Michelle Adams is a director based in Washington, D.C. She has more than 20 years of experience in public health and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy. Michelle supports life sciences companies, patient organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and others in understanding and developing engagement strategies and advance policy solutions.
Before joining Leavitt Partners, an HMA Company, Michelle served in several roles at the FDA, including in the office of the Commissioner and most recently in the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. During her tenure, Michelle brought subject matter experts and partners together to identify solutions to complex public health challenges. She coordinated cross-cutting agency initiatives in the areas of rare diseases, vaccines, cellular and gene therapies, overdose prevention, supply chain management and response to drug shortages, and over-the-counter monograph drug reform.
Leveraging her communications skills, Michelle served as an agency liaison for the FDA to federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal officials. She also served as a health advisor to Members of Congress in both the House and Senate, where she gained extensive experience building bipartisan support for federal public health initiatives. As a senior health legislative assistant to then-HELP Member Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC), she worked directly on the Affordable Care Act, including the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA), and on the FDA Safety and Innovation Act. While serving as a legislative director for then-Rules Chair Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY), she oversaw enactment of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act.
She holds a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a Master of Government from Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Mary Washington College.