HDA has a variety of standing or special councils, committees and task forces that operate at the direction of its Board of Directors to help the Alliance and its members achieve the goals of the organization.
 | Councils |
Industry Relations Council
This council, composed of distributor and manufacturer members, provides leadership on pharmaceutical distribution and supply chain issues.
HDA Staff Contact: Perry Fri, Executive Vice President, Industry Relations, Membership and Education
Government and Policy Advisory Council (GPAC)
The mission of the GPAC is to review and provide input on strategic initiatives at the intersection of Government Affairs, Policy, Advocacy and Communications and provide advice and counsel to HDA on such matters.
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contacts:
Patrick Kelly, Executive Vice President, Government Affairs
Nicolette Louissaint, PhD, Senior Vice President, Policy and Strategic Planning
John Parker, Senior Vice President, Communications and Marketing
 | Committees |
Audit, Finance and Governance Committee
This committee is a board-level advisory committee whose primary responsibility is to assist the Board of Directors in its oversight of the association’s audit, financial reporting processes and application of good nonprofit governance principles.
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contacts:
Ann Bittman, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Elizabeth Gallenagh, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Integrity
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee
This committee is a board-level advisory committee whose primary responsibility is to support HDA’s goal to foster a culture of diversity and inclusion within the healthcare distribution industry.
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contacts:
Ann Bittman, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Anne Nevel, Vice President, Education
 | Task Forces |
Bar Code Task Force
This task force identifies best practices for implementing bar code technology for use in the pharmaceutical supply chain.
Participation: Distributor, manufacturer and service provider members
HDA Staff Contact: Tim Stearns, Senior Director, Industry Relations
Communications Task Force
This council strategically plans and positions all HDA external communications on behalf of its members.
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contact: John Parker, Senior Vice President, Communications and Marketing
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force
This task force was created to develop, collaborate and share diversity, equity and inclusion best practices to enhance our organizations and ultimately strengthen the industry’s ability to deliver safe, affordable and efficient healthcare.
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contact: Ann Bittman, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
EDI Task Force
The mission of the EDI Task Force is to develop and maintain voluntary technical standards and guidelines for healthcare distribution as it relates to the use of US ANSI x12 standards. The initial projects will develop guidelines to support the technical exchange of data. The task force will take on other projects as assigned by other task forces within HDA.
Participation: Distributor, manufacturer and service provider members
HDA Staff Contact: Tim Stearns, Senior Director, Industry Relations
Federal Issues Task Force (FITF)
This task force identifies and addresses federal legislative issues affecting pharmaceutical distribution. It evaluates legislative proposals and provides guidance to develop strategies that address legislative proposals and implement Board of Directors-approved policies. The task force formulates and recommends policies and develops materials to further HDA’s legislative agenda.
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contacts:
Kristen Freitas, SVP, Federal Government Affairs and Alliance Development
Abby Kizer, Associate Director, HDA PAC and Grassroots
Patrick Kelly, Executive Vice President, Government Affairs
Legal Issues Task Force (LITF)
This task force serves as a forum for legal professionals within our member companies.
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contact: Elizabeth Gallenagh, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Integrity
Manufacturers' Government Affairs Advisory Task Force
The mission of this task force is to provide a forum for briefing HDA’s manufacturer members on federal and state legislative and regulatory activity affecting the pharmaceutical distribution channel. Topics discussed include such issues as prescription drug traceability, distributor licensing, FDA and DEA regulation of distribution, importation and Medicaid/Medicare reimbursement.
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contact: Patrick Kelly, Executive Vice President, Government Affairs
NDC Task Force
This task force meets as needed to address FDA’s plans to develop a new NDC structure (see FDA’s announcement in the Federal Register).
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contact: Tim Stearns, Senior Director, Industry Relations
Regulatory Issues Task Force (RITF)
The mission of this task force is to identify and address federal regulatory policy and related issues affecting pharmaceutical distribution. It evaluates and provides guidance in strategy development for addressing regulatory proposals and for implementing Board of Directors-approved policies. The task force also formulates and recommends policies to the HDA board.
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contacts:
Kala Shankle, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
Patrick Kelly, Executive Vice President, Government Affairs
Reimbursement Issues Task Force (RTF)
The mission of this task force is to identify and address legislation and regulatory reimbursement issues affecting HDA’s distributor members and helps shape legislative and regulatory strategies.
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contact: Patrick Kelly, Executive Vice President, Government Affairs
State Issues Task Force (SITF)
The mission of this task force is to identify and address state legislative and regulatory issues affecting the healthcare distribution industry. It formulates and recommends policies to the association’s Board of Directors that will advance the interests of HDA pharmaceutical distributor members.
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contacts:
Leah Lindahl, Vice President, State Government Affairs
Patrick Kelly, Executive Vice President, Government Affairs
Sustainability Task Force
This task force helps to guide and shape our approach to climate change, decarbonization, and sustainability within the healthcare supply chain. HDA also participates in the NAM Action Collaborative on behalf of the Task Force to maintain collaboration on proposed solutions and partnerships to lower carbon emissions for the healthcare sector.
Participation: Distributor and manufacturer members
HDA Staff Contact: Nicolette Louissaint, Senior Vice President, Policy and Strategic Planning
Verification Router Service Task Force
This task force meets as needed to identify and resolve technical and process issues related to the Verification Router Service (VRS).
Participation: Distributor, manufacturer and applicable service provider members
HDA Staff Contact: Jaidalyn Rand, Director, Industry Relations
 | Working Groups |
Contracts and Chargebacks Working Group
This working group explores how the contract administration process can be streamlined through process improvements or technical efficiencies. It also creates and exchanges industry knowledge of interest to contract and chargeback professionals.
Participation: Distributor and manufacturer members
HDA Staff Contact: Anne Nevel, Vice President, Education
Exceptions Handling Work Group
This work group meets as needed to address exceptions that may arise when passing (or failing to pass) information required by the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA).
Participation: Distributor and manufacturer members
HDA Staff Contact: Tim Stearns, Senior Director, Industry Relations
New Product Form Work Group
This work group meets as needed to clarify existing fields in the HDA Standard Pharmaceutical Product and Medical Device Information Forms and better reflect common commercial and regulatory information required for new item setup.
Participation: Distributor and manufacturer members
HDA Staff Contact: Tim Stearns, Senior Director, Industry Relations
Traceability Implementation Work Group (TIWG)
The mission of this work group is to support and provide insight into HDA’s members’ implementation of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). TIWG also identifies and addresses federal regulatory policy and related issues affecting the pharmaceutical distribution industry’s DSCSA-specific compliance policies. It evaluates and provides guidance in strategy development and leads efforts to address related proposals and for implementing HDA Board of Directors-approved policies. The work group also formulates and recommends policies and implementation approaches to the board as needed.
Participation: Distributor members
HDA Staff Contacts:
Kala Shankle, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
Elizabeth Gallenagh, General Counsel and Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Integrity
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For more information, contact Lisa Kanfer, Vice President, Membership and Development.