The members of the Community Health Focus Team and Advisors are thought leaders in the areas of pain research and treatment, patient advocacy, technology, commercial innovation and business management.

Founder & CEO

Lynne Matallana is the inspirer with a strategic vision. A graduate of UCLA and the London School of Economics, in 1997, she founded the National Fibromyalgia Association, raising close to $20 million and growing the organization into the leading force in fibromyalgia (FM) awareness, pain research facilitation, healthcare provider medical education, and patient advocacy. She has acted as a media expert on FM and pain and spokesperson for the patient’s perspective on pain. Lynne developed and was Editor-In-Chief of the award-winning magazine, Fibromyalgia AWARE; wrote the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fibromyalgia, Vol. 1 & 2; has received honors from the FDA, American Academy of Pain Management, and National Association of Women Business Owners. She was named one of the “20 Women to Watch” by Orange County Metro Business and was named a Crain’s 2020 Notable Women in Health Care Honoree (Detroit, MI).

Chief Science Consultant

Dave Williams, PhD, is a Professor of Anesthesiology, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, & Psychology and is the Associate Director of the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan. For over 30 years, he has been a thought leader in the treatment of chronic pain and the importance of self-care. Dave is a sought-after consultant to industry, sits on numerous governmental, scientific, and professional advisory boards, was elected President of the American Pain Society (2015), and is currently serving on the Interagency Pain Research Coordinating Committee.

Chief Operating Officer

Jay Fischer has broad experience developing and growing consumer and commercial businesses as an executive at Colgate-Palmolive Company, as a consumer foods entrepreneur, and in the regulated sector at Brooklyn Union Gas. As a consultant at PwC and Calibre Consulting, a firm he started and led for 20 years, he has helped clients including Pfizer, Humana and Motorola get product and service innovation adopted and used by more customers. A primary focus has been on digital health engagement. Importantly, Jay brings to CHFI his own experience with self-care in managing his chronic lower back pain. He has an MBA from the Wharton School.