Robert Popovian is the founder of Conquest Advisors, a strategic consulting firm, and currently serves as the Chief Science Policy Officer at the Global Healthy Living Foundation and Senior Health Policy Fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute. Previously, he served as Vice President of U.S. Government Relations at Pfizer. As one of the nation’s leading experts on biopharmaceuticals and the healthcare industry, Dr. Popovian is leading authority in health economics, policy, government relations, medical affairs, and strategic planning. He has published extensively on the effects of biopharmaceuticals and health policies on costs and clinical outcomes in many prominent medical journals and media publications, including Clinical Economics and Outcomes Research, The Oncologist, Journal of Vaccines and Vaccinations, Health Science Journal, USA Today, Managed Healthcare Executive, and Morning Consult. Dr. Popovian holds a Doctorate in Pharmacy and Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Economics and policy degrees with honors from the University of Southern California. He also completed a residency in Pharmacy Practice/Adult Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the Los Angeles County-USC Hospital and a fellowship in Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy at USC.
Bill Smith is the Senior Fellow & Director of Pioneer Life Sciences Initiative and has 25 years of experience in both government and corporate sectors. His career encompasses senior staff positions for Republican House leadership on Capitol Hill, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Massachusetts Governor’s office, serving under Governors Weld and Cellucci. Dr. Smith spent a decade at Pfizer Inc as Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy where he was responsible for shaping Pfizer’s corporate strategies in the U.S. policy environment. He later transitioned to consulting for major pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies. Dr. Smith earned his Ph.D. in political science with distinction at The Catholic University of America.
Elliott Sogol is the current Director of Postgraduate and Continuing Education for the Pharmacy School in the University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences. He offers a balanced mix of business management and graduate-level education experience. Sogol’s past roles include Senior Vice President of Strategy at Pharmacy Quality Solutions and Group Manager in the Healthcare Professional Service Group for Target Corp. He has also managed one of Target’s pharmacies and held leadership positions in corporate, research, and development divisions within GlaxoSmithKline.
Wayne Winegarden is a Senior Fellow in Business and Economics at the Pacific Research Institute, Director of the Center for Medical Economics and Innovation at PRI, and Principal of Capitol Economic Advisors. His policy research examines the relationship between macroeconomic policies and economic outcomes, focusing on health care and energy industries. Dr. Winegarden is columnist for Forbes and his editorials have appeared in various other publications, including USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, and TheHill. His consulting practice performs proprietary data analytical services, connecting industry threats and opportunities to broader market dynamics and policy trends. These services include pricing strategy analysis, product demand forecasting, industry outlooks, investment analysis, and pricing and tax model development. Dr. Winegarden previously worked as a business economist in Hong Kong, a policy economist for US-based policy and trade associations, and as adjunct economics faculty at Marymount University. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University.
