Independent Women has announced the appointment of Dr. Monique Yohanan as Senior Fellow for Health Policy, a move that comes as the United States faces ongoing debates over healthcare policy amid a government shutdown.
Dr. Yohanan brings experience in both clinical medicine and health technology innovation to her new role. She previously served as Chief Medical Officer at Adia Health, where she led efforts to develop artificial intelligence-based clinical decision support systems aimed at improving diagnostic accuracy and patient care. Before that, she was Chief Medical Officer for Change Healthcare’s InterQual, overseeing clinical decision support solutions used by more than 100 payers and 6,000 providers across the country.
In her position with Independent Women, Dr. Yohanan will focus on advancing market-based reforms intended to improve affordability, innovation, and efficiency in healthcare. She will also work on initiatives designed to empower patients and reduce barriers to accessing care.
“I am honored to join Independent Women as a Senior Fellow in Health Policy,” said Dr. Monique Yohanan. “Health care is, at its core, a women’s issue—women are the primary decision-makers for their families and the ones most affected by how our system works. Doing this work through Independent Women, which champions women’s leadership, freedom, and opportunity, makes it especially meaningful to me.”
Carrie Lukas, president of Independent Women, welcomed Dr. Yohanan’s appointment: “We are thrilled to welcome such a gifted analyst and thought leader. Monique has deep medical experience, but also approaches issues like a mom, with common sense and a focus on practical advice and improvements,” Lukas said. “Health care is a critical issue for our country and especially for American women who so often are in charge of not only their own care, but the care of their parents, spouses, children and other loved ones.”
As part of efforts to address public concerns about vaccines and current vaccine schedules, Independent Women published an August paper by Dr. Yohanan titled “Rethinking Vaccine Policy: A Case for Humility, Precision, and Parental Partnership.” The paper advocates recalibrating vaccine policy with greater humility from policymakers while emphasizing precision in recommendations and stronger partnerships with parents.
Additionally, IW Features—the organization’s grassroots storytelling arm—recently released the first part of its two-part documentary series “A Dose of Humility: The Promise and Purpose of Vaccines.” The series features Dr. Yohanan discussing different categories of vaccines based on their roles in herd immunity or individual protection; it expands upon arguments made in her recent paper regarding vaccine policy reform. The second episode is scheduled for release in December.
Dr. Yohanan has written op-eds featured in national outlets including Daily Caller (on flu vaccines), The Hill (on healthcare pricing transparency), Washington Examiner (on pediatric COVID-19 vaccination), Townhall (on science versus politics), among others.
Independent Women states that its approach aims to shape public preferences and policies toward improved outcomes for all Americans.
