Meet NPLB’s New Executive Director

By: Priscilla VanderVeer

I’m deeply honored and excited to share that I’ve been appointed Executive Director of No Patient Left Behind (NPLB). 

Many thanks to Peter Kolchinsky and the NPLB board and team for their confidence and support. Their passion for turning policy into progress for patients is what drew me to NPLB – the belief that innovation and affordability don’t have to be in conflict, and that patients shouldn’t be forced to pay the price for a false choice between the two.

Since its founding in 2020, NPLB has advanced a pragmatic, patient-centered vision for a biotech social contract, one that promotes innovation while insisting insurance works the way it should. In its first five years, NPLB has become a trusted and compelling voice that punches far beyond its weight – responding credibly to policy threats against patient access and future innovation, elevating public understanding of biomedical innovation, and bringing together diverse voices to find common ground on complex issues.

None of this would have been possible without the exceptional leadership of founding Executive Director Peter Rubin. I’m deeply grateful to Peter for fostering a remarkable team and preparing us for the opportunities and fights that lie ahead. His contributions and impact will continue to serve us as we embark on our next chapter, and we thank him for all he’s done to get us to this point.

As we move into our next phase, I’m committed to advancing NPLB’s balanced, credible vision for the biomedical ecosystem – protecting the incentives that make tomorrow’s cures possible while demanding that patients can access the medicines they need today through proper insurance design. That means rigorous policy engagement, sustained public education, and expanding and activating our coalition across innovators, clinicians, patients, investors, and policymakers. 

This mission is deeply personal to me. I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune condition as a child that led to kidney failure by age six, years on dialysis, and two kidney transplants. I’ve relied on Medicare and Medicaid, fought insurers for lifesaving treatments, and experienced both the financial strain of coverage gaps and the profound relief when innovation and access aligned just in time. That lived experience has always informed my professional work, even when it wasn’t publicly visible.

Too often, those who defend biomedical innovation are portrayed as motivated by profit rather than purpose. In reality, many of us are here because we know what is at stake when innovation slows or access fails. In today’s policy and reputational environment, it’s time to bring our human stories forward, rebuild trust, and defend an ecosystem that has delivered life-changing breakthroughs and must continue to do so.

I can’t wait to work alongside so many smart, committed people to defend and advance biomedical innovation and ensure no patient is left behind due to flawed policies and the shortfalls of our healthcare system.

Learn more about NPLB’s work and where we’re going in our 2025 impact report.