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Amanda D’Ambrosio is a health care reporter at Crain’s New York Business. She covers the business of the city and state health care system and follows policies that impact hospitals, nursing homes, insurers and other medical providers. Amanda joined Crain’s in 2023 after spending three years covering health at MedPage Today. She is a graduate of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.

As president of the Healthcare Association of New York State, Bea Grause is a passionate advocate for New York’s nonprofit and public hospitals, health systems and post-acute and continuing care providers. She also oversees HANYS’ nationally engaged for-profit business services. Since her tenure began in 2016, she has contributed her extensive clinical, political and legal know-how to the organization’s agenda and in discussions with state and federal healthcare stakeholders.

Throughout the tremendous challenges of the pandemic, Grause’s leadership ensured that New York’s hospitals and health systems have had resources, flexibility and government support needed to preserve care in communities across the state. Grause continues to advocate on behalf of New York’s hospitals and health systems as they face severe and escalating fiscal and workforce crises post-pandemic.

Prior to HANYS, Grause served as president and CEO of the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems for 14 years, successfully leading Vermont hospitals through a variety of reform initiatives, including the state’s single-payer debate, and building the hospitals’ brand as trusted, competent leaders.

Grause spent 10 years in Washington, D.C., in a variety of positions. She began her D.C. tenure as a legislative assistant, first in the office of Rep. Norman Y. Mineta and then for Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II. After she left Capitol Hill, Grause simultaneously held senior governmental affairs positions with the Tennessee Hospital Association and Massachusetts Hospital Association. She spent three years working as counsel with the law firm of Foley, Hoag. In this role, she developed tailored legislative and regulatory strategies for many healthcare clients. Grause previously worked as a registered nurse, primarily in the emergency room and intensive care areas at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center of California.

She completed a three-year term (2012 to 2015) as an at-large member of the American Hospital Association board of trustees, including a 2015 term on the AHA Executive and AHA CEO Search Committees. As part of her AHA board responsibilities, she also served as chairman of the AHA Allied Advisory Committee on Medicaid.

Grause earned her Juris Doctorate in 1991. She earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Boston College in 1979 and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She is also a 2003 graduate of the Vermont Leadership Institute.

A WCA Board member for 18 years, Rob is vice president for government affairs at New York Medical College (NYMC), dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice and Institute of Public Health. He co-founded and secured outside funding for the region’s biotechnology incubator (BioInc), NYSTAR Center for Disaster Medicine, and Children’s Environmental Health Center of the Hudson Valley with an emphasis on children and other vulnerable segments of the population.

Rob was regional health administrator for the US Department of Health and Human Services where he commanded the multilateral biomedical response force against terrorism and natural disasters. He served as an epidemic intelligence officer at CDC and chief medical officer for CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and advised the U.S. Surgeon General and EPA administrator on health protection issues. He conceptualized and secured Congressional funding for the nationwide network of Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs).

A practicing physician, Rob is a graduate of Dartmouth College, Rutgers Medical School, and New York University, with post-graduate study at Harvard Business School and residencies at Bellevue Hospital and CDC. He is an Honorary Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Foundation and recipient of NYMC’s William Cullen Bryant Award, City and State Reports’ Chairman’s Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, President’s Award from Westchester Institute for Human Development, and “Dr. Robert W. Amler Day” from the Honorable Andrea Stewart-Cousins, President Pro Tempore and Majority Leader of the New York State Senate.

Megan Baldwin

Ms. Baldwin is the Senior Vice President of Government and Community Relations at Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth). In this role, Ms. Baldwin leads WMCHealth’s government and community relations efforts across its nine hospitals in eight counties throughout the Hudson Valley region. She is responsible for cultivating collaborative relationships with elected officials, government agencies, and community partners to advance WMCHealth’s strategic priorities and ensure the delivery of high-quality patient care.

Ms. Baldwin brings over 15 years of experience in government and healthcare, with extensive expertise in navigating New York State healthcare policy, operations, and financing. Prior to joining WMCHealth, she served as Acting Executive Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Department of Health, where she managed day-to-day operations and played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the state’s Vaccine Distribution Leadership team. Her career also includes leadership roles at SUNY System Administration and the NYS Office of the Governor, where she advanced public health policy and emergency response coordination.

Ms. Baldwin holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Management and Leadership from Rochester Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Management from SUNY College at Brockport.

Ms. Baldwin serves on the boards of Nonprofit Westchester, United Way of New York State, Donate Life New York State, and the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation. Her leadership style emphasizes collaboration, strategic planning, and community engagement, making her a driving force in healthcare advocacy and public policy.