Former HHS Secretary Alex M. Azar II to Headline NCPDP's 2026 Annual Conference

Healthcare Policy and Innovation Leader to Deliver Opening Keynote

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NCPDP announced today that the Honorable Alex M. Azar II, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, will headline as the opening keynote speaker at NCPDP's 2026 Annual Technology & Business Conference – The Heart of Health Information Exchange. The conference will bring together hundreds of healthcare and pharmacy leaders from across the nation and will take place May 4 – 6^th at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona.

With decades of experience across government and the private sector, Alex M. Azar II brings a powerful perspective on the future of healthcare. He served as the 24th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2018 to 2021, leading more than 85,000 employees and overseeing a $1.4 trillion budget. During his tenure, he architected Operation Warp Speed, delivering COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics in record time, while advancing major healthcare reforms, including expanded telehealth, interoperability, and patient access to health records, payment models focused on outcomes, drug price reduction efforts, and critical public health initiatives addressing the opioid crisis, HIV prevention, rural health access, and maternal mortality.

"Secretary Azar's leadership has shaped some of the most consequential healthcare initiatives of our time," said Lee Ann Stember, President and CEO of NCPDP. "From advancing interoperability and telehealth to strengthening public health preparedness and patient access, His leadership and firsthand experience shaping national healthcare policy bring insight to the conversations facing pharmacy and healthcare leaders today."

Secretary Azar's keynote session, "A Conversation with Alex Azar," will offer attendees an in-depth discussion on healthcare leadership, policy, innovation, and the lessons learned from navigating complex public health challenges.

"Pharmacy sits at the center of a more connected, data-driven healthcare system," said Alex M. Azar II. "I look forward to joining NCPDP to discuss how interoperability, innovation, and strong leadership can continue to improve patient access, strengthen public health, and drive better outcomes across the healthcare ecosystem." 

For more information about NCPDP's 2026 Annual Technology & Business Conference, including registration details and the full agenda, visit: https://ncpdp.org/ac/register.aspx

About NCPDP

The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP), established in 1977, is a nonprofit ANSI-accredited Standards Developer (ASD) with members across the healthcare industry. NCPDP develops standards and solutions to improve the exchange of information for medications, supplies, and services, including the SCRIPT Standard for ePrescribing and the Telecommunication Standard. Named in federal legislation such as HIPAA and HITECH, NCPDP has been advancing healthcare interoperability for decades. Its data products include dataQ^®, providing insights on over 80,000 pharmacies, and HCIdea^®, containing information on nearly 4 million prescribers. NCPDP's RxReconn^® offers real-time tracking of pharmacy-related legislative and regulatory activity at state and national levels. Learn more at http://www.ncpdp.org. 

SOURCE NCPDP