Please click HERE to vote by August 29, 2021
Board Candidate Forum
At-large delegates (2 seats open)
At-large board member not up for election: Stephen Chao, MD (Texas)
Pam Gronemeyer, MD (Illinois)
Biographical statement: I am a board-certified anatomic and clinical pathologist in Glen Carbon, Illinois, near St. Louis. I received a biology degree from Washington University in St. Louis; attended Tufts University School of Medicine; and completed pathology residencies in Boston and St. Louis. I founded SEMC Pathology, which provides services to seven critical access hospitals in southwestern Illinois.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: I’ve been a member of PNHP for 15 years and have attended almost all of the yearly meetings and trainings. I am co-president of PNHP-IL, board member of Missourians for Single-Payer, and founding member of the Illinois Single Payer Coalition. I have given talks to many groups including business women groups, local progressive groups, the NOW and Healthcare NOW! national meetings.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: I could add specialty diversity as a pathologist with experience in small metropolitan and rural hospitals. As a business owner of a pathology service, I have provided platinum healthcare plans to my employees and their dependents. I was a delegate for Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020, and on the platform committee in 2016. I am a hard worker and complete the tasks that I am assigned. I have a good working knowledge of the Internet and social media.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue?  PNHP has to expand the base of individuals who will work for the cause. Currently, our elected officials turn a deaf ear to what the majority of people want. We need a grassroots effort and doctors are integral to the process. People trust their providers and know that the provider is speaking from experience. However, it is only by increasing the number of advocates that we can make Congress and the President listen! We must educate and organize.
Member since: 2005
Sanjeev Sriram, MD, MPH (Maryland)
Biographical statement: I founded the “All Means All” campaign to center racial equity in single payer. I am “Dr. America” for act.TV, write in national publications, and was a Bernie Sanders surrogate in 2020. I completed my MD and residency at UCLA, MPH at Harvard, and now practice pediatrics in Maryland.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: After coming to terms with the ACA’s insufficiencies, I joined the single-payer movement in 2017. Shortly afterward, I joined PNHP. With help from Social Security Works, I founded the “All Means All” campaign to center racial equity in single-payer because there can be no health justice without racial justice.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: If elected to PNHP’s Board of Directors, my goals would be to strengthen our commitment to single-payer as a source of racial equity. I want our Board to collaborate with racial justice organizations on strategies to broaden single-payer activism. In addition to these efforts, I will seek more structured mentorship and professional development of our SNaHP allies, in order to build and sustain new generations of physician activists for single-payer.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue? We face challenges in cultural arenas about who is worthy of health care. People of color, particularly those with low incomes, undocumented immigrants, and/or identifying as LGBTQIA, are used as pawns by our opposition. Reproductive health faces similar obstacles. We must collaborate with activists from these communities and strengthen cultures of solidarity. Mothers Against Drunk Driving didn’t just change traffic laws. They made drinking and driving a cultural taboo. PNHP has similar work ahead.
Member since: 2018
Philip Verhoef, MD, PhD (Hawaii)
Biographical statement: I received my PhD in Pharmacology and MD from Case Western Reserve University, followed by med-peds residency at UCLA. I joined the faculty at the University of Chicago after a fellowship in adult and pediatric critical care. In 2019, I moved to Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii, where I work as an adult/pediatric intensivist and hospitalist and serve as the Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine residency program.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: I joined PNHP in 2006 as a resident. When I moved to Chicago in 2009, I joined the Illinois Single Payer Coalition (president from 2015-2018) and PNHP-Illinois (co-president in 2014). I was faculty sponsor for one of the first SNaHP chapters and have served on the PNHP Board as an advisor from 2012-2016 and board member since 2017.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: My contributions will reflect the perspectives brought by my unique attributes: I am an active community physician, working as a subspecialist within an integrated health system; I have extensive research experience, with expertise in health care disparities and hospital-based medicine; I have published numerous op-eds and given dozens of academic presentations on single payer and health care reform to medical audiences; and I have organizational experience at a variety of levels, within nonprofit organizations and academia.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue? PNHP’s most significant challenge is to determine how best to activate physicians to mobilize for single payer. Even while surveys indicate >50% support among active practicing physicians for single payer, our active membership constitutes less than 0.5% of those physicians. As a member of PNHP’s board, I will continue to develop strategies for physician engagement, including messaging, programming, development, and recruitment, with a specific focus on expanding our reach to diverse and underserved communities.
Member since: 2006
North East Region (1 seat open)
Board members in this region not up for election: Mary O’Brien, MD (New York) and Janine Petito, MD (Massachusetts)
Douglas DeLong, MD (New York)
Biographical statement: I am a general internist in upstate New York. I have served in many capacities within the American College of Physicians and am emeritus chair of the ACP Board of Regents. I live with my wife Lynn on a 250-acre farm and love Nordic skiing, sailing, and good eats.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: I have been a longtime dues-paying member of PNHP, attended one Annual Meeting and attempted to start a local chapter. My largest contributions have been my advocacy within the ACP. I am proud that it was during my time as Chair of the Board of Regents that the College passed the New Vision statements.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: I would bring with me a 43-year history of putting patients first, coupled with a fair understanding of the complexities of the U.S. health care “system”, knowledge regarding advocacy at both state and national levels, experience on working as a board member/leader, and a large network of fellow internists across the country.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue? We are truly living through a historical time and the greatest challenge will be competition with other high-priority issues. Given the existential threat of climate change, worsening wealth inequality, structural racism, etc., it will be difficult to not be overwhelmed by competing priorities. The solution is for PNHP to leverage each of those issues back into the health care debate emphasizing both the fiscal and social determinant arguments.
Member since: 2008
Scott Goldberg, MD (New York)
Biographical statement: I am an attending physician at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, where I supervise and teach residents in the Primary Care/Social Internal Medicine program, and an Assistant Professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. I graduated with honors from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and completed residency in 2019 in Internal Medicine-Primary Care at UCSF.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: I started a chapter of SNaHP in 2012 and joined the PNHP Board as a student delegate in 2013. I worked with other students to create an annual student meeting and implement a national student-led day of action for single payer. I remained on the board as a resident until 2019. I have represented PNHP/SNaHP at medical conferences including the Society of General Internal Medicine and the American Osteopathic Association.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: As a PNHP board member, I would like to contribute to the fundraising and membership efforts.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue? The greatest challenge for PNHP is increasing the membership and financial resources of the organization to build real power; power that can shape the culture of organized medicine around single payer and, subsequently, undercut the influence of the health insurance lobby. Board members should be responsible for raising a specific amount of money each year or be asked to abandon their seats. PNHP should set the goal of contacting every U.S. physician, and board members should head up specific regional groups to undertake this endeavor.
Member since: 2009
Marvin Malek, MD, MPH (Vermont)
Biographical statement: After completing my internal medicine residency at Cook County Hospital, I’ve spent my career in community medicine, serving as founding medical director of two community health centers in Vermont. For the last five years, I’ve worked at Springfield Hospital, a safety net hospital for a poor rural community in southeastern Vermont. I’ve worked in ER medicine, primary care, and hospital medicine.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: I have been an active member of PNHP since 1988, writing numerous op-eds and giving talks to church groups, Rotary Clubs, and others. I served as president of the Vermont chapter for eight of the last 12 years, helping develop our summer internship program for medical students. From 2001–2008, I hosted and co-produced Public Health Radio, which explored a variety of public health issues. I ran for both State Representative and for Lieutenant Governor as a candidate of the Progressive Party in Vermont, highlighting single payer reform as the best option.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: PNHP could expand its activities with more funding. I would like to step up to support existing efforts and work with other preceptors to cultivate additional fundraising strategies to support the summer internship program, possibly even creating fundraising videos (hopefully with student involvement!). Expanding PNHP’s educational offerings through paid CME events, similar to the one offered at last year’s annual meeting, could serve the dual function of educating the membership and generating funds for the organization.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue? A concern for PNHP is the aging of our active membership, including our leadership. This is somewhat unsurprising given the often heavy workload of mid-career physicians, who often face child care demands at the same time. I will continue to work on our summer internship program to cultivate future leadership. Offering online educational events may be a useful strategy to help chapter leaders draw in more of their membership.
Member since: 1988
Wayne Strouse, MD, FAAFP (New York)
Biographical statement: I’ve practiced for more than 20 years in Upstate NY in a solo practice. I’ve worked in socialized medicine (US Navy), and in a single-payer system (New Zealand), so I have firsthand experience of the benefits of these systems over the current U.S. system.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: I have written multiple single-payer resolutions that have been passed by the NY State Academy of Family Physicians and presented nationally. I have lobbied for single payer during our organization’s Lobby Day and written multiple Op-Ed pieces in my local paper. I’ve staffed the PNHP table at various events as well.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: Having worked in a single-payer system, I have personally experienced what it is like to provide and receive care under such a system. Thus, I have a unique perspective and can give the Board “real world” advice regarding what works and what may cause problems from an “in the trenches” viewpoint. I work in a very conservative area, and have discussed single payer with my patients. I understand how to win over this group.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue? Education. Neither physicians nor the public understand what single payer means. We must win the information/misinformation battle. The rest of the world has figured this out, the U.S. cannot. Why is there such inertia for something we all hate? Let’s arm our members with the points/counterpoints, and have a media blitz for a better health system. Let’s provide “off the shelf” Op-Ed pieces that can be easily personalized.
Member since: 2006
South Region (1 seat open)
Board member in this region not up for election: Jessica Schorr Saxe, MD (North Carolina)
Ed Weisbart, MD (Missouri)
Biographical statement: I chair the Missouri chapter of PNHP. I practiced family medicine for 20 years, served as CMO of Express Scripts from 2003-2010, and retired clinically in 2021. I completed my medical degree at the University of Illinois and family medicine residency at Michigan State University.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: Single-payer advocacy has been my core focus since organizing the MO chapter of PNHP in 2012. Since then, I’ve delivered more than 600 public presentations and published dozens of pieces on single payer. My PowerPoint presentations are widely used by single payer advocates across the country.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: I would like to help the PNHP board continue to develop, clarify its role, increase its influence, and strengthen its relationships with adjacent advocacy organizations. Like all other board members, I bring a background, skill set, and perspective that should both fit with and enhance the board’s functioning.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue? PNHP must continue its strong commitment to single payer while also making itself more thoughtful about political realities. We should embrace proposals that make meaningful progress towards our goal, even when not our ideal solution. For example: policies that improve and/or expand Medicare should be evaluated and, if found favorable on balance, endorsed by PNHP, not dismissed for apparent imperfections. By holding proposals to a purity test, PNHP grows increasingly irrelevant to important allies.
Member since: 1996
North Central Region (1 seat open)
Board member in this region not up for election: Joshua J. Faucher, MD, JD (Illinois)
Judith Albert, MD (Pennsylvania)
Biographical statement: I am a retired physician in Pittsburgh, PA, having practiced in academic and private practice settings for over 30 years. I received my medical degree from the University of Cincinnati, completed residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh and fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: I became involved with PNHP in 2017 when I co-founded a new chapter in Western Pennsylvania. Having participated in anti-racist organizing for several years, I was looking for a way to blend anti-racist advocacy with my medical experience. The fight for Medicare for All is uniquely suited to this purpose.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: My goal as a board member is to establish working relationships with PNHP chapters in the North Central region to review strategies and combine tactics for coalition building and community engagement. PNHP members have great strength as educators and our mission aligns very well with anti-racist, fair housing and anti-poverty organizations, as well as labor unions. My aim is to listen and learn from these groups so that we can grow the Single Payer movement.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue? PNHP’s most significant challenge is to amplify the popular support for single payer. Aggressive negative media campaigns by the health care industry and the failed leadership of elected officials continue to obscure the fact that the majority of the public wants universal health care. As a board member, I want to participate in the development of broad citizen outreach to counter the message from corporate entities, exposing the truth about the failed model of for profit insurance.
Member since: 2017
John Crosson, MD (Minnesota)
Biographical statement: I completed my residency in internal medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center, followed by a pathology residency and 35 years on staff at HCMC and as faculty member at the University of Minnesota. During my time at the main safety net hospital in Minnesota, I saw how so many patients suffered because of a lack of readily available, affordable health care.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: I started working for single-payer health care over 25 years ago, initially by contributing money, then joining the PNHP-MN board in the mid-2000s. I am co-chair of the board and am the faculty in charge of eight medical student interns. I will continue to work for M4A until it gets passed.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: My major contribution to the board would be my passion to see M4A the law of the land and everyone accessing health care when they need to at an affordable price. I have years of experience in administrative roles and committee work in various organizations, during which time I have introduced many new concepts. Of course, I would continue to contribute financially.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue? Movements require a strong grassroots effort, but people must first be educated about the issue. The biggest challenge facing PNHP is the need to educate health care workers and also the general public about M4A. Health care workers have very little time for issues other than professional responsibilities. Our interns are developing social media connections and brief documents to reach younger health care workers. I will be able to bring these ideas to the board.
Member since: 2010
West Region (2 seats open)
Board member in this region not up for election: Eve Shapiro, MD, MPH (Arizona)
Hugh Foy, MD (Washington)
Biographical statement: After completing residency in general surgery and burn surgery at UW in Seattle, I worked at Pacific Medical Center (former USPHS) and then at Harborview, the regional trauma center. Focusing on education, I served as a residency program director and leader of one of UW School of Medicine’s Colleges.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: I am a co-founder of PNHP Washington state chapter (2005), where I have also served as a board member and vice president. In 2003, I participated in a Global Exchange Tour to Cuba. I’ve spoken at many events, including the PNHP Western Washington Annual Meeting, UWSOM SNHaP Chapter, King County Democratic Party, Seattle-King County EMS CME, March for Medicare for All and Bannering for Medicare for All.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: My background in trauma surgery and medical education would bring a perspective gained from care of the underserved. It is essential that we plan the training of the next generation to assure a stable flow of medical providers in an appropriate proportion to meet the needs of universal access.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue? We need to reach out to practicing physicians, providers, and trainees more effectively to build a vocal grassroots support for meaningful health care reform. We need to strengthen our ties with existing health care reform organizations, professional organizations, elected representatives, and media outlets and develop better connections to the media to get our word out to the general public.
Member since: 2003
Kathleen Healey, MD (California)
Biographical statement: I am a board-certified otolaryngologist whose career ranged from military service as a flight surgeon, to solo and group practices. My leadership roles included serving as hospital chief of staff and medical director of a multispecialty group. Now retired, I serve as co-chair of PNHP-Napa County and PNHP-California.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: When I retired three years ago, I joined PNHP and helped form our Napa County chapter in California. In 2019, I became co-chair of our state chapter, PNHP-CA. As a member of our Executive Committee, I chair our state’s monthly Steering Committee of regional chapter representatives.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: I would collaborate with the PNHP Board of Directors to develop strategies and tactics for increasing our membership among health professionals, increasing our influence in our medical organizations, partnering with businesses to expand our legislative influence and fundraising, and refining our messaging. I want to ensure good two-way communication between the western region and the national office, keeping our members and chapters apprised of issues and decisions, and bringing local concerns to the board.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue? As the premier physicians’ group dedicated to single payer, one of PNHP’s primary challenges is to bring more physicians into our movement. Increasing our involvement in organized medicine at all levels should increase our membership and our legislative influence. Having our new physicians join these organizations will change the composition of these groups over time. Invite all new PNHP and SNaHP members to join their local medical societies, become delegates, network, and form a single payer “caucus.”
Member since: 2018
Stephen Kemble, MD (Hawaii)
Biographical statement: I attended medical school at University of Hawaii and Harvard, and trained in both internal medicine and psychiatry. I am now semi-retired, working part-time in a primary care clinic. I am past president of both the Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association and the Hawaii Medical Association. I was appointed to the Hawaii Health Authority in 2011, charged with overall health planning and with designing a universal health system. IÂ joined PNHP in 1989 and currently serve on the board.
Statement describing your history of involvement with PNHP and/or single-payer advocacy: I have a longstanding interest in social justice, health policy, and health care reform. I have written and spoken extensively on single-payer and health policy. I am an active member of One Payer States, an organization working to win single payer at the state level, pending passage of a national single-payer bill. I chair the OPS Policy Work Group, and have contributed to papers on principles for cost-effective single-payer reform, optimizing payment of hospitals and doctors for a single-payer system, plus a paper on the danger of “Trojan Horses” in single-payer bills that allow perpetuation of the competitive insurance business model.
Statement describing what you would like to contribute to PNHP’s Board of Directors: Dr. Rogers has asked me to chair the newly formed PNHP Policy Committee, and I feel that would be the area where I can contribute the most to the organization.
What do you see as the most significant challenge for PNHP now and in the future? As a member of PNHP’s Board, how would you address this issue? The most significant challenge for PNHP is the entrenched money and power of the private health insurance industry, whose relationship to health care has become largely parasitic. We will need sustained public education and community organization and mobilization to overcome the power of the insurance industry and to achieve the goal of eliminating the private insurance business model from health care.
Member since: 1989