The Food is Medicine National Network of Excellence

John R. Lumpkin, MD, MPH has been President of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation since April 2019. He leads the organization in pursuit of its stated mission to improve the health and well-being of everyone in North Carolina through a focus on: transforming the health care system (including oral health), expanding access to healthy food, supporting a healthy start in life for children, improving the physical conditions where people live, and strengthening the ability of communities to improve health.

In addition to his role as Foundation President, John is Executive Strategic Counselor, Corporate Social Responsibility and Drivers of Health Strategy for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. He also currently serves chair of Digital Bridge – a multi-sector forum to collaborate on solutions for a nationally consistent and sustainable approach to using electronic health data for public health and chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Center for Health Statistics/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most recently, John served as Senior Vice President, Programs for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) where he was responsible for the organization’s efforts to transform health, broaden access to stable and affordable health care coverage, build leadership, and engage business toward building a Culture of Health in the United States. Before joining RWJF in 2003, he served as director of the Illinois Department of Public Health for 12  years.

John is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, American College of Emergency Physicians, and the American College of Medical Informatics. Among his previous leadership positions, he is past chairman of the board of the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, as well as past chairman of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics. He has also served on, and advised, several federal-level committees and commissions to advance and improve health in the United States.

John is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters. In addition, his many distinctions and honors include the Arthur McCormack Excellence and Dedication in Public Health Award from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, as well as the Jonas Salk Health Leadership Award.

He earned his MD and BMS degrees from Northwestern University Medical School and his MPH from the University of Illinois School Of Public Health. He was also the first African-American trained in emergency medicine in the country after completing his residency at the University of Chicago, and he has served on the faculty of the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and University of Illinois at Chicago.

Kim Rustem is the Executive Director of Health Equity Strategy and Innovation for CVS Health. Under the direction of the Chief Health Equity Officer, Kim Rustem leads strategic planning efforts across the CVS Health enterprise to codify health equity policies, practices, and programs into the business strategy of the organization.  Previously, Kim Rustem served as the City of Detroit’s Director of the Civil Rights, Inclusion and Opportunity department, Policy Director for the Detroit Mayor’s Office and the Policy Director for the Detroit Health Department.  She is a resident of Detroit, Michigan.

Mary Ann is a seasoned design and experience leader with a proven track record of driving innovation and growth. Her work is grounded in a rigorous data-driven approach, and she is dedicated to delivering exceptional experiences that foster trust and build meaningful relationships with customers. Working cross-functionally with technology, operations, and design, Mary Ann excels at communicating and championing a clear and compelling vision for member experience and behavior change.

As the VP, Experience at Devoted Health, she leads talented teams in crafting an exceptional end-to-end member experience that leaves members feeling known and cared for. She is passionate about understanding what truly supports members’ health and well-being—whether through seamless care navigation, proactive engagement, or access to nutrition and Food is Medicine initiatives. Mary Ann’s leadership has been integral to Devoted’s success as one of the fastest-growing consumer healthcare companies in our category—with an NPS of 70 and trust scores above 90%.

Before joining Devoted, Mary Ann worked at the United States Digital Service at the White House, where she helped improve the delivery of critical government services for Veterans. She also served as a lead editor of Health Literacy Online, a guide to writing and designing easy-to-use health websites. Mary Ann received her BA and MPH from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Kofi D. Essel, MD, MPH, FAAP, is the inaugural Food as Medicine Program Director at Elevance Health. As a core member of the Health Outcomes Organization team, he works to coordinate with the broader social impact strategy, health equity, and medical policy initiatives throughout the enterprise. He leads efforts in designing innovative approaches to address diet related chronic diseases and social risk using novel food interventions.

Dr. Essel is a board-certified community pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital(CNH) and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University(GWU) School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. Most recently serving as the Director of the GWU Culinary Medicine Program. Dr. Essel has dedicated his career to advocacy/research around healthcare and public health workforce training, health disparities, and community engagement, with expertise and national recognition in the areas of addressing diet related chronic disease and food insecurity with patients and families.

Dr. Essel is an award winning author and speaker, and is incredibly passionate about research dissemination and translation.  He has been extensively published in peer reviewed journals, frequently appears in lay media, and has targeted his messaging for local, national, and international audiences.  Dr. Essel sits on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Roundtable on Obesity Solutions’ Lived Experience Innovation Collaborative and was nationally recognized by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for helping to create an innovative curriculum to enhance pediatric resident trainee skills on nutrition related disease management. Dr. Essel sits on the board of directors for the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and serves as physician advisor for the Partnership for a Healthier America’s “Veggies Early & Often” campaign. Dr. Essel is a member of the executive committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Obesity. He also co-authored a national toolkit for pediatric providers to address food insecurity in their clinical settings with the AAP and FRAC. Dr. Essel earned a B.S. from Emory University with a focus on human biology/anthropology and earned his M.D. and M.P.H. in Epidemiology from GWU.

Allison Hess is the Vice President of Health Services for Geisinger. She has over 20 years of experience in healthcare and is responsible for the oversight and implementation of health services programming that includes Geisinger patients, GHP insured members and community members. She started her career in community health education while expanding her scope to include innovative employer wellness, preventive health and population health initiatives driven by data analysis and clinical outcome measurements. Most recently her work has been focused on quality/preventive care initiatives, innovative programs targeting social needs, wellness and quality/prevention initiatives.

Ms. Hess has earned a Bachelor of science in Health Education and her MBA from Bloomsburg University. She has been the recipient of several awards focused in various areas of health including social needs, worksite wellness and innovative supply chain. She has also been recognized nationally for her work with the Fresh Food Farmacy program.

Nebeyou Abebe is senior vice president of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) at Highmark Health, a $27 billion national health organization encompassing a major Blue Cross Blue Shield insurer and a large regional hospital and physician network. He leads a cross-enterprise SDOH team focused on improving the health and well-being of members across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and New York, collaborating closely with local communities to address social drivers of health.

With nearly 20 years of experience in SDOH, population health, and employee well-being, Abebe previously served as Global Vice President of Health and Well-being for Sodexo Group and Associate Director of Health Systems for the Louisiana Public Health Institute. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, a master’s in social and public policy from Georgetown University, and a Project Management Professional credential. He serves on the board of directors for SNP Alliance.

Pamela Schwartz, MPH, is executive director of community health for Kaiser Permanente. She leads a broad portfolio of work in the areas of highest need among Kaiser Permanente members and its communities, including food, housing, and financial security. Pam oversees Kaiser Permanente’s $50 million Food Is Medicine commitment to improve access to healthy food in communities as part of the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Health Communities. She leads the new Kaiser Permanente Food Is Medicine Center of Excellence, which she helped create to more fully integrate food and nutrition into health care delivery and to drive the uptake of Food Is Medicine programs across the nation.

An experienced leader in health care and community health, Pam has served on many advisory committees and expert panels, and she is currently on faculty at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine in the Department of Health System Science.