Data Equity: Standardizing Data to Advance the Health Equity Movement

The webinar will cover how health inequities and disparities continue to impact historically marginalized communities, including but not limited to African Americans, Hispanics, and LGBTQ+ populations who face poorer health outcomes.

Health insurers, chronic disease and equity stakeholders recognize the importance of collecting high-quality, reliable data to improve health and well-being and the need to work with federal agencies to standardize the collection of race, ethnicity, and language (REL) and sexual orientation, gender identity (SOGI) data.

The panel will discuss the release of the issue brief Standardizing Data to Advance the Health Equity Movement: A Multi-sectoral Strategy and review the importance of recommendations to standardize REL/SOGI data collection in the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Statistical Policy Directive No. 15.

Moderator

Courtney Lang, JD
Strategic Communications & Health Policy Expert
Langco & Partners

Courtney Lang, JD, is a strategic communications and health policy expert whose
primary focus is advocacy, activism, and grassroots mobilization. She is the founder
and principal of Langco + Partners, a health equity public affairs firm recognized for
mobilizing constituencies to achieve impactful business goals aligned with issue-
based campaigns and public policy.
As an accomplished change agent, she is a demonstrated leader during a crisis or
transition and a national champion who promotes the fundamental right to health for
patients, providers, and public health constituencies. Courtney consults with organizations on access,
affordability, structural racism, and systemic change amidst resilience. She facilitates coalitions and
dialogue supporting public conversations and galvanizing communities to coalesce on health justice
initiatives that improve the human condition.
Before founding Langco + Partners, Courtney served as senior director of federal alliance development
for Pfizer Inc. She was also the US Public Affairs Liaison for Eli Lilly & Company, leading alliance
development and advocacy outreach focused on communities of color.
Courtney is a member of the board of directors for Trinity Health with duties on the integrity and audit
committee and the board of directors for Mental Health America as chair of the ad hoc committee on
anti-racism, equity, and social justice.

Panelists

Gretchen Wartman
Vice President for Policy/Program Director, Institute for Equity in Health Policy & Practice
National Minority Quality Forum

Gretchen Clark Wartman is Vice President for Policy and Program of the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), and Director of the NMQF Institute for Equity in Health Policy and Practice. Ms. Wartman also directs the NMQF National Alliance for Brain Health and Awareness. Prior to her tenure with NMQF, Ms. Wartman held positions with the Missouri.
Department of Health and Senior Services, including serving as the Title V/Maternal and Child Health Director, and Director of the Division of Nutritional Health and Services. Ms. Wartman is a Peer Reviewer for the Journal of Healthcare, Science and The Humanities.

Denise Schofield
Executive Director, Data Strategy
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Denise Schofield is Executive Director, Data Strategy, at the Blue Cross Blue Shield
Association, a national federation of thirty-five independent, community-based and locally
operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. In her role, she is responsible for developing
data leadership priorities for BCBSA and the BCBS partner ecosystem.
Denise leads collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders across the health care industry to
optimize the value of BCBS data assets to power BCBS strategic priorities and to meet the
needs of BCBS national programs in support of key stakeholders, including members,
employers and providers. Denise also oversees the BCBSA data governance program, ensuring
the effective and efficient use of information across the organization.
Prior to her Data Strategy role, Denise was responsible for market growth opportunities,
strategic collaborations and execution of strategies in support of the BCBS Institute's mission to
address social determinants of health.

Raj Bhanot, PMP,MHA, MBA
Senior Project Manager, Business Solutions
American Heart Association

Raj Bhanot is a Senior Project Manager with the American Heart Association's Health Business Solutions, formerly called Emergency Cardiovascular Care. His work aims to improve outcomes for pediatric patients by preparing healthcare providers to effectively recognize and intervene in patients with respiratory emergencies, shock and cardiopulmonary arrest. Raj recently lead the AHA's ERG representing Asian American, Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian and South Asian employees. Raj has a Master's in Health Administration and an MBA from the University of Ottawa, Canada.