medicaid program. She also served as General Counsel to the Massachusetts Housing Finance Administration, a quasi-public agency devoted to addressing low-and moderate-income housing needs. She was also a deputy legal counsel in the Governor’s office, where she worked principally on mental health and human services issues. Early in her career, she worked at the National Academy of Sciences and at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Warring received her J.D. from Yale University and her Bachelor's Degree from Brown University.

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