Health Equity and Social
Determinants of Health

Abdou Bah

Abdou Bah serves as Senior Vice President, Medical Management and Chief Health Equity Officer for the EmblemHealth family of companies. Mr. Bah oversees key population health management functions, including quality improvement, care management, utilization management, pharmacy, and the implementation of clinical initiatives to improve the health of members that EmblemHealth covers.

Nazneen Rahman

Nazneen Rahman leads EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care, community locations across all five New York City boroughs that provide in-person customer support, connections to community resources, and programming to help the entire community learn healthy behaviors.

Rahman’s entire professional career has been dedicated to the health care and life sciences industries. Prior to EmblemHealth, Rahman worked for many years in product development, marketing strategy, and operations at ActiveHealth Management, a subsidiary of Aetna, and Crossix Solutions, a health care analytics firm. She also has extensive experience in health care and life sciences strategy consulting and market research at various companies, including Capgemini and Booz Allen (now Strategy&, PWC). Rahman earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College and an MBA degree from NYU Stern School of Business. Rahman is a native New Yorker and is committed to finding new ways to provide exceptional customer care and community support across New York City and the New York counties EmblemHealth serves.

Ann Marie Adamson-Serieux

Ann Marie has over 30 years’ experience in building marketing strategies and community program development. She graduated from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge England with a degree in English Language. Driven by her passion for community and addressing their concerns, she diverted her career path to a position in government where for 10 years she worked as a policy analyst and inter-government relations for Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz. Currently, she holds the title of AVP, Community Affairs. In this role, she once again gets to satisfy her work mission of engaging communities in living their healthiest lives and meeting her personal goal of helping her community.

Howard Weiss

Howard Weiss currently works on Public Policy and Government Relations for the EmblemHealth family of companies which includes EmblemHealth, AdvantageCare Physicians, ConnectiCare, and WellSpark Health. EmblemHealth is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health insurers, serving over three million people in New York City and the tristate area. Weiss is responsible for analyzing federal and state legislation and regulation across all business areas and directing advocacy to support EmblemHealth’s goals.

Prior to joining EmblemHealth in October 2016, Weiss worked at America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) in Washington, DC for more than 15 years, focusing on Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medicaid policy. Before joining AHIP, he spent more than eight years at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) specializing in Medicaid and Medicare policy. Weiss holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.

Heather Tamborino

Heather Tamborino serves as Chief Financial Officer for the EmblemHealth family of companies. Ms. Tamborino oversees enterprise financial functions, procurement, risk adjustment, and payment integrity. Heather Tamborino has more than 30 years of experience in finance, strategy, and risk management. She has also held executive positions within the managed care and health insurance industry for over 20 years. Before joining the company, she served as Senior Vice President of Finance for Highmark Inc. and CFO of Gateway Health Plan. Heather Tamborino holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Western Michigan University Haworth College of Business.

Dr. Wayne Rawlins

Dr. Wayne Rawlins steers the medical foundation of WellSpark Health. He is a leading immunization expert who spent his career partnering with national organizations to promote health and wellness. At WellSpark, he is responsible for health, prevention and well-being strategy, and value demonstration.

Dr. Rawlins previously served as the Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at ConnectiCare and served in senior clinical leadership positions at a large national health insurer. Before that, he led efforts to address health disparities in underserved populations at Aetna (now CVS Health) and has served on several national organizations addressing health equity. He received his medical degree from the University of Connecticut, completed an internal medicine residency and chief residency at the University of Rochester, and received an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Dr. Rawlins is board-certified in internal medicine and has treated patients in a primary care practice for over a decade.

Speaking topics

• Overview of WellSpark Health
• Health equity and resolving health disparities in the workplace.
• Social determinants of health.
• Vaccinations and vaccine hesitancy.
• Diseases and the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Healthcare/medical issues and trends.
• How public health impacts employers and employees.
• Chronic disease management and WellSpark’s role.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the workplace.

Book and follow

• Email: wrawlins@wellsparkhealth.com
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/wayne-rawlins-93b6239

Dr. Daniel Knecht

Dr. Daniel Knecht, M.D., M.B.A., is the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of EmblemHealth, where he leads clinical strategy to improve health outcomes for approximately 3 million New Yorkers. Previously, he served as Chief Clinical Innovation Officer at CVS Caremark, focusing on enhancing patient outcomes and managing healthcare costs.​

Before CVS, Dr. Knecht directed clinical strategy and medical policy initiatives at Aetna, where he implemented successful quality improvement projects, including addressing the opioid crisis and gene therapy reimbursement strategies. ​

Dr. Knecht is a Fulbright Scholar and an accomplished academic. He graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and earned his joint M.D., M.B.A. from Weill Cornell Medical College and Johnson Graduate School of Management, where he was awarded the Lee Family Scholarship.

Dr. Knecht is also a practicing hospitalist at Mount Sinai West in New York City, where he serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor. In addition, he contributes his expertise to public health as a board member of the CUNY School of Public Health Foundation and as an advisor to Monogram Health, focusing on advancing care models for chronic kidney disease.​

​Dr. Knecht’s innovative contributions to healthcare have earned him widespread recognition, including being named one of Modern Healthcare’s 40 Under 40 in February 2024. His career reflects a deep commitment to bridging clinical care and healthcare innovation, positioning him as a transformative leader in the industry. 

Karen Ignagni

Karen Ignagni serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EmblemHealth, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health plans, having provided New Yorkers high-quality, affordable care and coverage for nearly 90 years.

Ms. Ignagni reassumed the CEO role following 18 months as Executive Chair of EmblemHealth’s Board of Directors. Prior to that, she was CEO of EmblemHealth for almost a decade, having led the company’s unprecedented transformation and modernization. These efforts, which largely focused on the customer experience, led to many accolades for her leadership, including by leading publications: the New York Times, City and State, Modern Healthcare, Crain’s, National Journal, Time Magazine, and Fortune Magazine.

Most recently, in 2026, Ms. Ignagni was named to the “Labor Power 100” list by City & State New York. In 2025, she was named to that list, along with City & State New York’s list of “Trailblazers in Healthcare,” Crain’s New York Business’ “10 Newsmakers of the Year 2025,” and Schneps Media’s “Manhattan Power List 2025” and “2025 Labor in Power Players.” In addition to these most recent accolades, Ms. Ignagni has been named one of Modern Healthcare’s “100 Most Influential People” 13 times over the past two decades. She has also been recognized by PoliticsNY & amNY on their lists of “Power Players in Healthcare” and “Labor Power Players,” City & State New York’s list of “Responsible 100 Alumni” and “NYC Labor Power 100,” Becker’s Hospital Review list of “141 Women in Health IT to Know,” Schneps Media’s list of “Power Women of Manhattan,” and Crain’s New York Business’ lists of “Health Care Power 100,” “Notable Women in Healthcare,” and “Notable in Health Care”

Ms. Ignagni serves on the Digital Health New York Advisory Board, the Institute for Clinical an Economic Review (ICER) Advisory Council, and as a Champion supporter for HealthyNYC, New York City’s campaign for healthier, longer lives. Ms. Ignagni is a member of the New York State Department of Health’s (DOH) Marketplace Advisory Committee, the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) State Insurance Advisory Board. She served as Chair of Columbia University’s National Board of Advisors for Health Policy and Management at the Mailman School of Public Health, and from 2016 – 2019, she served on the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs Special Medical Advisory Committee.

Prior to joining EmblemHealth in 2015, Ms. Ignagni was President and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the insurance industry association that represents providers of health and supplemental benefits to more than 200 million Americans. Under her leadership, AHIP became the leading voice for the health plan community.

Ms. Ignagni also directed the AFL-CIO’s Department of Employee Benefits. She was a Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee and worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Annie Tse

Annie is a well-being strategist for WellSpark Health and specializes in employer culture transformation from traditional wellness to inclusive wellbeing. She is a Master of Public Health candidate focused on health equity and social justice and holds a degree in exercise science and specialty credentials in health coaching, prenatal fitness, and orthopedics.

Tse is also a certified diversity and inclusion practitioner through eCornell and is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) marketplace champion for her enterprise. Tse is a member of the American Public Health Association and other groups that support the advancement of women and Asian American and Pacific Islander initiatives.

Speaking topics

• Overview of WellSpark Health. 
• WellSpark’s work with clients/success stories and case studies. 
• Creating a culture of wellbeing in the workplace. 
• Mental health and improving employees’ mental wellbeing.  
• Social and sociostructural determinants of health. 
• DEI, health equity, and racial justice.  
• Intercultural competence and cultural humility. 
• Social-corporate responsibility and its impact on the local community. 
• Social capital—what is it, how you build it, and why it is so important. 
• How the environment and a changing climate impacts health and well-being.

Book and follow

• Email: atse@wellsparkhealth.com 
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annie-tse-inclusive-well-being