Hartford Business Journal

26 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | NOVEMBER 17, 2025 POWE R 25 | HE ALTH CARE insurance related. That includes the Connecticut Asso- ciation of Health Plans, which has spent $238,370.20 on lobbying the state General Assembly, according to the Office of State Ethics. That's the 13th-largest amount spent on lobbying by any organization. The association is led by Executive Di- rector Susan Halpin, who is also a lobbyist with Hartford law firm Robinson+Cole. In 2018, Halpin was named co-princi- pal of the Robinson+Cole Government Relations Group leading the state team of lobbyists. Her role was elevated in 2023, when Robinson+Cole launched a new subsidi- ary to formalize its government relations group. The CT Government Relations Group of Robinson+Cole LLC is led by Halpin and Brooks Campion, who are co-principals. Halpin has direct responsibility for all healthcare and insurance lobbying mat- ters, according to the firm. Early in her career, she worked in the state Capitol as a Senate aide, according to her bio page. She then joined the lobby- ing group Duffy/Stover Inc., which became part of Robinson+Cole in 1991. Connecticut, a state investment launched in 2011 to position Connecticut as a leader in biomedical research and innovation. Liang has also helped drive record levels of research support: in recent years, the school surpassed $100 million annually in National Institutes of Health funding. Liang's influence extends beyond aca- demics. He served more than two years as interim CEO of UConn Health, guiding the institution during a leadership transition. A cardiovascular physician-scientist at the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center, Liang is also the Ray Neag Distin- guished Professor of Cardiovascular Biol- ogy and Medicine. Before joining UConn Health in 2002, he spent 13 years on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. In his new role, Mudano oversees more than 30 physicians, 50 providers and 300 staff members who handle roughly 250,000 patient visits a year. He has led the organization through a period of oper- ational and structural changes, including the launch of OAH's first physician-led strategic planning process to identify long-term goals for growth, service expan- sion and quality improvement. Mudano has also overseen a staff restructuring, while advancing plans to expand the group's Rocky Hill surgery cen- ter and office complex. OAH has recently begun piloting direct-to-employer contracts with local businesses to help manage healthcare costs and introduced new online scheduling and telehealth options to improve convenience for patients. Earlier in his career, Mudano managed the organization's finances, business operations, contracts and compliance functions. He holds a master's degree in healthcare administration from the University of New Haven and a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut. University School of Medicine, and is a graduate of the Harvard Macy and Stanford faculty development programs. SUSAN HALPIN Continued from page 25 DAVID MUDANO D avid Mudano has spent his entire 34-year career with Orthopedic Associates of Hartford (OAH), one of the state's largest physician-owned specialty practices. A lifelong Connecticut resident, he was named CEO in May 2024 after more than two decades as the group's chief financial officer. DR. BRUCE LIANG D r. Bruce Liang continues to shape the future of Connecti- cut's physician workforce and biomedical research as dean of the UConn School of Medicine, a role he has held since 2015. Reappointed in July to a third five-year term, Liang has overseen significant changes at the state's only public medical school. Under his leadership, the school imple- mented the M Delta curriculum, shifting training toward team-based, active learn- ing. The school also expanded its class size, exceeding targets set by Bioscience DR. LISA COPLIT D r. Lisa Coplit became dean of Quinnipiac University's Frank H. Netter MD School of Medi- cine in October 2025, after serving as interim dean since July. A founding member of the medical school, she has held several leadership positions since its launch, including as- sociate dean for faculty development and senior associate dean for faculty affairs. Coplit has focused on faculty training and curriculum development, helping to build programs in teaching, assessment and leadership. Before joining Quinnipiac, she directed the Institute for Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. A board-certified internist, Coplit has held clinical appointments in Bridgeport, New York and Boston. She earned her medical degree and completed her residency at the Boston "Paula was a great advocate and strategist throughout the sale of my property..." -R.M. Co n t ac t me today ! JODIE GILLON S ince taking over as president and CEO of BioCT in 2023, Jodie Gillon has become one of the most visible champions of Connecti- cut's bioscience sector. An epidemiologist with 25 years of experience at major pharma and biotech companies, she now leads the trade group representing Connecticut's life sciences industry, which employs 25,000 people statewide. BioCT supports entrepreneurs through incubators in Groton and New Haven, offers mentoring and educational services, and advocates for policies to keep Connecticut competitive in a fast-changing industry. Early in her tenure, Gillon embarked on a listening tour with stakeholders and has since pushed to grow the state's venture capital base and bioscience workforce. One of BioCT's biggest recent wins came during the 2025 legislative session, when lawmakers approved increasing the state's R&D tax credit for bioscience companies from 65% to 90%. Gillon and her organization had lobbied heavily for the change, calling it essential to keeping Connecticut competitive with neighboring states and encouraging companies to stay and expand here. She has become a forceful public voice on policy. In a May op-ed, Gillon warned that prescription drug price controls pro- posed by the state legislature would deter investment and innovation, undoing years of progress. Instead, she urged legislators to target pharmacy benefit managers, which she said drive up costs while reduc- ing patient savings.

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