100 Most Influential People in Healthcare - 2024

Connolly has served as the head of the organization representing nonprofit, community-based health company members since 2016. She has used her more than 30 years of experience in Washington — including as a healthcare journalist — to advocate for national policy, including oversight of the prior authorization process for providers. This year, she attended a White House roundtable in support of the Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative, along with securing a $1.5 million grant aimed at improving diabetes outcomes by 2030. She also led a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute-funded project to interrogate the potential link between Black maternal health and toxic stress and oversaw the launch of MA for Tomorrow, which seeks to improve the Medicare Advantage program. She is a founding member of Women of Impact, which includes more than 100 women executives from around the country.