Kaiser’s Opening Welcome (Sept. 12)

Vanessa Davis, Kaiser Permanente

Vanessa Davis brings more than 15 years of experience in health care and with national and international health and social justice nonprofits. She has a robust background in public health research trials in various hospital and community-based settings, working at the intersection of health and social behavior.

Currently serving as the Director of Medi-Cal External Engagement and Initiatives at Kaiser Permanente, Davis leads efforts to strengthen the Medi-Cal program by fostering meaningful collaborations with external partners, including county agencies, community-based organizations, and managed care plans. Her portfolio includes strategies to address population health, homelessness and affordable housing, food security, and other social influencers of health.

Davis holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Wesleyan University and a Master of Public Health Degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Owing to her familial and ancestral experience of displacement and diaspora, she’s committed to working in solidarity with the communities most impacted by systemic inequities to address personal and collective health and well-being.

Opening Keynote (Sept. 12)

Susan Philip, MPP, California Department of Health Care Services

Susan Philip was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom as the Deputy Director of Health Care Delivery Systems at DHCS in March 2021. Her areas of responsibility include the oversight, monitoring, and contract administration of California’s Medi-Cal managed care program, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), the California Children Services (CCS) program, and Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waivers programs. She is also responsible for driving key initiatives under ​California Advancing and​ Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) including Community Supports and Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH).

Prior to her appointment, Philip served in a variety of roles in the healthcare sector including in leadership positions for more than 25 years. Philip has served on boards including a federally qualified health center working with the LBGTQ community as well as people experiencing homelessness. She is currently on the board of directors of SafeHouse, which provides transitional housing and support services for survivors of trafficking.

Closing Keynote (Sept. 13)

Michelle Schneidermann, MD, California Health Care Foundation

Michelle Schneidermann is director of the California Health Care Foundation’s People-Centered Care team. She leads CHCF’s efforts in the care of populations with complex needs, including people experiencing homelessness, older adults, and people with serious behavioral health conditions.

Prior to joining CHCF, Schneidermann served as a Medi-Cal managed care plan Medical Director at Alameda Alliance for Health, where she provided clinical support and oversight with a focus on care coordination and special projects. Before that, Scheidermann spent more than 14 years as a professor and physician leader at UCSF. In addition to being a primary care doctor and hospitalist at San Francisco General Hospital, she was the founding Medical Director of the San Francisco Medical Respite and Sobering Center.

She has served as a county commissioner for Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless, a program of the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, for the past seven years.