The Alliance for Aging Research is proud to have dedicated staff members supporting the organization in its mission to improve the universal human experience of aging and health. This week, we are featuring Adina Lasser, the Alliance’s Public Policy Manager.
What do you do at the Alliance for Aging Research?
As the Public Policy Manager at the Alliance, I work directly with Congressional staff and key federal agencies, like the Food and Drug Administration or Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to ensure that bills and regulations reflect the voice and the priorities of older adults. I also work with other patient advocacy organizations to amplify our collective voice.
How long have you worked at the Alliance?
I have been at the Alliance since April of this year, and it’s been an incredible two months.
Where are you from, and what brought you to the Washington, DC area?
I am from Greenville, South Carolina and moved up to DC in May 2021! I have wanted to live in DC after I completed a semester here when I was in college. I originally moved up to DC in January 2020, but you can imagine how that went…
What is your favorite project or topic you’ve worked on while at the Alliance?
I think the topic I have enjoyed working on the most so far is drug pricing, and specifically looking at the role Pharmacy Benefit Managers play in that system. The Alliance is working hard to ensure that out-of-pocket costs are low for Medicare beneficiaries and breaking down that problem into its component parts has been a very interesting experience for me. The work feels timely and important!
Do you have a personal connection with any of the health issues/conditions the Alliance works on?
Yes, my wonderful great uncle (who is 96!) lives in a long-term care facility, so I have connected to our work on ensuring that those facilities function as they are supposed to and provide the best care to patients.
What is something you’ve learned about healthy aging since working at the Alliance that has either changed your view or impacted the way you personally approach aging?
Getting older is not for the faint of heart, but there’s a lot that we can do to make it easier on ourselves and a lot of exciting innovation going on in this field.
What is your favorite book?
This is a tough question because I love to read so it’s hard to choose. One of my favorites is Little Women. My mom gave it to me to read when I was in 5th grade, and I’ve probably read it forty times since then! I think it’s a lovely story about finding the beautiful parts of life in hard times. I also love the 2019 movie adaptation.
What is one thing that not many people know about you?
Ever since coming to DC I have been taking improv comedy classes at the Washington Improv Theater. Improv is such a fun way to get to know people and have a great time. I highly recommend everyone try a class sometime, it’s not as hard as it looks, and it can be pretty thrilling to get out on stage in front of an audience and not know what will happen next!
