Athena Cross

President

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Athena Cross is a healthcare leader with over 15 years’ experience leading market access initiatives, insurance contracting, healthcare reimbursement, public policy, and health care strategy in the public and private sectors. She specializes in improving the public health care delivery system. She has also led several initiatives and developed numerous strategies to improve and increase access to reproductive health and women’s health services

 

In 2016, Ms. Cross created Cross Health Care Solutions (CrossHCS), a consulting firm that focuses on addressing inequities in health. CrossHCS works with an assortment of stakeholders to align strategies for social change. Leveraging multiple funding opportunities, CrossHCS works on the local, state, and national levels to build community-led initiatives that reduce disparities in health. CrossHCS’ s work includes public-private partnerships, city, and statewide initiatives, policy, and advocacy strategies.

 

Ms. Cross has worked in senior leadership roles across the health care system. In the pharmaceutical industry, she led the US commercialization of a new product. She created national operations strategies to accommodate the policy and reimbursement changes associated with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), for a national health care provider. She also led pharmacy, provider networks, and various citywide collaborative projects for a health insurance plan. Prior to these experiences, Ms. Cross worked in business development, and pharmaceutical sales.

 

Ms. Cross is a Public Health doctoral candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill and is a social justice warrior, aligning her work with her commitment to addressing inequities in health for marginalized people.