GSA Capitol Hill Day 2026

James C. Appleby, BSPharm, MPH, ScD (Hon), is the Chief Executive Officer of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the nation's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to research, education, and practice in the field of aging. The Society works to advance innovation in aging and disseminate information among scientists, clinicians, policy makers, and the public. He is leading the Society’s current initiative to “reframe aging” in America by fostering accurate narratives of aging to replace the outdated “conventional wisdom” that dominates public understanding. The 5,500-member Society is advancing major initiatives related to improving adult immunization rates, earlier detection of cognitive impairment, improving oral health, and demonstrating the impact of the longevity economy. Appleby is also currently serving a four-year term on the National Advisory Council on Aging after being appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and he additionally serves on the National Alliance for Caregiving Board of Directors. Prior to joining GSA, he had a 17-year career with the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) where he served in a variety of roles before being appointed Chief Operating Officer. Before joining APhA, he was on faculty at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (PCPS). Appleby holds a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacy from PCPS and a master of Public Health degree from Temple University. He has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

Robert “Bob” Blancato is the president of Matz, Blancato & Associates in Washington, DC. In that capacity, he serves as the Executive Director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs, National Coordinator of the Elder Justice Coalition, and the National Coordinator for Defeat Malnutrition Today Coalition. Bob’s prior work includes more than 20 years of public service, including 17 years as a senior staffer in the House of Representatives, and an appointment by President Clinton to serve as the Executive Director of the 1995 White House Conference on Aging, one of four he has participated in. He has been appointed to several federal advisory committees, including the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services. Bob is a member of the Senior Executive Service. Bob is recognized as a national policy advocate for older adults and has testified on numerous occasions before Senate and House Committees and federal agencies. As a volunteer, he is second vice chair on the AARP Board of Directors and a member of the AARP Foundation Board. He also serves on the Board of the National Hispanic Council on Aging, the Next 50 Foundation, Health Force, and Elder Services of Cape Cod and the Islands. Prior volunteer service included being chair of the American Society on Aging and on the board of the National Council on Aging. Bob was inducted into the American Society of Aging’s Hall of Fame in 2022. In 2023, he was awarded Generations United’s highest advocacy award. Most recently, he was elected to be a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine in December 2025. 

Patricia M. D’Antonio, BSPharm, MS, MBA, BCGP, is the Vice President of Policy and Professional Affairs for the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and a board-certified geriatric pharmacist. Ms. D’Antonio directs GSA’s policy initiatives and is responsible for developing relationships with organizations in the aging arena. She represents GSA on several policy coalitions and serves as co-chair for the Adult Vaccine Access Coalition, president of the board of Protecting Access to Pain Relief, and a member of the steering committee for several federally focused coalitions. Ms. D’Antonio is also the executive director for the National Center to Reframe Aging, the central hub to advance the long-term social change endeavor designed to improve the public’s understanding of what aging means and the many ways that older people contribute to our society. Before joining GSA, Trish was the executive director for the District of Columbia Board of Pharmacy and program manager for the Pharmaceutical Control Division, where she was responsible for the regulatory and policy development for the practice of pharmacy and safe handling of medications in the District.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Duquesne University and her Master of Science in Health Finance and Master in Business Administration with a concentration in health care from Temple University. She completed a residency in administration and finance at The Philadelphia Geriatric Center.  

Jeanne De Sa is Senior Partner with over 25 years of expertise in health care policy, data analysis, and strategy. She helps organizations navigate the complexities of health care reform, reimbursement policy, and system transformation. She draws on extensive government and private sector experience to translate complex policy developments into actionable insights, with a focus on Medicare and Medicaid programs. Jeanne’s proficiency in data analysis, including cost projections, clinical data interpretation, and actuarial modeling, strengthens client strategies and supports business growth. Jeanne brings a practical, results-oriented approach to health system transformation, particularly in innovative payment and care delivery models. Her deep understanding of the federal budget process and the health care economy provides a distinct advantage to clients addressing challenges in an ever-changing policy environment. Before joining Healthsperien, Jeanne served as Senior Vice President at UnitedHealth Group’s Center for Health Reform & Modernization, where she led a multidisciplinary team in policy analysis, quantitative research, and alternative care model design. She also authored influential papers on topics such as Medicare and Medicaid reform, genomics, and alternatives to fee-for-service while consulting on ACA implementation and delivery system reforms. Earlier in her career, Jeanne was a Principal Analyst at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), where she developed ten-year spending forecasts and assessed the financial impacts of policy changes in Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare, and public health programs. Her experience working with state governments further highlights her expertise in improving health care systems at both federal and state levels, making her a trusted advisor in navigating the evolving health care landscape.

From her roots growing up in Arlington to her current family home in Silver Spring, Jennifer Dexter is a proud life-long resident of the Washington D.C. region. Dexter believes she may have always been destined to speak up for those who were left marginalized by the health care system. Even as a child, she closely watched and was inspired by her mothers work as a special education teacher in Prince Williams County school system. Since that first childhood brush with advocacy and education, Dexter has amassed more than 20 years of experience in the field of public policy development. Now, in her role as the Vice President of Policy with the National Health Council, Dexter helps the groups member organizations to establish policy positions which seek to improve the lives of people with chronic diseases and disabilities. Dexter is also one of the NHC’s most visible public faces, often making her way over to Capitol Hill itself where she further advocates for critical health care reform policies with key lawmakers and representatives from the executive branch. Prior to joining the NHC in September 2019, Dexter spent two and a half years as a product director at Anthem, Inc. helping them develop and shape Medicaid solutions that supported people with disabilities, older adults, and children in foster care. Prior to that, Dexter led Easterseals’ efforts with Congress annually to assure funding for all federal programs serving people with disabilities and older adults, including Easterseals’ federal programs. Dexter worked with Congress to create and strengthen public policy affecting people with disabilities and older adults, particularly in long-term services and supports. From her time at Easterseals’ to her current work with the NHC, the continued protection and enhancement of legislation such as the Affordable Care Act has been a top priority for Dexter and her team. During her down time, Dexter is kept happily occupied as the mother an incredibly busy teenage son, as they bond over their shared love of basketball. Dexter earned her BA in political science from Washington University in St. Louis.

Sarah Khasawinah, PhD, MHS, has joined GSA as part of its Visiting Scholar and Executive Program. In this role, Khasawinah will contribute to GSA’s work in the policy arena. She brings extensive experience in health and aging policy, including a decade-long role in crafting bipartisan aging policies as a key staff member on the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. “Sarah has a proven track record in bipartisan legislative strategy, regulatory frameworks, federal budget processes, and oversight methods to deliver measurable outcomes,” said GSA CEO James Appleby, BSPharm, MPH. “We welcome her and her expertise as we advance our commitment to securing robust federal funding for aging research and improving the lives of all of us as we age.” Most recently, Khasawinah was a senior advisor to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging for Chairman Rick Scott, and was previously the deputy staff director for Chairman Susan Collins, Ranking Member Tim Scott, and Ranking Member Mike Braun. She led the 2020 reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA) and the Senate-passed 2024 OAA reauthorization, and drove policy advancements in mental health, caregiving, biomedical research, substance use, drug pricing, and health care price transparency. Khasawinah was instrumental in leading the creation, negotiation, and passage of the BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act — a landmark law establishing a transformative public health framework for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. At the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, she designed and planned the first federal hearing addressing the virus’s disproportionate toll on older adults. Subsequently, Khasawinah played a pivotal role in shaping provisions within the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. She also helped to restore and expand the U.S. Senate Fraud Hotline, leading to a major federal investigation of Medicare fraud. Khasawinah earned her PhD in mental health from Johns Hopkins University, where she focused on brain health and aging. She also received an MHS in biostatistics, concentrating on neuroimaging.

Brian Lindberg is a Washington, DC-based advocate, policy educator, and lobbyist. He serves as a public policy advisor to several organizations, including the Gerontological Society of America and the National Association for Geriatric Education. Brian has served on many boards and advisory panels, including for the Institute of Medicine, CMS, NAIC, and the Planning Committee for the National Quality Forum (appointed by Vice President Gore). Currently, Brian serves on the Board of Visitors of the College of Public Health at Temple University. Brian worked in Congress for ten years on the House Select Committee on Aging and the Senate Special Committee on Aging. He holds a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Temple University and a Master’s degree in Management of Human Services from Brandeis University. He studied at the University of Stockholm’s International Graduate School.

Erin O’Malley joined the Coalition for Trust in Health & Science (CTHS) in January 2024. In this role, she leads the daily advancement of CTHS’ mission, vision, and values, and works with the CTHS Board to develop and execute strategies for continued growth of the organization. Prior to joining CTHS, O’Malley served as senior director of policy at America’s Essential Hospitals. She oversaw all federal public policy initiatives to protect essential hospitals’ interests and support their mission to provide equitable care to all. Her focus included policy development and analysis, regulatory advocacy, and safety net financing. She has two decades of experience in health policy and has deep expertise in strategic planning, public-private partnerships, advocacy initiatives, and public health campaigns. While serving as a health policy consultant, O’Malley designed and executed legislative and regulatory health policy initiatives and advised clients on policy issues impacting their communities and businesses. She started her health policy career at the American Hospital Association where she served as a project manager on the public policy team and was instrumental in supporting and developing the association’s health care reform policy platform. O’Malley holds a master’s degree in legislative affairs from The George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in public communications from American University.

Courtney Wallin, Ph.D. serves as the Federal Policy Director of the LEAD Coalition. Prior to joining LEAD in June 2025, she was the Director of the Office of Legislation, Policy, & International Activities at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In this role, she served as a liaison to Congress and other stakeholders and led a team responsible for developing high-impact products, such as the annual Alzheimer’s Disease Professional Judgment Budget and Scientific Progress Report. Dr. Wallin joined the NIH in 2016 as a Presidential Management Fellow. Throughout her tenure, Dr. Wallin contributed to a range of projects and events, including organizing the inaugural National Dementia Care and Caregiving Research Summit in 2017, a groundbreaking event (first proposed by the LEAD Coalition) that has since set the stage for national dialogue on dementia care and led to numerous NIH funding opportunities. Dr. Wallin also served as the Outreach Lead at NIH’s All of Us Research Program in 2020 and 2021, where she led efforts to raise awareness about the value of the All of Us dataset, engage researchers from a broad range of communities, and cultivate program partnerships. Dr. Wallin earned her Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from The George Washington University. While pursuing her doctorate, she was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship; she also received the Australian Endeavour Research Fellowship to support research training at the University of Wollongong in Australia. Dr. Wallin also holds undergraduate degrees in Biology and Psychology from Providence College.

Amy M. York, MA, serves as Executive Director of the Eldercare Workforce Alliance. In her role, Amy collaborates with member organizations and volunteer leadership to direct the policy and communication efforts of the Alliance. She looks for practical solutions to expand the eldercare workforce. Amy joined the Alliance from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, where she advocated on a wide range of issues, including Medicaid, Medicare, caregiving, the Older Americans Act, and other issues surrounding aging. Prior to joining the Federation, York served in legislative and political capacities for two national labor unions.  Throughout her professional career, she has demonstrated an ability to develop robust working relationships with federal policy makers and a strong understanding of how to advance a policy agenda through the legislative and regulatory process.  She serves on the boards of the Collaborative Action Team training for Community Health – Older Adult Network (CATCH-ON) and the UCSF Health Workforce Research Center on Long-Term Care (UCSF HWRC).