Executive Director | Alliance for Patient Access

Josie Cooper serves as executive director of the Alliance for Patient Access (AfPA), where she leads the organization’s efforts to advance patient-centered health policy. Under Ms. Cooper’s leadership, AfPA’s team has continued to expand its network of clinician and stakeholder advocates and advanced educational and policy strategies to improve patient access to care.

With a background in communications, research, grassroots organizing, and campaign politics, Ms. Cooper brings a wealth of experience in stakeholder mobilization. She has advised political campaigns at the presidential, Senate, and congressional levels, and counseled public affairs clients across the country. Prior to joining AfPA, she worked for a Washington, DC-based consulting firm and for a trade association representing biotechnology companies.

Executive Director of Global Government Affairs | Amgen

Driven by a passion to serve patients, Chad Pettit, Executive Director of Global Government Affairs at Amgen, brings extensive expertise in commercial strategy, biosimilar, and healthcare policy. He is a leading advocate for the vital role biosimilars play in ensuring health system sustainability, advocating for policy solutions that support a sustainable biologics medicines marketplace with biosimilars.

In his previous role as Executive Director of Marketing for Amgen’s Biosimilars Business Unit, Chad led the Global Biosimilars Commercial Team in developing global strategies for Amgen’s portfolio of 11 biosimilar medicines and future pipeline. He has also served as a spokesperson on biosimilars for Amgen in the biopharmaceutical industry. Throughout his tenure at Amgen, Chad has held commercial roles across the US, Europe, and global markets, focusing on pricing, market access, and marketing.

Chad holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California Davis. In addition to his professional accomplishments, he is deeply committed to leadership and service within the community.

Chair | International Advisory Board at Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines

Philip J. Schneider is Adjunct Professor – Practice, Division of Practice and Science, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University where he teaches in the Master of Science in Health-System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership coursework and assists with the College’s professional development activities. 

He is principal of MediHealthInsight, LLC that provides consultation to the industry and others on matters related to improving the use of medicines including the application of new technologies in healthcare. 

He is Chair for the International Advisory Board of the Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines that serve as an authoritative resource center of information for the public, as well as the healthcare and health policy communities, on the issues surrounding biologic medications. 

Manager, Regulatory Affairs | American College of Rheumatology

Colby Tiner is currently the manager of regulatory affairs for the American College of Rheumatology. He has nearly 15 years of experience working for non-profits in the health policy arena. Prior to starting with the ACR in 2024, he spent two years as the regulatory lobbyist for the American Optometric Association where he took on Medicare payment reform, prior authorization, and coding issues. Prior to his regulatory work with the AOA, he spent 2 years with Council for Affordable and Quality Healthcare, and 7 years with the American Heart Association as a policy specialist, where he the AHA’s policy lead on telehealth, federal funding for cardiovascular disease research, and heart attack and stroke systems of care. Prior to his work in health policy, he spent a decade running political campaigns in his home state of Texas.

He has an MA in Political Science and Public Administration from Texas Tech University, and a BA from Southern Methodist University.

Director, Public Policy | Alliance for Patient Access

Director of State Legislative Affairs | Department of Advocacy and Access, Arthritis Foundation 

Melissa Horn is the Director of State Legislative Affairs at the Arthritis Foundation. Melissa has nearly 20 years of advocacy experience working in and around state and local government. Prior to joining the Arthritis Foundation, Melissa’s work experience included tenures at the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association and most recently the National Association of REALTORS in Washington, DC. Melissa has covered policy campaigns in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands, though she began her career with the Missouri State Legislature in 2006. Melissa has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Sociology from the University of Columbia – Missouri and graduated with her Masters of Public Affairs degree through her alma mater with a primary focus on Public Policy and Administration in 2017. 

In addition to her role as State Legislative Affairs Director for the Arthritis Foundation, Melissa is cochair for the All Copays Count Coalition, Board member for the State Access to Innovative Medicines (SAIM) coalition and Board member for the University of Missouri-Columbia Truman School of Public Affairs. She also is a frequent guest lecturer at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM), Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia and the Truman School of Public Affairs for the University of Missouri-Columbia. 

On a personal note, as a 3x cancer survivor, Melissa knows firsthand the lifelong challenges of navigating chronic diseases. As Director of State Legislative Affairs, she hopes to be the microphone for someone who has a story to tell to ensure people’s experiences with arthritis are amplified as the Arthritis Foundation continues its mission to boldly pursue a cure for America’s #1 cause of disability through state policy change nationwide.