Moderated by:
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Chris Matthews
Television Host
Chris Matthews hosts Hardball with Chris Matthews Monday through Friday on MSNBC. Matthews is also the host of The Chris Matthews Show, a syndicated weekly news program produced by NBC News and distributed by NBC Universal Television Distribution. Mr. Matthews is a regular commentator on NBC’s Today show
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Alex Castellanos
Political Strategist and Analyst
An integral part of CNN’s “Best Political Team on Television,” Alex Castellanos offers his sharp insights on politics in the age of Obama and what the current climate means for future Republican campaigns. One of the Republican Party’s best-known and most successful strategists, Castellanos has been credited with discovering the political “soccer mom” and called the “father of the attack ad.”
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Mark Shields
Columnist and Political Analyst
The Wall Street Journal has called Mark Shields “the wittiest political analyst around” and “frequently the most trenchant, fair-minded, and thoughtful.” His insights are up-to-the minute, drawn from four decades of knowing, covering, and savoring the country and its politics. A nationally known columnist and commentator, Shields has worked in Washington through the administrations of nine presidents.
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Invited Panelist include:
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Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Kathleen Sebelius was sworn in as the 21st Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on April 28, 2009. Since taking office, Secretary Sebelius has led ambitious efforts to improve America’s health and enhance the delivery of human services to some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations, including young children, those with disabilities, and the elderly. As part of the historic Affordable Care Act, Secretary Sebelius is implementing reforms that end many of the insurance industry’s worst abuses, and will help 34 million uninsured Americans get health coverage. Under the law, she is also carrying out policies that put a new focus on wellness and prevention, support the adoption of electronic medical records, and help recruit and train more primary care health providers. In addition, Secretary Sebelius is working closely with doctors, nurses, hospital leaders, employers, and patients to slow the growth in health care costs through better care and better health. And under her leadership, HHS has formed a historic partnership with the Department of Justice to stamp out health care fraud that has already returned record sums to the Medicare Trust Fund.
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Regina Benjamin, MD
Former Surgeon General of the United States and Vice Admiral
Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., M.B.A., was appointed by President Barack Obama as the 18th United States Surgeon General in July, 2009 and served a four-year term. Dr. Benjamin also oversaw the operational command of 6,700 uniformed public health officers who serve in locations around the world to promote, and protect the health of the American People. Dr. Benjamin served simultaneously as Surgeon General and as the first chair of the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council (National Prevention Council) 17 cabinet-level Federal agencies that developed the road map for the Nation’s health – The National Prevention Strategy. Before becoming “America’s Doctor,” she served her patients at the rural health clinic she founded in tiny, Bayou La Batre, Alabama, keeping the clinic in operation despite damage and destruction inflicted by Hurricanes Georges (1998) and Katrina (2005) and a devastating fire (2006). She has a B.S. in chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana, an M.D. degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an M.B.A. from Tulane University. She attended Morehouse School of Medicine and completed her family medicine residency in Macon, Georgia. Dr. Benjamin is the recipient of 22 honorary degrees.
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Lawrence Kline, DO
Director, Scripps Clinic Sleep Center
Dr. Kline was Mother Teresa’s physician. He has been on the staff of Scripps Clinic Torrey Pines, located in La Jolla, California, since 1978. He is an expert on breathing disorders, and is the director of Scripps Clinic Sleep Center.
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Pedro J. Greer Jr., MD
Professor, Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs and Chair of the Department of Humanities, Health, and Society, Florida International University - Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Dr. Pedro J. Greer has an unwavering commitment and is an advocate for those without access to health care. Dr. Greer is board certified in Medicine and Gastroenterology and has been practicing in Miami, Florida since 1991. He established Camillus Health Concern and Saint John Bosco in Miami, Florida, health care centers for persons who are homeless, undocumented, uninsured, and low income. Better known as “Joe,” Dr. Greer wrote Waking up in America, an autobiographical account of caring for persons who are homeless.
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Carl A. Hammerschlag, MD
Physician, Author, and Healer
Dr. Carl A. Hammerschlag is a master storyteller and internationally recognized author, physician, speaker, and healer. A Yale trained psychiatrist, he has spent more than 20 years working with Native Americans. For 14 of those years, he was Chief of Psychiatry at the Phoenix Indian Medical Center. Dr. Hammerschlag brings his gift of storytelling, a wealth of legends, and unique insights that bridge the worlds of science, spirit, and culture. Quite possibly the best solution he offers for the future is how to build community.
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