The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) has announced that long-time healthcare policy expert Dan Durham will be joining BIO as executive vice president and will lead the organization’s health policy section.

“Dan is a proven and respected leader in the health policy field and will be an important addition to BIO’s senior management team,” said Jim Greenwood, president and CEO of BIO. “Dan’s unique mix of public and private sector experience—in both the pharmaceutical development and healthcare coverage and payment system areas—will allow him to hit the ground running at BIO. This is a critical time for our industry and for the patients we serve, and we need to make sure that the regulatory and healthcare coverage and payment environment is keeping pace with the stunning advancements happening in the scientific labs of our members. We must ensure that patients have access to the innovations of today and that our entrepreneurs can continue to develop the breakthroughs of tomorrow. Dan has the policy experience, the relationships, and the management skills to help us achieve our policy goals and objectives.”

Durham comes to BIO from America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), where he most recently was executive vice president for strategic initiatives. Prior to that, Durham spent four years as AHIP’s executive vice president for policy and regulatory affairs. Durham also was interim CEO of AHIP.

Before joining AHIP, Durham was vice president of policy for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) from 2005 to 2010. From 2001 to 2005, Durham was deputy assistant secretary for health policy and deputy to the deputy assistant secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Prior to joining HHS, Durham worked as an associate commissioner for retirement policy and deputy associate commissioner at the Social Security Administration. He also spent eight years at AARP working on health, economic and federal budget issues. Before AARP, Durham worked at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), executive office of the president, and as a policy analyst in the California Legislative Analyst Office.

Durham will join BIO on Jan. 18. Kay Holcombe, who was interim head of health policy, will return to her role as senior vice president, science policy.