The Peterson Center on Healthcare, a non-profit organization dedicated to making higher-quality, more affordable healthcare a reality for all Americans, is adding two health policy experts to its staff. Andrea Ducas and Ellen Lukens both have extensive expertise in healthcare and in the processes and policies that facilitate efficient care delivery.

Andrea Ducas, MPH, will be the vice president of programs at the Peterson Center on Healthcare, where she will lead strategy and operations for grantmaking, develop and oversee strategic portfolios, and expand data transparency and state-led affordability efforts. Andrea brings extensive experience in health policy and philanthropy. Previously, Andrea led federal policy efforts to improve healthcare affordability as vice president of health policy at the Center for American Progress and served as a senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Ellen Lukens, MPH, will be a senior advisor at the Peterson Center on Healthcare. Ellen’s depth of experience in health policy and federal health insurance programs will be invaluable to advancing the Center’s mission. She previously served as deputy director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center (CMMI), where her team developed and implemented innovative payment and care delivery models to improve quality and reduce costs in Medicare and Medicaid, and as a senior vice president at Avalere Health.

“Our mission to improve healthcare affordability demands critical thinkers who understand how the system works and what is needed to shift incentives,” said Caroline Pearson, executive director of the Peterson Center on Healthcare. “Improving the quality and cost of healthcare is challenging work, and we could not advance the cause without experts who help identify new ways to improve outcomes and efficiency. We are thrilled to add Andrea and Ellen to our team.”