No Patient Left Behind Welcomes Priscilla VanderVeer as Executive Director
Veteran leader brings decades of experience advancing patient-centered policy at the intersection of innovation, access, and affordability
WASHINGTON, DC - February 9, 2026 - No Patient Left Behind (NPLB) today announced that Priscilla VanderVeer has been appointed its new Executive Director. She succeeds Peter Rubin, NPLB’s founding Executive Director, who has led the organization since its launch in 2020 and will continue to contribute as a member of the NPLB board.
VanderVeer brings more than two decades of experience working at the intersection of biotech, public policy, and advocacy, including time at Walgreens, PhRMA and APCO Worldwide. Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment for NPLB, as the organization builds on its defining edge that combines front-line biotech expertise, specialist investor insight, and a communications lab to turn skeptics of the biopharmaceutical industry into supporters.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been driven by a simple but too-often-overlooked truth: innovation and affordability don’t have to be in conflict,” said Priscilla VanderVeer. “Patients shouldn’t be forced to choose between a future where cures are possible and a present where they can afford the medicines that keep them alive. I’m honored to lead No Patient Left Behind, an organization that is committed to protecting the incentives that make breakthroughs possible while demanding that our health care system works for patients today.”
NPLB has a unique ability to mobilize a network of innovators, investors, patient advocates, members of the insurance industry, and other leaders from across healthcare who bring their expertise and passion to the table to design solutions. The organization combines real-time insights from this group with rigorous policy research from leading health economists to preserve innovation and protect patients. At the same time, NPLB has invested in elevating patient voices through a patient advocate webinar series, and the organization recently expanded its Biotech Fellowship to build a pipeline of leaders fluent in science, economics, and public policy.
“Since No Patient Left Behind’s founding, we’ve conducted rigorous policy research and connected it with human stories, education, and public engagement to make sure that today’s and tomorrow’s biotech innovation is accessible to patients,” said Peter Kolchinsky, founder and Steering Committee member of NPLB. “I want to thank Peter Rubin for his guidance and tireless efforts on behalf of NPLB during a turbulent time in our industry. And I want to welcome Priscilla, who is uniquely positioned to take the baton and lead NPLB’s next chapter as the environment that biotech companies operate in becomes even more challenging.”
VanderVeer’s leadership is informed by both professional expertise and lived experience as a patient navigating serious illness, insurance barriers, and the life-saving impact of biomedical innovation. These perspectives will help her shape NPLB’s work to rebuild trust and elevate patient-centered solutions.
“Our goal is ensuring the system continues to deliver breakthroughs and that patients are never left behind because policy failed to keep pace with science or abide by the first principles of economics and finance,” VanderVeer added. “And most importantly, we aim to inspire the public to believe that affordable innovation for all is possible and offers hope for everyone still waiting for their cure.”
About No Patient Left Behind
No Patient Left Behind (NPLB) is a coalition of biotechnology innovators, investors, healthcare professionals, economists, and patient advocates working to ensure that patients have access to the medicines they need today and in the future. Through rigorous, independent research and data analysis, NPLB promotes biotech affordability and innovation, advancing common-sense solutions that enable every patient to afford the drugs prescribed by their doctor at low or no out-of-pocket cost – while also preserving the incentives for investment that spur the development of new, life-saving treatments. In tandem with its research efforts, NPLB educates leaders and stakeholders across the biotech ecosystem about thoughtful and balanced policy solutions. Learn more about NPLB’s latest initiatives at www.nopatientleftbehind.org.