National Pharmaceutical Council Adds Executive Leaders, Names Dr. Jon Campbell as Chief Science Officer

For Immediate Release
Contact: Berna Diehl, 202-725-2553, [email protected]

Washington, D.C. –  The National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) announced two hires to help lead the organization as it accelerates efforts to conduct and communicate research about the value of medicines and how new policies could affect the development of new medicines and patients' access to them.  

Jonathan (Jon) D. Campbell, PhD, MS, has been appointed NPC’s Chief Science Officer. Dr. Campbell will direct NPC’s research portfolio, which is aimed at helping decision-makers navigate complex health policy issues related to the development and use of innovative biopharmaceuticals to improve the health of patients.

“Over his career, Dr. Campbell has grappled with some of the most challenging health policy research questions facing the healthcare system, making him an ideal choice to lead our research portfolio,” said NPC President and CEO John M. O’Brien, PharmD, MPH. “As policymakers and healthcare decision-makers face an increasingly complicated landscape, with new policies that could affect the development of new medicines and patient access to them, the need for thoughtful research that can inform evidence-driven solutions is only growing. Adding Jon’s experience and leadership to the NPC research team will help ensure that we can meet this need and continue our 70-year legacy of driving high-quality research that answers pressing health policy questions.”

Dr. Campbell is an accomplished academic leader with over 250 peer-reviewed manuscripts and abstracts in the field of health policy research and value assessment. Prior to joining NPC, Dr. Campbell was Senior Vice President for Health Economics at the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) where he led the organization’s work to develop and update ICER’s value assessment frameworks. In his role, he engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including NPC, to better understand the methodological challenges of value assessment frameworks and how to prioritize the needs of patients in the real-world application of these frameworks. 

Before joining ICER, he was a member of the ICER Health Economics Council and an external collaborator during his tenure as Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He holds graduate training degrees in pharmaceutical outcomes research (PhD) and biostatistics (MS) from the University of Washington.

“Health policy decisions can only succeed in fostering good outcomes for patients and delivering value for the healthcare system when they are rooted in high-quality evidence,” said Dr. Campbell. “NPC’s commitment to facilitating research that is rigorous, timely, and gets to the heart of rapidly evolving challenges aligns perfectly with my own career goals to make a positive difference through health policy.”

NPC also announced that Michael Pratt, a veteran health policy communications leader, has been appointed Chief Communications Officer for NPC. Prior to joining NPC, he was Senior Group Director for Policy, Advocacy, and Government Communications at Real Chemistry. Before that, he served at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as the Chief Communications Officer for Operation Warp Speed, the federal government's COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutics accelerator, and as the Director of Strategic Communications and Campaigns at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

“Michael is an experienced communications leader who has demonstrated his ability to distill complicated concepts into clear and impactful messages and understands the critical role communications plays in healthcare,” said Dr. O’Brien. “His experience both in the federal government and working with biopharmaceutical companies will help NPC continue to break through a noisy health policy landscape to elevate sound research, and I’m excited he will lead NPC’s work to engage and communicate with the stakeholders who can put NPC’s research to best use.” 

“NPC’s mission to advance good evidence about the value of biopharmaceutical innovation has never been more important,” said Pratt. “We’re living in a remarkable age of innovation and an environment plagued by misinformation. I look forward to working together with the NPC research team to inform health policy discussions by disseminating relevant high-quality research.”

Since 1953, NPC has worked to explore, demonstrate, and communicate the role and value of innovative biopharmaceuticals to achieve better patient health. Most recently, NPC’s research, analysis and public comments have focused on issues like the impact of health benefit design on utilization and patient outcomes, the relationship between government price controls and the pipeline of biopharmaceutical innovation, the role of value assessments in decision-making and other health policy topics. 

About the National Pharmaceutical Council

The National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) is a health policy research organization dedicated to the advancement of good evidence and science, and to fostering an environment in the United States that supports medical innovation. Founded in 1953 and supported by the nation's major research-based pharmaceutical companies, NPC focuses on research development, information dissemination and education on the critical issues of evidence, innovation and the value of medicines for patients. For more information, visit www.npcnow.org and follow NPC on LinkedIn.