Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Health Insurance Programs and New York State Medicaid Director
Amir Bassiri, MSW is the Medicaid Director for the New York State Department of Health. Mr. Bassiri joined the Department of Health in 2019 as Chief of Staff to the Medicaid Director and recently served as the Deputy Medicaid Director, overseeing the operation and performance of nine Medicaid Divisions. Collectively, these nine Divisions are comprised of more than 750 State staff, over 500 contracted staff and management of over 300 contracts, including some of the State’s largest technology, actuarial and financial audit contracts, along with health plans.
Prior to his work with the Department, Mr. Bassari worked as a Senior Policy Advisor for Health in the Governor’s Office under the Deputy
Director of Research & Development for the Center of Genomic Medicine at Northwell Health Cancer Institute
Daniel King, MD PhD, is a gastrointestinal medical oncologist based at the Monter Cancer Center and Director of Research and Development for the Northwell Health Cancer Institute’s Center for Genomic Medicine. As an academic oncologist and active researcher, he aims to deliver the latest advances uncovered through clinical trials, breakthrough technologies, and targeted therapies, to his patients.
Senior Field Medical Director, GRAIL
Trudy is a board-certified genetic counselor with over 25 years of clinical and diagnostic industry experience. She graduated from the University of Michigan genetic counseling program and worked in prenatal, pediatric and general genetics clinics before becoming a Medical Science Liaison. She has since become an MSL Director for both a Women’s Health MSL team, as well as a Transplant Assessment team. She is a past president of the Michigan Association of Genetic Counselors and former instructor at the Michigan State University College of Medicine.
Trudy joined the GRAIL field MSL team as its Senior Director in October 2022, and is excited to help bring the mission and vision of GRAIL into mainstream medical practice.
Health Committee Chairperson of the New York State Assembly
Assembly Member Amy Paulin has served the 88th New York State Assembly District (Westchester County) since 2001. She chairs the Assembly Committee on Health and serves on the Committees on Rules and Education. A full-time legislator, Assembly Member Paulin annually ranks among the state’s most productive and successful lawmakers. As chairperson of the Assembly Health Committee, she plays a pivotal role in shaping policies that help New Yorkers prevent, detect, and treat cancer.
Chief of Hematology & Medical Oncology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Tisch Cancer Institute
Joseph A. Sparano, MD, FACP is the Ezra M. Greenspan, M.D. Professor in Clinical Cancer Therapeutics, Chief of the Division of Hematology Oncology, and Deputy Director of the Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Dr. Sparano has led several major NCI-funded trials that have shaped the landscape of breast cancer therapy and clinical practice guidelines.
Stacey Sager has been a journalist with Channel 7 Eyewitness News since 1996, covering major local, national, and international stories including the 9/11 attacks, the war in Kosovo, the pandemic, and the Gilgo Beach serial killer case. Her reporting is deeply personal, particularly her decades-long public journey with cancer, having faced three separate diagnoses since the age of 30. Through powerful first-person documentaries, she’s brought attention to genetic cancer risks and inspired women to get screened, earning her numerous Emmy Awards, the Gracie Award, and recognition for her advocacy.
A New York native, Stacey began her broadcast career in Bangor, Maine, and has since worked in Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. She holds a master’s in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School and lives in Nassau County with her husband and two daughters. In addition to her extensive volunteer work with cancer-related organizations, she enjoys running, hiking, and gardening, which remains a source of pride and strength.
Doug Smith of Brooklyn is a professional sales manager, husband, father to two daughters, and an HPV related oropharyngeal cancer survivor.