Michael Manganiello, BA, MPA

A born advocate, Michael Manganiello believes in the power of the patient to impact major changes in health policy – a power that is amplified when groups unite around a common agenda. Michael founded Pyxis Partners as a firm that not only can access major stakeholders in the health care community but can bring them together and find common ground to advance positive change. 

Michael has lived with HIV for 30+ years which has deeply impacted his lens for medical research and patient advocacy over the years. Through his work at Pyxis, he is on the frontlines of public health and research working with clients on advancing precision medicine solutions to cancer, reducing stigma in the opioid crisis by advancing medication-assisted treatment, and securing reproductive rights. He works to create nontraditional, trusted partnerships with key stakeholders to ensure that those who most need care have a voice and can access services when they need them. 

Michael brings to Pyxis Partners an impressive track record of building effective coalitions within the health care community. Tapped as the first Senior Vice President of Government Relations for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, he played an integral role in establishing the foundation as a leading force for advancing medical research and improving quality of life for the mobility impaired. Among his successes, Michael secured introduction and passage of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act – which became law in 2009 – and raised $50 million for the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center. 

As chair of the Paralysis Task Force, Michael collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Hope Network to connect more than 50,000 advocates across the country. Michael was also a founding member, President Emeritus and board member of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR). In this role, he and CAMR were instrumental in joining more than 100 diverse organizations in support of groundbreaking medical research. Their efforts resulted in Congress’ passage of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which laid the foundation for President Barack Obama’s 2009 executive order allowing embryonic stem cell research to receive federal funding. Michael was honored to be invited to The White House to witness this pivotal moment in stem cell research. 

Michael currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, the only dedicated art museum in the world to exhibit and preserve artwork that speaks about the LGBTQ experience. Previously, he has proudly served on many advisory panels and boards, including the board of Whitman Walker Health, an exemplar of innovative healthcare access and the largest provider of HIV/AIDS health services in Washington,  the board for the Village at Rockville – a National Lutheran Community, the National Institutes of Health Director’s Council of Public Representatives where he served directly under Dr. Elias Zerhouni, the National Association for Biomedical Research and the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and Grassroots Health.

Michael lives in Washington, D.C. in the vibrant Logan Circle neighborhood.

Publications

Title: COVID-19 may discriminate. Its cure should not.

Publication: LinkedIn Pulse

Date: May 1, 2020

Title: The fight for LGBTQ equality never ends.

Publication: The Gay & Lesbian Review

Date: February 6, 2020

Title: Development of the Initial Surveys for the All of Us Research Program

Publication: Epidemiolgy

Date: July 2019

Title: Back to Basics: HIV/AIDS Advocacy as a Model for Catalyzing Change

Publication: FasterCures

Date: 2011