Pictured from left to right: CHLI Director of Programs and Internships, Nicole Marin; Dr. Arif Kamal, American Cancer Society; CHLI President and CEO, Mary Ann Gomez Orta; CHLI Chairwoman, The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; Christopher Palombo, MAP International; Jeanette Contreras, Organization for Latino Health Advocacy; Joel E. Barthelemy, GlobalMed; and Jonathan Martinez, Haleon.
The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) held a Congressional Public Policy Briefing on Advancing Healthcare Excellence on August 14th, 2025, via Zoom Webinar.
The briefing brought together a diverse group of experts in healthcare to engage in a meaningful discussion regarding current public policy issues that affect the U.S. Hispanic and Portuguese communities.
CHLI Director of Programs and Internships, Nicole Marin, opened by welcoming attendees, highlighting the briefings focus on healthcare access, and acknowledging the support of CHLI’s sponsor and partners such as Katch Skills.
Following her remarks, CHLI Chairwoman, The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, emphasized the important of advancing early screenings, timely treatments, and equitable access to improve health outcomes nationwide.
The panel discussion was moderated by CHLI President and CEO, Mary Ann Gomez Orta. Panelists included Christopher Palombo, President and CEO of MAP International; Jonathan Martinez, Head of U.S. Federal Affairs at Haleon; Jeanette Contreras, Founder of the Organization for Latino Health Advocacy; Joel E. Barthelemy, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of GlobalMed; and Dr. Arif Kamal, Chief Patient Officer at the American Cancer Society. They discussed the impact of innovation, prevention, and policy on strengthening healthcare experiences for all Americans. Panelists shared perspectives on reducing disparities in cancer care, expanding telehealth access in rural and underserved communities, improving the affordability of medications, and the importance of bipartisan approaches to health equity.
Special thank you to our sponsors: Coca-Cola, Gates Foundation, Capital One, Citi, Dell Technologies, Green Hills Software, Oportun, Pfizer, Amazon, Charter Communications, Chevron, Dominion Energy, Edison Electric Institute, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, 2042 Media, and Service Now
To view full recording of the CHLI Public Policy Briefing, click here.
For additional resources from our panelists, see below.
American Cancer Society:
https://acscancerrisk360.cancer.org/
MAP International:
Latino Health Advocacy:
https://latinohealthadvocacy.org/
GlobalMed:
Haleon:
About CHLI:
The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) is the premier organization founded by former Members of Congress to advance economic prosperity with a focus on social responsibility and global competitiveness. CHLI is dedicated to advancing the Hispanic community’s diversity of thought and fostering a broad awareness of the heritage, interests, and views of Americans of Hispanic and Portuguese descent.
For more information about CHLI and its programs, please contact Mary Ann Gomez Orta at mgomezorta@chli.org