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Marwood Group Expands Life Sciences & HealthTech Leadership with Appointment of Ex-FDA Policy Leader Dr. Ritu Nalubola
Marwood Group Expands Life Sciences & HealthTech Leadership with Appointment of Ex-FDA Policy Leader Dr. Ritu Nalubola
July 23, 2025
Marwood Group, a leading healthcare advisory firm, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Ritu Nalubola as Director. Dr. Nalubola brings 25 years of experience at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where she served in various senior leadership roles, most recently as the Associate Commissioner for Policy and the Acting Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation, and International Affairs, where she also served as Deputy Director. She also held a diplomatic posting in the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels as the Director of FDA Regional Office in Europe. Dr. Nalubola’s work at the FDA spanned a wide variety of areas within life sciences and public health. She spearheaded and advised on key policy priorities across biotech, digital healthtech, nanotech, artificial intelligence, and global regulatory cooperation. She led and contributed extensively to numerous FDA regulations and guidances throughout her tenure. “Dr. Nalubola’s deep expertise in FDA regulatory policy and global public health will be an invaluable asset to our clients,” said Joe Mercer, Managing Director, Marwood Group. “Her insight into FDA priorities and policymaking will accelerate Marwood’s growing leadership in life sciences and healthtech.” Dr. Nalubola earned her doctorate from Michigan State University and conducted postdoctoral work at Johns Hopkins University with the U.S. Agency for International Development, prior to joining the FDA. “I’m excited to join Marwood and help clients navigate today’s evolving regulatory landscape,” said Dr. Nalubola. “It’s a great opportunity to apply my public sector experience to support innovation and strategic decision-making across the healthcare industry.” Dr. Nalubola’s addition further enhances Marwood’s growing bench of senior experts advising clients on healthcare policy, regulatory affairs, reimbursement, and commercial strategy.
Labour’s Special Education Policies – What Message Is The New Government Trying To SEND?
Labour’s Special Education Policies – What Message Is The New Government Trying To SEND?
May 20, 2025
The Labour Party’s victory in the July 2024 general election has ushered in a wave of policy commitments with new implications for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. Labour has signalled its intent to address longstanding challenges in the SEND sector, particularly through a “community-wide approach” to enhance inclusivity and support structures in mainstream education. However, the details of this approach remain ambiguous, prompting concerns among SEND stakeholders about practical implementation. Cost pressures from National Living Wage and National Insurance Contribution increases may threaten the viability of smaller independent SEND providers but could present opportunities for consolidation for larger players. For investors in independent special schools, Labour’s agenda presents potential risks and opportunities. The government’s commitment to maintaining special schools for children with the most complex needs offers some stability for high-acuity placements. However, broader moves toward mainstream inclusion, stronger local authority oversight, and evolving funding allocations could shift demand dynamics in the independent SEND sector. In this piece, Marwood examines Labour’s key SEND policies, the implications of new cost pressures for independent SEND providers, and the evolving funding landscape. We assess how these developments may affect the viability of independent special schools and explore strategic considerations for investors navigating this evolving market.
2025 Washington Health Care Policy Report
2025 Washington Health Care Policy Report
March 21, 2025
While the 2024 Presidential and Congressional election cycle featured limited discussion of health care, 2025 has featured intense focus on the industry as President Trump staffs his administration and a full Republican lineup looks to pay for extending Tax Cuts and Jobs Act policies. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz represent a new type of political appointee for HHS and CMS, respectively. RFK, Jr. takes the helm at HHS as the Trump administration looks to reduce staff across HHS and reduce funding, including for NIH grants. For Dr. Oz, there are questions about how he will handle Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) drug pricing negotiations as well as Medicare Advantage policy. In Congress, Republicans look to extend tax cuts, Medicaid has been at the top of the list of potential cuts. The list of potential policies range from repealing Biden Medicaid rules, to imposing work requirements, to major changes to the program including limiting annual Medicaid growth and reducing the Medicaid expansion federal matching rate to the traditional Medicaid rate, which would eliminate expansion in many states. The search for Medicaid cuts has created tension among House and Senate Republicans, with fiscal hawks arguing for larger cuts while more moderate members and those from battleground states and districts uncomfortable with even more modest cuts. Congressional Republicans are intent on passing an extension of the tax cuts, so this will continue to be an issue until that goal is satisfied. Another key issue is the fate of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange subsidies, initially passed as part of the American Rescue Plan in 2021 and extended in the IRA in 2022. Since 2021, over 12 million new enrollees have joined the exchanges, but the subsidies are set to expire at the end of 2025. It is not clear how Congressional Republicans could get on board with an extension, but there will be intense lobbying from providers, payors, and patients throughout 2025. Beyond these 2 major issues, there are a host of other issues, including physician fee schedule reform, the impact of the Department of Governmental Efficiency on Medicare and other government systems, and any read through from the IRA on pharma, Part D sponsors, and related entities, such as CROs. We hope you enjoy our latest Washington Health Care Policy Report.
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Marwood Webinar | Election 2024: Healthcare Impacts & Outlook
Join our experts Mark Galay, Stephen Williams, Kim Vukhac, and Joe Mercer on Thursday September 12th at 1:00pm ET to discuss election 2024 outlook & impacts for key healthcare issues Topics include the future of enhanced ACA subsidies, MA risks & Medicaid work requirements, potential rollbacks of current administration policies, drug pricing spotlight & IRA negotiations, and more. We look forward to seeing you there, and please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions.

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Marwood is proud to sponsor the 2024 KLAS Digital Health Investment Symposium: an intimate executive retreat for thought leaders and decision makers across the healthcare provider and investor landscapes.

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Pre-Recess Legislative & Regulatory Update | July 2024
Our experts Mark Galay, Stephen Williams, Kim Vukhac, and Joe Mercer discuss recent legislative & regulatory catalysts, including Congressional priorities entering August recess and setting up for the lame-duck session as well as the recently proposed Calendar Year 2025 rules

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