Erin O'Malley is a director with FaegreBD Consulting's health and biosciences team where she monitors legislative and regulatory health policy developments and advises clients on key health issues impacting their communities and businesses. Erin's client portfolio runs the spectrum of the health and life science industry — from patient advocacy organizations to health care providers and academic medical institutions.

Erin designs, implements and executes large-scale, public-private partnerships addressing pressing public policies and public health issues. Her expertise spans multiple issues involving health care quality improvement, patient safety and health care-associated infections.

A strong facilitator and advocator, Erin plays an integral role in developing and implementing effective legislative, regulatory and funding strategies that bring national attention and beneficial resources to her clients. With today's challenging government climate, Erin and her health and biosciences colleagues use creativity — not always tradition paths — to accomplish client goals and objectives. Her ability to conduct thoughtful research and produce high-quality advocacy materials, memorandums and briefing papers is an invaluable asset to her clients and the firm, too.

Federal Government Agencies

Erin frequently represents clients before Congress, health care leaders and key federal agencies, including the:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• Government Accountability Office (GAO)

A core element of Erin's work at FaegreBD Consulting includes the coordination and management of a national public-private patient safety coalition. She applies her background in public policy, comprehensive knowledge of the modern U.S. health care system and proven project management skills to promote the work of the successful coalition.

Public Policy Development

Before joining FaegreBD Consulting in 2009, Erin developed a thorough understanding of the legislative policy process, relationships with government agencies and departments, and coalition building as project and policy manager with the American Hospital Association. She advised association members on key policy developments, generated the group's health care reform platform, and conducted research and analysis of health care policy trends, legislation and regulation. Her focus areas included wellness, prevention and health care disparities, building experience in quality, health information technology and Medicare payment policy issues — in part through working closely with the Hospital Quality Alliance.

Erin was the State Political Director of the bipartisan Women Under Forty PAC (WUFPAC) for two years. In her voluntary role, she advised state level candidates across the country on fundraising, strategy and campaign development. Today, as a member of FaegreBD Consulting's Community Engagement Committee, Erin is active in organizing events and activities that benefit the D.C. metro area.

Representative Experience

• Unsafe Medical Practices — Helped create a diverse advocacy coalition to eliminate unsafe medical practices across the health care system. With stakeholders ranging from industry leaders to health care providers, the coalition's patient advocacy has drawn national attention through a GAO study and collaboration with the NQF to expand the list of Serious Reportable Events (SREs) — and work with Congress and the administration to address broader range medical errors.
• Biomedical Device Design — Helped create the Safe Haven Summit bringing together national thought leaders from industry, academia, government agencies and nonprofits to explore Value-driven Engineering (VdE) principles advancing U.S. competitiveness in global biomedical device design. Numerous recommendations for VdE adoption across the U.S. medical device landscape are now detailed in a nationally renowned white paper.
• Academic Cancer Center — Collaborated with a university's leaders to help elevate its Cancer Center's national prestige and reputation. By strategically positioning the university before federal departments and agencies and working to maximize federal funding opportunities, the university secured a prestigious grant from the NIH and developed a platform for industry, academia, venture philanthropy and government leaders in generating international press coverage and a white paper by FaegreBD Consulting.
• Collaborative Research Agreement — Helped develop the first nonprofit Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) involving the NIH's National Center for Advancing Translational Science, Leukemia Lymphoma Society and University of Kansas.
• Alzheimer's Treatment Coalition — Supporting formation of the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer's Disease involving industry leaders and nonprofit foundations and academic partners to collaborate with government agencies in finding prevention or treatment for Alzheimer's by 2025.

Hill Experience

• Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE)

Civic Activities

• Toastmasters International — Vice President, Public Relations, 2008-10
• Women in Government Relations — Former Member
  

Presentations

• Out of the Shadows: Advocate Engagement on Capitol Hill
  WomenAgainstAlzheimer's "Out of the Shadows" Summit, September 2014