PhRMA selects next president, CEO
WASHINGTON – The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America on Friday named Stephen Ubl as the next president and CEO of the association. Ubl joins PhRMA after more than 10 years as the president and CEO of the Advanced Medical Technology Association. He succeeds John Castellani who announced earlier this year that he will be retiring at the end of the year.
Ubl is a recognized leader in health care advocacy and public policy. During his tenure at AdvaMed, important reforms were passed related to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration review process and Medicare’s coverage and reimbursement of medical technologies. He is routinely named as one of Washington’s most effective advocates by Washington political publications and has appeared on Modern Healthcare’s list of 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.
“Steve’s extensive experience, depth of knowledge and patient-centered approach to advocacy will serve him well in leading the association at a time when our industry is bringing tremendous medical innovation to patients, the health care system and society,” stated Kenneth Frazier, chairman and CEO of Merck and chairman of the PhRMA board of directors.
Ubl has a track record of working collaboratively with a broad array of health care stakeholders, including patient advocacy organizations, providers and public and private payers. He was a longstanding board member of the National Health Council, a leading umbrella organization for voluntary health care organizations, and has been personally involved with JDRF and LUNGevity, the largest national lung cancer-focused nonprofit.
“This is an exciting time to be joining the biopharmaceutical industry as new medicines are coming to the market that are completely transforming care for patients fighting cancer, heart disease, hepatitis C and other debilitating diseases,” Ubl said. “I look forward to working with PhRMA member companies and the broader health care advocacy community to advance public policies that will improve patients’ access to medicines and foster the continued development of new treatments and cures for patients.”
Ubl first joined AdvaMed in 1998 as EVP federal government relations. He left the organization in 2004 to open his own health care consulting firm, serving top health care companies. In July 2005, Ubl was chosen to lead AdvaMed as president and CEO. Prior to AdvaMed, Ubl was VP legislation for the Federation of American Hospitals. Ubl began his Washington career on Capitol Hill, where he worked for U.S. Senator Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.