T1D Exchange Announces Two New Appointments to its Board of Directors 

T1D Exchange Announces Two New Appointments to its Board of Directors 

April 14, 2021 

T1D Exchange announced today the appointments of Gary A. Puckrein, Ph.D. and Phillip Cagnassola to its Board of Directors, effective March 11, 2021. Dr. Puckrein and Mr. Cagnassola bring a wealth of experience in non-profit healthcare and diabetes organizations, and using data-driven initiatives to improve health outcomes. The appointments support T1D Exchange’s work to drive meaningful research and outcomes improvement in treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D). 

“We are thrilled to welcome Gary and Phillip and have their support in our mission to improve outcomes for the entire T1D population through driving real-world evidence and collaborative change,” said Board Chair, Jay Mohr. “Their deep expertise in non-profit and business leadership will help T1D Exchange expand existing initiatives and identify new ways to bring additional value to our stakeholders in the T1D community.”   

Dr. Puckrein is the President and CEO of the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF), a not-for-profit organization that he founded in 1998. Mr. Cagnassola is a business executive and the founder of Frasier Capital LLC, a private investment firm, and has a daughter living with T1D. 

“Gary and Phillip bring unique perspectives to help us pursue our organizational goals on behalf of this wide-reaching health community,” said T1D Exchange CEO Dave Walton. “Gary’s expertise in addressing health disparities among minority populations, particularly in diabetes,  furthers our commitment to use data science to address unmet needs in diabetes care, while ensuring research inclusivity. Phillip’s business strategy and Board experience, along with his deeply personal connection to T1D, will be invaluable as we grow our initiatives and partnerships to serve and benefit the entire T1D community.”   

With Dr. Puckrein’s leadership, NMQF strengthens local communities’ capacity to eliminate the disproportionate burden of premature death and preventable illness in minority populations through prevention, early detection and control of disease complications through evidence-based data-driven initiatives. NMQF has developed a comprehensive database of over 5 billion patient records, which it uses to define disease prevalence, costs, and outcomes for demographic subpopulations by geography. Dr. Puckrein is also on the Board of Directors for the National Health Council, which brings diverse organizations together to forge consensus and drive patient-centered health policy. 

“I look forward to working with T1D Exchange leadership to foster even more inclusive collaborations and data-driven initiatives that will make a lasting positive impact for all people with T1D,” said Dr. Puckrein.  

Mr. Cagnassola has served on several Boards and is a Board member of the College Diabetes Network, a non-profit organization focused on providing young adults with T1D the peer connections and expert resources to successfully manage the challenging transition to independence at college and beyond. Prior to founding Frasier Capital, he held senior leadership positions with companies that leveraged his ability to identify unusual problems and apply digital tools to unlock value for consumers and business. Notably, one of those companies, Walker Digital, used its “name your own price” innovation to found priceline.com. Mr. Cagnassola is a graduate of Fairfield University and is the university’s first Charles F. Dolan School of Business Investor-In-Residence, where he mentors and works with students to understand the critical view of the investor in helping businesses succeed. 

“As the father of a daughter with T1D, I know firsthand the challenges that people living with this disease face each day,” said Mr. Cagnassola. “Together with my Board peers and T1D Exchange leadership, I know we will deliver the insights and data needed to advance patient care and outcomes.” 

About T1D Exchange   

T1D Exchange is a leader in harnessing data to advance type 1 diabetes (T1D) care and outcomes by driving collaborative change. Through real-world evidence and clinical data collection and analysis, our novel insights are identifying gaps in data and redefining best practices to improve the lives of those living with T1D. T1D Exchange actively supports quality improvement and innovation through its Quality Improvement Collaborative, patient registry, and data-oriented research services. Through a knowledge–sharing and collaboration-focused approach, T1D Exchange is accelerating real-world impacts by providing clinicians, researchers, industry partners and advocates with the resources and services they need for better decision support and population health management. A nonprofit organization, T1D Exchange was established in 2010 with ongoing support from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.