With more than two decades of experience representing biopharmaceutical and other health care companies, Sharon L. Cohen directs the Podesta Group’s health care practice. In recent years, she has helped many clients navigate the complexities of health care reform while securing other victories, such as enacting liability protections for certain vaccines, assuring Medicare reimbursement changes and protecting clients against FDA regulations.Sharon came to the Podesta Group from the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), where she served as vice president for government relations. Earlier in her career, she was the chief lobbyist for the Health Insurance Association of America and director of congressional relations for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. She also worked at the American Council of Life Insurers and served as deputy director of federal relations for the American Psychiatric Association and the director of health policy for the Alliance for Aging Research.Sharon has strong working relationships with the House and Senate leadership offices for both political parties, the Senate Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pension (HELP) committees, and the House Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce committees. She also counts among her contacts, officials of the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institutes for Health and other agencies.Sharon serves on the board of directors of Health on Wednesday and Women in Health Policy, a group of women who represent the health care sector before Congress and the administration. She has a master's in international studies, with an emphasis on health economics, from the American University and a bachelor's in political science from the University of Arizona. Born in Maryland, she has lived in Colorado, Arizona and Mexico.
