Burgess, a Lewisville Republican, has represented the state's 26th District in the U.S. House since 2003. He currently serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Health and is the top Republican on the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. Burgess, a medical doctor, founded the Congressional Health Care Caucus in 2009 and currently serves as its chairman.
Marcus serves as chairman of the Austin-based Texas Alliance for Patient Access, an organization that lobbies for medical malpractice tort reform. Since 1981, he has practiced as an internist at Austin Regional Clinic, one of the state's largest multi-specialty health care groups. He has been named on Texas Monthly's annual list of "Super Doctors" each year since 2007.
Harvey is a partner at the Austin-based law firm Winckler & Harvey, L.L.P., where he specializes in medical and legal malpractice, nursing home negligence, product liability and personal injury. A former president of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and the Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association, he received his law degree from the Texas Tech University School of Law in 1982.
Hyman is the Richard W. and Marie L. Corman Professor of Law at the University of Illinois College of Law at Urbana-Champaign, where he is also director of the college's Epstein Program in Health Law and Policy. His work focuses on medical malpractice, managed care and professional responsibility. He is a member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Law & Medicine.
Hull is a partner at Hull Hendricks, L.L.P., an Austin law firm, where his trial experience has included tort work in product liability litigation, defense of pharmaceutical firms and health insurance carriers, and medical negligence matters. A member of the International Association of Defense Counsel, he received his law degree from Texas Tech University Law School in 1981.
Ulman is president and chief executive officer of LIVESTRONG, an Austin-based nonprofit founded by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong to serve people affected by cancer and empower communities to take action against the world’s leading cause of death. A three-time cancer survivor himself, Ulman founded the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults before joining LIVESTRONG in 2001.
DuBois is the provost and executive vice president of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. A professor of cancer biology and cancer medicine at the center, DuBois focuses on improving diagnosis, treatment and prevention of colorectal cancer. He received his doctorate at University of Texas Medical Center at Southwestern, and his MD degree at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Bailes, an oncologist, has served as vice chairman of CPRIT, a state-established foundation that works to eradicate cancer, since 2008. He formerly served terms as president, chief executive officer, and chair of the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Government Relations Council and is a partner in Texas Oncology, one of the country's largest oncology practices.
Suehs was appointed executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission in September 2009, after serving as HHSC's deputy executive commissioner for financial services since 2003. He is a former executive director of the Texas Health Care Association and past president of the American Society of State Health Care Executives.
Wohlgemuth is the executive director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. While representing District 58 in the Texas House for 10 years, she served as chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee’s Article II Subcommittee, which oversees health and human services, and was also a member of the Select Committee for Health Care Expenditures.
Linbeck is the president and chief executive of Aquinas Companies, a Houston-based firm whose enterprises include construction, real estate and health care products. He is also the vice chairman of the Health Care Compact Alliance, which seeks to limit federal government intervention in medical care, and is an adjunct professor at the business graduate schools of Rice University and Stanford University.
Begley is a professor of management, policy and community health at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, where his research interests include disparities in health care access and the performance of health care safety net systems. He is also co-director of the university’s Center for Health Services Research and director of its Houston Health Services Research Collaborative.
Berthelsen is the chairman of the board and managing director of the Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, a Houston-based medical clinic, where he has also served as chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine and medical director for the Primary Care and Managed Care departments. A past chairman of the Texas Medical Association’s Council on Legislation, Berthelsen received his medical degree from Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.
Dunkelberg is associate director for the Center for Public Policy Priorities, an Austin-based policy institute that focuses on the economic and social conditions of low- and moderate-income Texans. Before joining the center in 1994, she served in the State Medicaid Director's Office at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Zerwas, a Simonton Republican, has represented District 28 in the Texas House since 2006. He currently serves on the House Appropriations Committee as chairman of the Health and Human Services Subcommittee and is a member of the Public Health Committee.
Delisi is senior policy adviser for Delisi Communications, an Austin-based public relations and political consulting firm. She served as a Republican state representative for Temple's District 55 for nine terms, receiving appointments as chairwoman of the Public Health Committee and vice chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee.
Coleman, a Houston Democrat, has represented District 147 in the Texas House since 1991. He chairs the County Affairs Committee, serves as the senior ranking member of the House Public Health Committee and is a member and former chairman of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus. He also is a member of President Barack Obama's State Legislators for Health Reform.
Rohack served as president of the American Medical Association from 2009 to 2010 and was a member of the AMA's Board of Trustees from 2001 to 2011. He is currently director of the Center for Healthcare Policy and medical director for system improvement at Scott & White Healthcare, a Temple-based nonprofit health care network.
Belcher is the executive director of the Texas e-Health Alliance, an Austin-based organization that advocates for greater adoption of health care information technology. Belcher is a former director of Healthcare Consulting for Strategic Partnerships and for five years served as a deputy director of Gov. Rick Perry’s Office of Budget, Planning and Policy, where she was responsible for overseeing Texas’ health and human services budget.
Peel is the founder and chair of Patient Privacy Rights, an Austin-based advocacy organization for health care consumers. In 2006, she formed the bipartisan Coalition for Patient Privacy, which lobbied Congress to include privacy protections for electronic medical records. A practicing physician, Peel co-chairs the Committee on Government Relations and Insurance of the American Psychoanalytic Association.
Stearns, a neurologist, is the president and chief executive of e-MDs, an Austin-based company that provides information technology and data management products to physicians. Stearns’ work in health information technology has included projects at the National Library of Medicine and the National Cancer Institute, as well as the development of SNOMED Clinical Terms, a standard that aids in the transmission of medical data.
Richards is president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Before joining the organization in 2006, she served as deputy chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi. In 2004, she founded and served as president of America Votes, a national political advocacy group that works to maximize registration, education and voter participation nationwide.
Neera Tanden served as senior adviser for health reform at the Department of Health and Human Services, advising Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and working on the president’s team to pass the reform bill. Previously, she served as director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign, managing all domestic policy proposals, including health care. She is currently COO at the Center for American Progress, a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization.
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