We are a coalition of healthcare workers fed up with the inaction in government.

Our Story

Healthcare For Action was founded in 2022 to support healthcare workers running for Congress. Dr. Anahita Dua, Chair of Healthcare for Action, is a Vascular Surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard University. As a surgeon, she knows that in order to get things done and save lives, the surgery team has to work together and take action. Our politics shouldn’t be any different. 

In 2023, Healthcare For Action merged with Doctors In Politics, founded in 2020 by a group of physicians specializing in psychiatry, family medicine, OBGYN, and neurology. They were committed to patient-centered and equitable political change at all levels of government and grew to a membership of nearly 10,000. We believe fundamentally that all policy is health policy. 

There are too many existential threats facing our democracy. From reversing climate change, preserving access to abortion, and curbing the epidemic of gun violence we must take action now and play the long game. From acute care to prevention, healthcare workers know how to get the job done. That is the guiding vision of the largest Democratic healthcare workers PAC in the country - Join our community at Healthcare For Action!

Meet our Founder and Chair

  • Dr. Anahita Dua is a vascular surgeon at the Massachusetts General Hospital and an Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. As a healthcare worker who has been caring for patients for years, she is committed and dedicated to patient care in every capacity. Never before has public health been as crucial to the health of our nation as it is today. Poverty, violence, reversal of basic human rights and the recent pandemic have to be solved with collaboration and critical thought in Washington - healthcare professionals in Congress and the Senate can do exactly that.

    Dr. Dua embarked on this journey because of a life changing event. As a surgeon Dr. Dua has seen the ravages of gun violence up close in the operating room. But when she had to buy her daughter a bullet proof backpack for school the reality came right home and as she looked at her children she knew she had to step up and do even more. Like most Americans she wanted to see bold action to address gun violence, but also all those challenges that we all recognize but that Congress fails time and time again to adequately address—gun control, healthcare, climate change, and narrowing the opportunity gap.

    So, as a doctor, as a mom, she decided to start Healthcare for Action PAC to support medical professionals—doctors and nurses and other healthcare professionals—running for the United States Congress and Senate. In operating rooms, at hospitals and in doctor’s offices, medical professionals are committed to their patients and making them healthier. Medical professionals running for Congress are committed to our country and making it healthier and more responsive to those vexing challenges we face every day.

    Medical professionals must work together as a team to be successful. At this critical juncture in our country, we could use more lawmakers who are ready to work together to move our country forward.

Meet Our Team

  • Dr. Chelsey Lewis is a vascular surgeon serving as the medical director of vascular surgery at The Elliot hospital in Manchester, NH. Dr. Lewis knows that the systemic and health impacts of issues such as climate change, racism, gun control, poverty, lack of access to medical care, and abortion restriction are irreversibly intertwined. She jumped at the chance to collaborate with Dr. Dua on this project because she knows that healthcare workers possess a unique perspective on these issues as well as a drive to help others that make them ideal candidates for office. She is fighting for her patients every day as well as her daughter, who was born with a rare genetic disorder causing seizures and other medical issues. She has personally experienced the dysfunction of the American healthcare system from both sides, and has been a champion in the fight to protect those with pre-existing conditions. She completed her surgical training at University of South Florida. She now lives in Bedford, NH with her son, daughter, and husband - Dr. David Lewis.

  • Dr. Kermit Jones is an internal medicine physician, U.S. Navy Veteran, and lawyer practicing in Northern California. Originally from the Midwest, Kermit was raised on a small farm in Michigan, where he learned the importance of family and communities taking care of each other. Watching his mother, a home health nurse, take care of her patients, inspired him to become a physician.

    During over a decade of clinical practice, Kermit saw many patients struggle in our healthcare system. Some of them couldn’t afford care. While others were unable to find physicians, providers or insurance where they lived. It was these patients’ stories, love for his two young children, and his belief that all Americans desire the right to a better future and safe and inclusive present, that inspired him to run for Congress in California’s 3rd Congressional District in 2022.

    Kermit was honored to join the board of Healthcare for Action because he believes their values and mission align with his: to get the best people in office to help cure our politics of the partisan divide that leaves our country sick and ailing. Our political system—the neural network of our country—is in intensive care. And its in critical condition not because we lack the economy or people willing to serve, but rather because many of our elected leaders are not willing to serve the American public. Healthcare for Action is working to change that, and I’m proud and humbled to be part of their team.

  • Mansi Kotwal is an Allergist/Immunologist at Children's National Health System in Washington, DC. Prior to this position, she worked in the Pediatric Emergency Room at Children's for several years. Having a background in public health, she has always been committed to serving and advocating for her patients not only through individual care but also through community outreach programs, research and lobbying for Congress. Working in the nation's capital has only made it more clear to her the importance of policy in her work and how crucial that piece of the puzzle is for helping patients and their families. Having seen the consequences of policies that don't adequately address issues such as gun violence, climate change, easy access to comprehensive medical homes, safe schools and neighborhoods and proper nutrition has led her to seek out how healthcare professionals can work with policy makers to better address these issues. Mansi is very excited to be a part of a team bringing dedicated individuals with similar passions and new ideas that will help drive the changes needed to have meaningful impact to all communities.

  • Dr. Sujan Gogu is a triple board-certified physician specializing in family medicine, sports medicine, and pain medicine. With a strong dedication to the underserved community of the Rio Grande Valley, he provides quality care using the latest advances in medicine. Dr. Gogu earned his medical degree from Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his family medicine residency at The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. He then pursued specialized fellowships in sports medicine at Texas A&M University and pain medicine at Texas Pain Institute, further honing his expertise.

    As the only triple board-certified physician in these disciplines in the Rio Grande Valley, Dr. Gogu is dedicated to serving on faculty at three medical schools, passionately mentoring and educating medical students and residents. He is deeply committed to advocating for physicians and patients, actively participating in various groups and associations, and serving as a board member of Healthcare for Action to enhance health outcomes for all. Dr. Gogu's expertise and knowledge make him a sought-after speaker at conferences, where he generously shares his insights with others.

    Dr. Gogu is a respected commentator, frequently featured on various TV outlets, and a published writer in numerous news outlets. This year and moving forward, he is particularly excited about his role as one of the physicians for USA Badminton and USA Boxing, which presents a unique opportunity to expand his network and relationships in the field of sports medicine with the Team USA Olympic and Paralympic Medical Staff, coinciding with his career at DHR Health.

    Currently residing in the Rio Grande Valley with his wife, Dr. Gogu enjoys exploring diverse cultures, maintaining an active lifestyle through exercise, and cherishing precious moments with friends and family.

  • Dr. Raymond Tsai is a Family Medicine physician who lives and works in Visalia, California, which is part of the state's agriculture producing Central Valley, which supplies the nation with a quarter of its food. He was born and raised in Los Angeles county, obtained his BA in Music from UC San Diego, MS from Harvard TH Chan School of Medicine, MD from Stanford University, completed Family Medicine residency at UCLA, and is board-certified in Clinical Informatics. He is past-President of Kern County Medical Society, and involved with the California Medical Association and American Medical Association. He currently works at a non-profit to enable large self-insured employers to ensure access to high quality and affordable primary care for their communities. The goal of his work is to bolster the nation's primary care system so that it can improve community health outcomes, patient experience, health care worker well-being, health equity, and health care cost efficiency.

  • Ravi Gupta is an internal medicine physician, health policy researcher and writer, and Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins Medicine. He writes on and leads engagement efforts to ensure affordability and access to medicines, increase access to treatment of opioid use disorder and investigate the corporate strategies that led to the opioid overdose crisis, and improve systems of care, particularly for aging populations. He has previously advised gubernatorial campaigns and served on political transition teams. He has been published widely in leading academic journals and venues for lay audiences. He lives in Philadelphia with his partner and son.

  • Dona is a community health worker and organizer, public benefit startup founder, neurologist, neuroscientist, and historian of science educated at Harvard and Baylor College of Medicine who works at the intersections of race, poverty, immigration, and health. Understanding the intimate relationship between the health of individuals, our communities, and our democracy, she ran for her local school board in Pearland, Texas, in 2019. In 2020, she co-founded the patient-centered, justice, and equity-oriented super PAC, Doctors In Politics, which in 2023, merged with Healthcare For Action.

  • Eugenia Flores Millender is a nurse scientist who has dedicated her career to increasing access to preventative mental health services and community-engaged research. She is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Center of Population Sciences for Health Equity, interim Assistant Dean of Research, and a tenured Associate Professor at Florida State University (FSU) College of Nursing. Her program of research investigates ways to reduce mental health disparities by exploring how socio-cultural stressors and trauma influence transgenerational psychological and co-occurring physical illness through gene-environment interaction among vulnerable, underserved, and marginalized populations nationally and internationally. She brings together academia and the community as equal partners in research initiatives. Before her tenure at FSU, Dr. Millender served as the inaugural director of the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing Nurse-led community health center, the first nurse-led university health center in Florida to achieve Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike status, as designated by the United States Health Resources and Services Administration. As an experienced community-based program developer and researcher, Dr. Millender has received over $26 million in extramural funding as principal investigator and multiple PI to decrease health disparities among underserved populations.

    Dr. Millender is an indigenous (Guna) Afro-Latina from the Republic of Panama. She completed six years in the U.S. Army and received her BSN, MS, and Ph.D. from FAU in Boca Raton, Florida. She has also earned a post-graduate certificate in psychiatric and mental health nursing from Rush University and another in Precision Medicine from the University of Florida.

  • Dr. Chad M. Teven is a board-certified plastic surgeon and Assistant Professor of Surgery (Clinical) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in the Division of Plastic Surgery, whose chief clinical expertise includes microsurgical reconstruction and repair of complex defects. Dr. Teven completed residency training in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Chicago and a Reconstructive Microsurgery Fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Teven performs reconstructive surgery for defects across the body due to cancer, trauma, burn, and congenital etiologies. He offers both implant-based and autologous breast reconstruction (e.g., DIEP) and also performs physiologic and excisional procedures for the surgical treatment of lymphedema (e.g., lymphovenous anastomosis and vascularized lymph node transplant). Dr. Teven additionally performs aesthetic surgery of the face and body.

    Dr. Teven holds a physician leadership role within the Northwestern Medicine Clinical Ethics Program and serves as faculty in the Center for Biomedical Ethics and Humanities at Feinberg. He previously completed the Clinical Medical Ethics Fellowship from the Maclean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago. Before his recruitment to Northwestern Medicine, Dr. Teven was Assistant Professor and Vice-Chairman for Research, and Section Head for Microsurgery and Complex Reconstruction within the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

  • Dr. Matthew Bunte is a father of 4, husband, and Cardiologist in Kansas City, MO who believes America needs a voice guided by truth. He believes the truth knows no partisanship, and that defending the truth is paramount for the health of his family, his community, and his country. He is eager to support leaders that also respect and revere the truth and recognize the opportunity to give America a voice to support meaningful and inevitable change now.

    It is not enough for candidates to say what they are against. Dr. Bunte looks to support those bold enough to say what they are for. Americans need and deserve a government that isn’t weaponized in an endless cycle of victimhood and self-righteous attacks. Americans deserve institutions that invest in us as much as we collectively invest in America. America needs lawmakers that dare to share consensus on an inspired ethic to ratify basic human rights, end policies of exclusion, and restore order, equity, and dignity to institutions. Dr. Bunte supports leaders that understand these complex challenges, offer a willingness to collaborate, and recognize the opportunity to lead with bold vision guided by knowledge gained through experience and relationship. For these reasons, he proudly supports HealthCare for Action to endorse healthcare professionals prepared to battle disinformation with facts and science that empowers and engages Americans in supporting grassroot change.

  • Erica Manchester is a Director of Product Operations in Biopharma, specializing in Small Molecule, Oncology, and Biologic modalities. With 20+ years of experience in Biopharma at Pfizer and Amgen, she joined the PAC in 2023 as Director of Communication. Erica holds a B.S. from the University of Rhode Island and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. Her passion for serving patients led her to the board to advocate for universal access to lifesaving medication.

  • Audrey is a pediatric epileptologist who is passionate about teaching, communication and advocacy. She lends her expertise to fight for appropriate medical care of incarcerated and detained people, and she has advocated for Medicaid expansion at the Texas state Capitol. She works towards representation of underrepresented minorities in medicine as the National Grants and Charitable Giving Director for Chasing Medicine and mentor for Momentum Education. She is a Community Advisory Board Member for The Village Connect, which promotes evidence-based, multidisciplinary solutions for unhoused people in the Houston area. She serves as a member of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Medical Advisory Board.

    In her free time, she composes music, runs along the trails in Houston and bakes macarons.

  • I'm Shiv Patel, a recent first-generation college graduate from rural New Hampshire. My dream is to become a physician, driven not only by my love for science and medicine but also my desire to support individuals during their most trying moments. My path, shaped by my experiences as part of an immigrant family and through various clinical and volunteer positions, has opened my eyes to the disparities prevalent within our country and healthcare system. While my goal is to be a doctor, I am equally devoted to advocating for a safer and fairer society. In my downtime, I find joy in skiing and rooting for Boston sports!

  • Dr. Joca G. Marquez, an accomplished Research Scientist at NASA Kennedy Space Center, brings a wealth of experience to Healthcare for Action PAC. Dr. Marquez is a seasoned political leader, having served as an elected City Council Member in San Marcos, Texas, enacting policies, resolutions, and engaging with state and federal stakeholders. As a Party Leader and Elected Official National Delegate at the National Democratic Convention, she actively participated in the democratic process. Dr. Marquez's political acumen aligns with Healthcare for Action PAC's mission for positive healthcare policies.

  • Sam Feudo is an aspiring physician and health policy professional, currently pursuing an MSc in International Health Policy at the London School of Economics. With a journey that spans from grassroots efforts in Ohio to roles at the NIH, U.S. Senate, and the White House, Sam embodies a commitment to public service and health reform. His focus on primary care and value-based payment reflects his dedication to tackling disparities and advancing health equity. As Founder and Host of the "Understanding Healthcare" podcast, he facilitates vital conversations at the intersection of clinical medicine and policy. Sam aims to shape a healthcare system that is more affordable, accessible, and high-quality for all Americans.

  • Dr. Kim Bergner is a pediatric hospitalist at a MA community hospital which serves as a network site for a large Boston pediatric hospital. In this role, she works with newborns experiencing opiate withdrawal, international refugees struggling to find safety and resources for their families, and children suffering from mental health crises who have difficulty accessing inpatient and outpatient mental health care. Many of these pediatric mental health patients are in the LGBTQ community, and their suffering is exacerbated by social policies around the country that are implemented to marginalize them. With a special interest in medical quality improvement and safety initiatives, Dr. Bergner is keenly aware of how a systematic and tested approach to policy is foundational to good government. She has volunteered with prison education organizations, an integrated city/suburb early childhood education program, and a domestic violence shelter. She serves on her Town Democratic Committee, and she holds the conviction that the personal is political, and like Healthcare for Action, all policy is healthcare policy.

  • Dr. Nipa Sanghani is a double board-certified pediatric emergency physician with 18 years of experience. Until recently, she was an assistant medical/operations director and assistant professor at University of Texas at Houston.  She has dedicated her life to serving her patients and improving access to care. She is passionate about improving healthcare outcomes, quality of care, efficiency, satisfaction, and costs through creating innovative programs and driving positive change in the healthcare industry.

  • Christopher Robinson is a medical student at Harvard Medical School and former White House intern. At Harvard, he is engaged in research investigating how to leverage an understanding of the social determinants of health with clinical risk prediction models to address disparities in cardiovascular disease outcomes.

    Growing up in rural Mississippi, Christopher is familiar with the complex socio-political factors that impact health, safety, and opportunity. Seeing disease as integrally tied to the human experience, he became involved with Healthcare For Action in support of the belief that all policy is health policy and broad coalitions can be built around tackling these problems.

    From engineering and policy training as an undergraduate to experiences at the White House and volunteering in free clinics, Christopher hopes to bring a pragmatic perspective to solving the challenges preventing health equity. Throughout his career, he aspires to provide excellent patient care while also advocating for policies promoting well-being and dignity outside of the clinical setting.