BERWYN, PA — AscellaHealth has appointed Johanna van Nijkerk as vice president of business development as the specialty pharmacy services provider seeks to expand adoption of its AscellaOne pharmacy benefits platform among employers, health plans and pharmacy benefit managers.
The appointment comes as the company positions AscellaOne as a modular platform for organizations seeking alternatives in the evolving pharmacy benefits market, according to AscellaHealth.
Van Nijkerk brings more than 20 years of experience in healthcare benefits and pharmacy benefit management. Most recently, she served as assistant vice president of business development at SlateRx, where she helped expand strategic partnerships with national brokerage organizations and the company’s group purchasing organization partner.
Before joining SlateRx, van Nijkerk spent nearly two decades with Cigna Healthcare and Express Scripts, holding leadership roles that included vice president of sales, strategy and business development for national accounts. According to AscellaHealth, she managed a portfolio representing more than 2.5 million annual claims while maintaining a 100% client retention rate.
Chief Executive Officer Dea Belazi described van Nijkerk’s experience with national accounts and consultative sales as aligned with the company’s efforts to grow AscellaOne as employers and health plans navigate regulatory changes and increasing demand for more transparent pharmacy benefit models.
Van Nijkerk pointed to specialty medications and personalized therapies as factors driving changes in how pharmacy benefits are managed.
“Decades in this industry have taught me that behind every contract is a plan sponsor or payer trying to do right by their members,” she stated. “As more personalized, individualized therapies become the norm, financial and operational models need to evolve with them.”
AscellaHealth indicated that van Nijkerk will represent the company at RosettaFest 2026 in Nashville, where she plans to meet with employers, health plans and industry partners to discuss pharmacy benefit strategies and the AscellaOne platform.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.