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Mark Walchirk
President
McKesson Specialty Care Solutions
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Mark Walchirk currently serves as president of McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, a division of McKesson Corporation. He has responsibility for Specialty Distribution & Physician Services, GPO & Information Services and Reimbursement & Access Services. These businesses serve the needs of biotech pharmaceutical manufacturers, providers and payors by providing specialty distribution, reimbursement strategy, clinical expertise, patient assistance programs and new product launch services.
Previously, Walchirk served as senior vice president (SVP) and chief operating officer of McKesson Pharmaceutical and was responsible for McKesson’s pharmaceutical sales, distribution and customer service operations in the United States, where McKesson is the leading pharmaceutical wholesaler. Walchirk had been in this role since 2006.
Walchirk joined McKesson in 2001 as senior vice president, national accounts. He was named SVP of the southwest region in 2003. Walchirk led the successful integration of McKesson and D&K Healthcare Resources, the St. Louis-based wholesaler McKesson acquired in mid-2005.
Before joining McKesson, Walchirk spent 13 years in medical-surgical distribution and manufacturing with Baxter Healthcare, Allegiance Healthcare and Encompass Group, holding various leadership positions in sales, marketing, operations and business development.
Walchirk is a 1988 graduate of the University of Illinois holding a bachelor of science in business administration.
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Jeff Reinke
Vice President and General Manager, Distribution & Physician Services
McKesson Specialty Care Solutions
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Jeff Reinke is Vice President and General Manager for Distribution & Physician Services for McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, a business unit of McKesson Corporation. In this role, he is responsible for managing McKesson’s efforts to distribute specialty drugs to healthcare providers serving patients with cancer and other complex diseases. Reinke has more than 20 years of expertise in the pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical and medical surgical supply distribution industry.
Previously, Reinke was Vice President of Business Process and Sales Effectiveness for McKesson Specialty Care Solutions where he drove new operational and sales processes using McKesson’s Six Sigma® methodology to reduce cost, increase quality and improve the customer experience. In 2009 he led the McKesson team responsible for supporting the CDC’s largest public health initiative, the H1N1 flu vaccine distribution program.
From 2005-2007 Reinke also served as the Vice President for Sales Effectiveness for McKesson’s U.S. Pharmaceutical business unit.
Reinke is a Six Sigma Blackbelt and led the deployment of Six Sigma across McKesson as Vice President of Six Sigma in from 2001 – 2005. As a Six Sigma expert, Reinke speaks frequently to corporations and industry groups on Six Sigma process methodology and implementation.
Prior to joining McKesson, Reinke worked for Atlantic Healthcare, a medical distribution company that was acquired by McKesson in 1999, eight years after he joined the firm. He served as Atlantic’s sales manager and was named Outstanding Sales Representative.
Reinke holds an associates degree in speech communications from the University of Wisconsin and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Golden Gate University.
Dr. Mike Cunningham is the vice president and general manager of GPO & Information Services for McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, a business unit of McKesson Corporation. In his current role, he is responsible for overseeing day-to-day business operations and leading long-term strategic planning for the company’s group purchasing organization (GPO), Onmark.
Dr. Cunningham has deep expertise in healthcare and technology, with more than 25 years of experience in developing and implementing relationships with pharmaceutical companies and community-based practices. He is an expert in helping practices utilize technology to streamline clinical operations and inventory management to reduce clinic overhead.
Dr. Cunningham co-founded the National Oncology Alliance (NOA) in 2002, an oncology GPO acquired by McKesson Specialty in 2005. Previously, Dr. Cunningham served for eight years as vice president of Oncology Therapeutics Network (OTN), a leading oncology and specialty services company acquired by McKesson in 2007. During his tenure with OTN, he helped grow the company into one of the largest specialty and oncology distributors in the nation.
Dr. Cunningham also spent 14 years at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), most recently as associate director of the Department of Pharmaceutical Services and director of Material Services. Dr. Cunningham continues to hold a position as associate clinical professor at the UCSF School of Pharmacy.
Dr. Cunningham received his doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Southern California, performed two one-year residencies at UCSF and received a Master of Business Administration from the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
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Heather Morel
Vice President and General Manager,
Reimbursement & Access Services
McKesson Specialty Care Solutions
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Heather Morel is the vice president and general manager of Reimbursement & Access Services for McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, a business unit of McKesson Corporation. In this role, Morel leads the development and execution of reimbursement strategies and support services, patient assistance programs (PAPs), risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) programs and other patient- and physician-focused initiatives to improve safety and access to medications for specialty pharmaceutical manufacturer clients.
With more than 18 years of experience in healthcare reimbursement and marketing, Morel is a nationally recognized expert in developing reimbursement strategies for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and diagnostic firms. She is also renowned for her expertise in identifying optimal reimbursement positioning, contracting, pricing and tactical support programs that maximize revenue under managed care and public payors.
Previously, Morel served as vice president of a strategic reimbursement consulting firm, where she led client teams in formulating and implementing reimbursement strategies and tactical support services. While in this position, she played a direct role in helping clients successfully launch specialty pharmaceutical products, complex devices and novel diagnostics.
Prior to her consulting leadership role, Morel was a product manager for a managed care-focused pharmaceutical consulting firm. In this role, she was responsible for managing client relationships, driving reimbursement selling activity within the consulting business and leveraging cross-selling opportunities with other practice divisions.
Morel earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Penn State University and a Master of Business Administration from Arizona State University. She has also presented at more than 30 conferences and seminars on the subject of pharmaceutical commercialization and reimbursement trends and strategies.
Kimberly Bergstrom, Pharm.D., is the chief clinical officer for McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, a business unit of McKesson Corporation. In this role, she develops and implements novel strategies to bring payors and providers together to sustain community-based oncology care and align incentives in the oncology marketplace.
Dr. Bergstrom comes to McKesson Specialty Care Solutions with more than 22 years of healthcare experience, 13 in oncology clinical services and programs development. Her early work with Dr. Roger Winn at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX led to the development of the first National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Cancer Treatment Guidelines.
Previously, Dr. Bergstrom was chief clinical officer for Oncology Therapeutics Network (OTN), a leading oncology and specialty services company acquired by McKesson in 2007. While in this position, she led the development of clinical technology and infrastructure solutions for customers, clinical information and reporting services development, and clinical programs development, including advisory boards and medical education.
Prior to joining OTN, Dr. Bergstrom was a member of the senior management team at the National Oncology Alliance (NOA), a specialty oncology group purchasing organization (GPO) acquired by McKesson in 2005. While at NOA, she set up and developed a complete set of clinical service offerings, programs and tools for community-based medical oncology practices.
Before her career with NOA, Dr. Bergstrom held senior positions within First DataBank, a leading electronic drug database company and YourDoctor.com (now Healthline), an Internet-based healthcare portal for patients. She also served as director and vice president of disease management for Axion HealthCare and OnCare and was responsible for cancer-specific treatment guideline development, clinical decision support tools development and outcomes studies for community-based oncology practitioners.
Dr. Bergstrom received her pharmacy doctorate from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) where she also completed a clinical residency and specialty residency in pharmacy administration. She is the cancer editor of the “Textbook of Therapeutics: Drug and Disease Management”, a widely used textbook in pharmacy school curriculums around the world. Additionally, Dr. Bergstrom retains a faculty appointment in the School of Pharmacy at UCSF. In 2008, Dr. Bergstrom was appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Pharmacy & Therapeutics Society.
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Mike Kelly
Chief Information Officer
McKesson Specialty Care Solutions
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Mike Kelly is the chief information officer (CIO) for McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, a business unit of McKesson Corporation. In his current role, he is responsible for strategy and operations of all enterprise applications, infrastructure and customer technology solutions, including the Lynx® technology platform.
Previously, Kelly was the CIO for Oncology Therapeutics Network (OTN), a leading oncology and specialty services company acquired by McKesson in 2007. Under his leadership, OTN was named #102 in Information Week’s list of 500 top IT organizations. He was also named a Top 25 CIO by CIO Decisions.
Prior to joining OTN, Kelly spent 12 years implementing large-scale enterprise software applications in a variety of industries including healthcare, software, chemicals, manufacturing and computer services. He was the senior project officer in the office of the chief executive officer (CEO) for SAP, a principal consultant for the forerunner of Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and an SAP consultant for EDS. He also spent several years with McKesson’s corporate headquarters as a consulting project manager for enterprise services and solutions.
In addition to granting interviews with industry publications such as CIO, CIO Decisions and Information Week, Kelly also is a regular speaker at customer events on various technology topics.
Kelly holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Southern Methodist University and a Master of Business Administration from the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley.
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John Akscin
Vice President, Government Relations
McKesson Specialty Care Solutions
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John Akscin is vice president of government relations for McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, a business unit of McKesson Corporation. In his current role, Akscin is responsible for tracking, analyzing and presenting programs on legislative, regulatory and reimbursement issues affecting office-based physicians in the specialties of oncology, hematology, rheumatology, gastroenterology and radiation oncology.
With more than 26 years of experience in healthcare administration, Akscin is one of the nation’s foremost experts on reimbursement, Medicare and Medicare Part B. He is renowned for his expertise in legislative and regulatory issues and clinic-based efficiency. Prior to his tenure at McKesson, Akscin spent 13 years as the CEO of a freestanding comprehensive cancer treatment facility and 13 years in the hospital environment.
Currently, Akscin serves as president of the Specialty and Biotech Distributors Association, a national trade organization. He is also a member of the editorial advisory board for Hematology Oncology News & Issues and serves on the board of directors for the Confera Group, a national medical conference organization. Additionally, Akscin has served on a number of national advisory boards focused on reimbursement and published articles in several peer-reviewed journals including the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Journal of Oncology Practice and Community Oncology.
Previously, Akscin was the president of the Medical Group Management Association of Missouri and served on the Medicare Part B Advisory Board in Illinois. He also sat on the board of directors of the Illinois chapter of the American Cancer Society.
Akscin received his management education at St. Louis University. He is also a regular guest speaker at industry conferences and corporate meetings and serves as guest faculty member at St. Louis University, Indiana University, University of Alabama, Birmingham and University of Miami, Florida.
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Philip C. Bolger
Vice President of Strategic Initiatives
McKesson Specialty Care Solutions
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Philip C. Bolger is the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, a business unit of McKesson Corporation.
Previously, Bolger was Vice President and general manager of Distribution & Physician Services where he was responsible for sales and services to specialty providers. Bolger has over 26 years of experience in the healthcare industry, holding executive leadership positions in sales, marketing, distribution services and operations. He led a cross-functional team that successfully integrated Oncology Therapeutics Network (OTN), the 2nd largest specialty distributor in the United States acquired by McKesson in 2007, into McKesson’s Specialty business unit. His efficient management resulted in exceeding projected synergies from the acquisition. In addition, Bolger expanded and differentiated McKesson Specialty’s managed distribution portfolio through the exclusive distribution services contract for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vaccines for Children Program.
Previously, Bolger was vice president of National Accounts for McKesson’s Health Systems Group. He managed and grew relationships with large national healthcare providers and group purchasing organizations (GPOs) that accelerated revenue growth far exceeding normal market expansion.
Prior to joining McKesson, Bolger served as president and chief operating officer of Briggs Corporation, a direct marketing, manufacturing and distribution company serving the long term care and home care sectors. He began his career in healthcare with American Hospital Supply (later becoming Baxter Healthcare and Allegiance Healthcare), culminating in a 17-year career.
Bolger received a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business administration from Louisiana State University. He is a board member for the Specialty Biotech Distributors Association and affiliated with the Health Industry Distributors Association.
Jennifer Webster was named vice president and chief financial officer for McKesson Corporation’s specialty pharmaceuticals business unit (since renamed McKesson Specialty Care Solutions) in 2007. In this role, she is responsible for managing all aspects of the financial organization, including financial analysis, forecasting, budgeting, long-range financial strategic plans, accounting, GAAP and SEC compliance, internal controls, customer pricing and credit. She also acts as a business partner and driver in growing business earnings organically and through investments.
Webster’s experience across the finance spectrum includes financial planning, business analytics, operations finance and mergers and acquisitions. She joined McKesson in 2001 as Director of Finance for the U.S. Pharmaceutical organization and was promoted to Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis. In 2005, she moved into the Corporate Finance division in a similar capacity.
During her years at McKesson, Webster has distinguished herself as a highly capable leader, skilled at developing strong teams, forging effective relationships and developing highly-effective finance organizations.
Prior to joining McKesson, Webster held several different finance positions over eight years at General Electric and was Director of Finance for Scient Corporation.
Webster holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and completed the Executive Development Program at the Kellogg School of Management.
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Drew Shelfer
Vice President, Human Resources
McKesson Specialty Care Solutions
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Andrew Shelfer is the Vice President of Human Resources for McKesson Specialty Care Solutions, a business unit of McKesson Corporation. In his current role, he is responsible for a range of personnel-related functions, including employee relations, affirmative action, talent acquisition, organizational development and effectiveness, and compensation for the business unit.
Previously, Shelfer was the Director of Human Resources for McKesson’s Retail Automation business unit.
Prior to joining McKesson, Shelfer was a regional human resources generalist for Ebara Technologies, Inc., an international semiconductor capital equipment company. He also spent nine years with Ryder Systems, working in the corporate office human resources department and providing third party logistics for human resources in regional offices.
Shelfer holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resource Management from the University of Miami at Coral Gables. He is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management.
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