Leaders
Denny Brennan, Executive Director, Massachusetts Health Data Consortium
Denny Brennan is the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Data Consortium (MHDC). MHDC is a not-for-profit convener of the state's health providers, health plans, government agencies, industry associations, and health technology and service providers. MHDC's mission is to maximize the value of collaboration in the application of health information and technology to achieve and sustain improvements in health quality, cost, and effectiveness across the Commonwealth.
Mr. Brennan brings over two decades of experience as a consultant and entrepreneur working with the country's leading academic medical centers and medical schools, integrated delivery networks, hospitals, life sciences companies, industry services providers, and industry associations on strategy, organizational effectiveness, and information management and technology challenges. He brings specialized expertise in assisting organizations in aligning healthcare information and business strategies for success under increased market competition and health reform. His areas of emphasis include strategic and financial planning, organization structure and development, formation and management of Accountable Care Organizations, payment and reimbursement reform, and information technology strategy, including health information governance, security, and exchange.
Mr. Brennan has a masters in business administration from the Yale School of Management and a masters in human development and Psychology from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.
Lois Dehls Cornell, Executive Vice President, Massachusetts Medical Society
Lois Dehls Cornell was appointed Executive Vice President of the Massachusetts Medical Society effective June 1, 2016 and is directly responsible for the operation and management of the Society and its operating divisions and provides oversight for its several subsidiaries. In addition to its membership activities, the Society, under the auspices of NEJM Group, publishes the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading global medical journal and web site, and NEJM Journal Watch alerts and publications covering 13 specialties.
Prior to joining the Medical Society, Ms. Cornell spent 24 years at Tufts Health Plan, headquartered in Massachusetts and serving members in the Commonwealth, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Ms. Cornell joined Tufts Health Plan in 1991 as Assistant Vice President and Associate General Counsel after five years as an Associate at the Boston law firm of Goodwin, Procter.
She was appointed Vice President and General Counsel in 2005 and was promoted to Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel in 2013, recognizing her responsibility for the management of a number of departments, including legal, government relations, public policy, governance, human resources, fraud and compliance, corporate citizenship, strategic diversification, and corporate communications. Ms. Cornell received her B.A. cum laude from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and earned her J.D. from the Northeastern University School of Law. She has also completed the Executive Leadership Program of America's Health Insurance Plans and the Advanced Management Program of Harvard Business School.
Active in professional associations, Ms. Cornell is currently the President of the American Health Lawyers Association, a board member of the Pan Massachusetts Challenge, and a member of the Massachusetts Women's Forum. She has been honored by YWCA Boston with its Academy of Women Achievers Award; by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, with its In-House Leaders-in-the-Law Award; and by Women's Business Boston, as one of the Top 10 Women Corporate Lawyers in Boston.
Richard Lynch, Chief Operating Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Richard Lynch is Chief Operating Officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the largest private health plan in Massachusetts and one of the largest independent, not-for-profit Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in the country. The company serves nearly 3 million members and is rated among the nation’s best health plans for overall member satisfaction and quality.
Rich is responsible for IT, Operations, Member and Provider Service, Health and Medical Management, Performance Measurement and Improvement, Pharmacy and Consumer Solutions, and Network Management and Contracting.
Rich joined Blue Cross in 2018 and has more than 30 years of health plan leadership experience. He previously served as the executive vice president and Northeast region market president for Beacon Health Options. Before that he was chairman and CEO of Celtic Insurance Co. in Chicago and Celticare Health Plan of Massachusetts.
Rich has also held senior positions at WellPoint (now Anthem) and at Tufts Health Plan, where he was VP of network management and operations. He began his career in health care as an intensive care nurse at Children’s Hospital in Boston.
He is currently an adjunct professor of health policy at Northeastern University and serves on the board of directors of Eastern Adaptive Sports and the leadership council of The Schwartz Center.
Rich received his MBA in health care management from Boston University and his bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Lowell.
Lora M. Pellegrini, Esq., President and CEO, Massachusetts Association of Health Plans (MAHP)
Lora Pellegrini became President and CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans (MAHP) in February 2010. She has served on the staffs of two Governors, most recently as Chief Advisor for Government Affairs for Governor Deval Patrick, and on the legislative staff of former Governor Michael Dukakis. Prior to joining Governor Patrick's staff, Ms. Pellegrini served as Vice President for Government Affairs & Community Relations at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. While at Harvard Pilgrim, she oversaw government relations activities at the federal level and in the three New England states where the health plan operates. She also oversaw the company's corporate charitable giving. Ms. Pellegrini has also worked as an Assistant Attorney General in the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office and on the staff of United States Senator John Kerry. Ms. Pellegrini is a past president of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus (MWPC), a multi-partisan organization dedicated to promoting women to elected and appointed office. She continues to serve on the MWPC board, and chairs the Caucus' Political Action Committee. In addition, she serves on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Health Council and serves as a member of the Health Policy Commission's advisory committee. Ms. Pellegrini has been active for several years in the Big Sisters Organization and currently serves as a Big Sister in Boston. She is a member of the Massachusetts Women's Forum, a chapter of the International Women's Forum, an organization made up of women leaders in Massachusetts and throughout the world. In 2011, Boston Magazine named her one of the 50 most powerful women in Boston. Lora holds a Bachelor's degree from Wheaton College and a JD from the New England School of Law.
Steven Walsh, President and Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association
Steven Walsh, joined the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA) as president and CEO in November 2017.
A member of the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE), Walsh previously served as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Council of Community Hospitals (MCCH), an organization he led since 2014. During his tenure, Walsh worked with executives from Massachusetts healthcare institutions to promote and drive innovative change in healthcare delivery, policy and regulation.
Prior to MCCH, Walsh served six terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and was appointed chairman of the House Committee on Health Care Financing in 2011. He oversaw the drafting and passage of the Commonwealth’s 2012 landmark healthcare payment reform law, Chapter 224. This legislation incentivized utilization of alternative payment methodologies and investment in community health, while encouraging patient empowerment and primary care. He was also a conferee of Chapter 288 of the Acts of 2010, the Commonwealth's small business health care legislation.
Walsh is a graduate of Wesleyan University, the New England School of Law, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.