Annual Meeting Speakers

 Daniel Blaney-Koen, JD, is a senior legislative attorney with the American Medical Association Advocacy Resource Center (ARC). The ARC attorneys focus on working with state and specialty medical societies on state legislative, regulatory, and policy advocacy. In addition to his work in the ARC, Blaney-Koen has held several roles at the AMA, including serving as a public information officer, policy analyst, and speechwriter. Currently, he focuses on state legislation and policy concerning the nation’s opioid epidemic, with particular emphasis on overdose prevention and treatment. He also covers other pharmaceutical issues as well as insurance market reforms. Prior to joining the AMA in 1999, Blaney-Koen earned his Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from Colorado State University, and his bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona. 

 Shari Covington, JD, California Medical Association

Ms. Covington is a healthcare attorney for the California Medical Association’s (CMA’s) Center for Legal Affairs. She is a graduate of the University at Albany State University of New York with a Bachelor of Arts in English and received her J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center in New Hampshire. Ms. Covington’s work at CMA has spanned protecting California physicians in courts through Amicus briefs, editing and authoring chapters in the California Physician’s Legal Handbook (CPLH), listening to and advising on Medical Staff concerns, and much more. She is also a Sacramento County Bar Association Board member where she serves her fellow attorneys in the greater Sacramento area.

 Long Do, JD, Athene Law, LLP

Long Do is a seasoned and highly respected health care attorney with broad experience advocating for the provider community. His practice focuses broadly on professional healthcare practice issues, including physician and medical group formation and operations, scope of practice, health care services contracting, business ventures and alignment, peer review, and medical licensing board compliance. Long also represents numerous state and federal healthcare trade associations, filing amicus curiae briefs and assisting in other advocacy work and governance functions. Long has a broad and deep knowledge of professional practice issues generally and also is a nationally recognized expert on the corporate practice of medicine laws and medical staff governance. He has more than two decades of practical legal experience in civil and criminal courts at the trial and appellate levels. Prior to joining Athene Law, Long served for over a decade as Legal Counsel and Director of Litigation for the California Medical Association (CMA). He built a renowned statewide and national profile managing CMA’s activities in the courts and regulatory agencies. He also served as the lead attorney for the CMA lobbying and regulatory teams on numerous important pieces of legislation and regulations. Long continues to work with clients on bills and regulations.

 Sherine Ghoddoucy, JD, California Medical Association

 Senior Legal Counsel at the California Medical Association since 2022. Previously, she was an Attorney IV in the Health Equity and Access Office at the California Department of Insurance (10 years).

 Jeff Howell, JD, Missouri Medical Society

Jeff Howell is the Executive Vice President of the Missouri State Medical Association (MSMA).  MSMA is Missouri’s largest professional physician organization.  Mr. Howell previously served as the Director of Government Relations for MSMA, directing physician advocacy and lobbying activities in the Missouri Capitol for over fifteen years.  Mr. Howell is licensed in Missouri and Indiana.  He previously practiced as a criminal defense attorney in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law.

 Luke McNamee, JD, Indianna State Medical Society

Luke is the Director of Policy and Government Affairs for the Indiana State Medical Association -- Indiana’s largest physician professional association -- representing medical students, residents, and physicians across all specialties. He has been a registered lobbyist for the last 5 years representing education and physician issues. Luke earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis where he served as the Executive Articles Editor of the Indiana Health Law Review.