ENZI ANNOUNCES PROMOTION OF SHANA CHRISTRUP TO HEALTH POLICY DIRECTOR; ANDREW PATZMAN TO DEPUTY DIRECTOR; WELCOMES LINDSAY HUNSICKER TO EDUCATION STAFF

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of theSenate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today announced the promotion of Shana Christrup to Health Policy Director of the Committee’s Minority health policy office, and Andrew Patzman to Deputy Health Policy Director and Senior Counsel. He also welcomed Lindsay Hunsicker, who is joining the HELP Committee as Senior Education Policy Advisor. “Shana Christrup has been instrumental to numerous HELP Committee successes over the past two years, including the renewal of the ‘Ryan White CARE Act,’” Enzi said. “I look forward to her continued leadership to advance policies that will improve the quality of health care in America while increasing affordability and expanding access. I have full confidence in her, and I am excited about what I believe we can accomplish in the 110th Congress.” Christrup joined the HELP Committee in January 2005, and has handled issues related to public health, including domestic HIV/AIDS, global health, women’s health, obesity, cord blood, vaccines, and prevention efforts. Her previous experience includes work as Deputy Director of Legislation for the Washington Office of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and as health policy advisor to Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) on the Subcommittee on Public Health of the Senate HELP Committee. She has also worked as a Presidential Management Intern at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and as the Truman Summer Intern at the National Institutes of Health Office of AIDS Research. Christrup earned a Masters in Public Health with a focus of Health Policy and Administration from Yale University, a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Human Biology from Oxford University, and an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “Andrew Patzman has played a key role in major legislative achievements during my service as Chairman, particularly the Committee’s passage of a bipartisan bill to allow Small Business Health Plans,” Enzi said. “I strongly believe that his hard work and dedication will help build on the HELP Committee’s successes of the last Congress. Patzman is currently senior health counsel for the Committee, focusing principally on health care access, coverage, cost, and related issues, including development of legislation addressing small business health plans and health insurance market reform. His previous experience includes work as a health care attorney in the Washington office of Epstein, Becker & Green, P.C., and as senior policy advisor and counsel to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. He has also worked as a senior policy advisor at the Department of Health and Human Services, and on the professional staff of the then- Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee. He began his health policy career on the staff of former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kan.). Patzman received his undergraduate degree from Stanford and his law degree from Georgetown.“I am very pleased to welcome Lindsay Hunsicker to the HELP Committee team, and am confident that her experience and knowledge will pay dividends as we work to renew and improve vital education programs to ensure a lifetime of opportunities for America’s students and workers.” As Senior Education Policy Advisor to the HELP Committee, Lindsay Hunsicker will focus primarily on No Child Left Behind and Head Start. Her previous experience includes six years as a Legislative Assistant for Senator John Ensign (R-NV). In this capacity, Lindsay focused on education, labor, pensions, welfare, and disability policy. Prior to joining Senator Ensign’s office, Lindsay began her career on the Hill with Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR).Hunsicker earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington. ####