MedTech Compliance Bootcamp

Michelle D. Axelrod, J.D., Principal, Porzio, Bromberg & Newman

Michelle D. Axelrod is the Managing Principal of Porzio, Bromberg & Newman’s New England office. Michelle has over 25 years of experience addressing legal and compliance issues impacting companies in the life sciences industry; 15 years as in-house counsel. Michelle primarily counsels pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotech clients on legal and compliance issues related to
product commercialization and related sales, marketing, and reimbursement activities. Michelle reviews promotional content and medical communications, advises on fraud and abuse matters and related issues, provides direction regarding field and account management, and supports clients’ compliance initiatives, including the development of policies/SOPs, training, and monitoring and auditing programs. Michelle also negotiates, drafts and reviews commercial and government contracts, including discount and rebate agreements with health plans/PBMs, retail/specialty pharmacies, GPOs, wholesalers, and other healthcare entities. In addition, she handles distribution agreements and other fee-for-service consulting and service arrangements common in the life sciences industry. Michelle also works with Porizo Life Sciences, an RLDatix Company.

Terry Chang, M.D., Esq, Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Director, Legal & Medical Affairs, AdvaMed

Dr. Chang provides legal and medical expertise on legislation, regulations, and policy matters. He is the association’s lead for data stewardship, privacy, intellectual property, and advancing value-based health care.  He serves as the legal-medical liaison to the association’s technical and policy workgroups and committees and works collaboratively to advocate for the highest ethical standards, timely patient access to safe and effective medical technologies, and economic policies that reward value creation. Dr. Chang holds a Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Economics from the University of Michigan and a medical doctorate from the Wayne State University School of Medicine. Before receiving his Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law School, he received postgraduate training in general surgery through the Mount Sinai School of Medicine (Cabrini) Program. Dr. Chang is a Board Certified Medical Affairs Specialist licensed to practice medicine and surgery in Washington, D.C., and is admitted to the New York State and District of Columbia Bars.

Pat Fogarty, Esq., Deputy General Counsel, Senior Vice President of Legal, AdvaMed

Pat Fogarty is the Deputy General Counsel & Senior VP of Legal at the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed). AdvaMed advocates globally for the highest ethical standards and patient access to safe, effective and innovative medical technologies that save and improve lives. In addition to providing in-house legal counsel to the organization, Pat leads AdvaMed’s litigation reform legal policy work and related stakeholder outreach, which are emerging priorities for medtech innovators and patients who rely on FDA’s safety determinations. He also manages the association’s amicus curiae program, including filing multiple briefs on a myriad of issues in U.S. federal and state courts. Pat holds a B.A. from Virginia Tech and a J.D. from the Syracuse University College of Law. He is admitted to the District of Columbia Bar.

Ida Nassar, Esq., Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Ethics & Compliance, AdvaMed

Ms. Nassar manages AdvaMed’s ethics and compliance policy working groups on the AdvaMed Code, federal and state anti-kickback statutes, the Physician Self-Referral (Stark) Law, Sunshine Implementation, False Claims Act, and other health care laws and regulations applicable to medical device innovators and manufacturers. Ms. Nassar also handles AdvaMed’s global legal policy working groups, which seek to establish common global standards for anti­ corruption and business integrity and secure procurement, regulatory, and enforcement incentives that reward compliance. Prior to AdvaMed, Ms. Nassar was a Senior Attorney within the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Office of Chief Counsel where she handled enforcement actions under the Controlled Substances Act as well as defensive litigation matters for the department. She also served as Trial Attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, managing commercial and torts litigation (including vaccine litigation). Ida also practiced for several years with the Hollingsworth law firm managing life sciences products liability litigation.

Jennifer Romanski, J.D., Principal, Porzio, Bromberg & Newman

Ms. Romanski has broad experience counseling pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies in regulatory and compliance matters, including preparation of corporate compliance programs, advertising and promotion activities, medical publication planning, interactions with healthcare practitioners, grants and continuing medical education programs, FDA enforcement activity, and sample accountability and PDMA requirements. She worked for many years in Porzio’s Key Client program where she served as part of the in-house legal team for various pharmaceutical companies several days a week. She has also served as acting compliance director at a large pharmaceutical company, where she was involved in over twenty compliance reviews and investigations. She has drafted contracts with co-promotion partners, direct mail companies, medical publication facilitators, and market research organizations. She has provided counsel on implementation of compliance measures for research and development companies, with emphasis on pre-market requirements, clinical trial registration and disclosure, and patient recruitment. In addition, she regularly counsels clients on compliance with state marketing disclosure reporting laws and the new requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including compliance with healthcare practitioner transparency requirements. Ms. Romanski also works with Porzio Life Sciences, an RLDatix Company, to offer additional compliance technology products and services to life sciences companies.

Christopher L. White, General Counsel, Chief Policy Officer, and Secretary, AdvaMed

Mr. White serves as the Association’s Chief Legal Officer and AdvaMed’s Chief Policy Officer, leading the Association’s work to develop and promote policy positions enhancing patient access to medical technology worldwide. Mr. White also leads the Association’s strategic planning activities and investor relations matters. In March 2020, Mr. White was appointed the organization’s COVID-19 Action Team

Leader, leading all COVID-19-related initiatives and policy. Additionally, he guided the organization to fully remote functioning upon the onset of the pandemic.

He testified before state and federal legislative committees on priority legal policy issues; led the drafting team revising the AdvaMed Code; and led the multinational negotiating team to draft the Kuala Lumpur Principles, harmonizing industry Codes of Ethics in Asia. He is a frequent speaker on health law and policy issues, and posts health policy biogs on his Linkedln page.

Prior to AdvaMed, Mr. White was a partner with the global law firm Morgan Lewis; and he began his health law legal career with the firm Drinker Biddle. Mr. White is a graduate of Wake Forest University, where he studied electron microscopy and cell biology, and Catholic University Law School.