Board of Directors

Santi K. M. Bhagat, MD, MPH
Founder and President, PPC
Dr. Bhagat is a Physician-Parent of a child who became critically ill at the age of eight years. After four years of unsuccessful struggle to find good medical care for her child, she decided to pursue an MPH in Health Policy. She then tried for another four years to develop a Quality Health Care team she could trust to care for her child. Dr. Bhagat eventually decided to create a grassroots organization that would assist other families in obtaining Quality Health Care as expeditiously as possible.

John G. Reiss, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Institute for Child Health Policy, University of Florida
Dr. Reiss is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and a founding faculty member of the University of Florida’s Institute for Child Health Policy. Since 1985, Dr. Reiss has worked with state Title V CSHCN Programs and family leadership organizations to improve the organization and delivery of services and supports to children and youth with chronic health conditions and disabilities and their families. Since the mid 1990’s, Dr. Reiss has focused on the issue of health care transition – preparing youth and families for the inevitable transfer from pediatric to adult care and enhancing the capacity of the adult system to care for young adults with childhood onset chronic conditions. He is the parent of a young adult with a psychiatric condition.

Robin Strongin
President and CEO of Amplify Public Affairs and Creator of the Disruptive Women in Health Care blog
Mrs. Strongin is an accomplished public affairs expert with more than 25 years in Washington, DC.   Her previous tenures include the National Leadership Coalition on Health Care and the Prospective Payment Assessment Commission (now the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission). She was selected as a Presidential Management Intern and worked in the Office of Legislation and Policy of the Health Care Financing Administration (now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid), in addition to serving in the Office of Congressman James J. Florio (D-NJ).

She is currently serving on AcademyHealth’s Health Policy Communications Interest Group and the board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Capitol Chapter and is a member of the Women Business Leaders of the US Health Care Industry Foundation.

Lori Varma
Mrs. Varma joined PPC to provide organizational support to the organization as it moves forward.  Having had extensive experience navigating the complexities of the health care system, she is concerned about the many challenges families face when they are confronted with serious medical conditions.  Mrs. Varma has worked in Human Resources at Georgetown University for 15 years and has supported PPC since it’s inception.