Laura Friedel, MA, is a senior policy advisor at Alston & Bird, where she provides strategic counsel on policy and appropriations solutions to a diverse array of healthcare clients, including patient advocacy groups, multinational corporations, biotechnology firms, trade associations, and provider organizations. Friedel brings more than 20 years of experience from her tenure in the United States Senate, including 12 years as clerk and staff director for the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS). In this capacity, she led the development of the largest non-defense appropriations bill, overseeing allocations exceeding $215 billion in discretionary funding and $1.3 trillion in mandatory funding. She played a pivotal role in crafting and negotiating every LHHS bill for over a decade, as well as supplemental packages addressing pandemic response, disaster recovery, and refugee resettlement.

Her leadership contributed to a 60% increase in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, the establishment of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), expansion of mental health and substance use programs, and advancements in medical countermeasures and drug development. Friedel was instrumental in negotiating five bipartisan COVID-19 relief bills in 2020, securing more than $320 billion for HHS, and facilitating the launch of Operation Warp Speed and NIH’s RADx initiative. She holds an MA in international relations and government affairs from Johns Hopkins University.

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