With long-time CWCI President Michael Nolan slated to retire in May, the Board named Alex Swedlow to replace Nolan, passing the torch to one of the leading figures in workers’ compensation.
Alex’ research rigor, insight into nuances and intricacies of the industry, and unparalleled ability to make complex and complicated information understandable for lay people has served the workers’ comp industry very well. From ground-breaking research on the influence of provider’s workers comp claim volume on outcomes to their latest research demonstrating the link between physician dispensing of drugs and longer disability/higher costs/poorer outcomes, Alex and his colleagues have kept CWCI at the forefront of workers’ comp research.
It’s one thing to do great research; communicating the result of that research, making it understandable/approachable/usable for non-academics is an entirely different matter. And that’s where Alex’ ability really benefits CWCI and the entire industry. His dry sense of humor and straightforward presentation makes him a must-have for every conference.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the strides made at CWCI under Mike Nolan’s leadership. He’s led the organization during a very tumultuous period marked by hard, soft, and rapidly-transistioning markets, keeping CWCI relevant and helping shape decisions in the nation’s largest workers’ comp market.
Kudos to CWCI’s board. Smart move indeed.
(disclosure – I’ve counted Alex among my friends for several years, enjoy his company immensely, and will be speaking at CWCI’s annual meeting later this month.)
