Andi Lipstein Fristedt
Andi Lipstein Fristedt
Andi Lipstein Fristedt serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Policy Officer at the Parkinson's Foundation, providing strategic leadership for the Foundation, ensuring mission programs are addressing the needs of the community, and guiding the Foundation's policy direction to advance impactful federal and state health policies.
Andi has been at the forefront of public health efforts in Congress and federal agencies for nearly 20 years. She previously served as Deputy Director and Chief Strategy Officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In this role, she provided strategic policy direction and oversaw the agency’s global health efforts, communications activities, budget strategy, and overall engagement with Congress and external partners. Prior to her time at CDC, Fristedt was the Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Legislation, and International Affairs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Under her leadership, the FDA advanced key policies to address tobacco use, strengthen nutrition and food safety, and bolster medical product regulation and health equity. At FDA, she also focused on strengthening engagement with state and Tribal partners and advancing and expanding global activities.
Fristedt worked for nearly a decade on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), including as Deputy Health Policy Director. During her time in the Senate, she led the drafting or negotiation of a wide range of health laws, including two reauthorizations of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, legislation increasing the legal age of tobacco sale to 21, and key provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act (including the Advancing Research for Neurological Diseases Act), the Lower Health Care Costs Act, and the SUPPORT for Patients Act.
Fristedt began her federal service at the CDC’s Washington office where she led the agency’s engagement with Congress on HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis. She first joined the CDC as a Presidential Management Fellow. Earlier in her career, she served as Campaign Manager and Chief of Staff to an Oregon state legislator and completed a fellowship at the World Health Organization. She holds a B.A. from University of Oregon and a Master in Public Affairs from Princeton University, where she studied health and health policy.
In The News
Advocates offer guidance for national plan to end Parkinson’s
Parkinson's News Today
August 27, 2026
The American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), and the Parkinson’s Foundation have offered guidance to the U.S. federal government on key priorities for a national plan to end Parkinson’s disease.
Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Ban Toxic Pesticide Paraquat and Protect Americans from Parkinson’s Disease
United States House of Representatives
June 18, 2026
Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13) with co-lead Rep. Chellie Pingree introduced the Paraquat Prevention Act, legislation that would cancel all registered uses of the pesticide paraquat under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and permanently prohibit its reregistration. Parkinson's Foundation Chief Strategy and Policy Officer Andi Fristedt is quoted.
Budzinski, LaHood Introduce Bill to Support Veterans Battling Parkinson’s
United States House of Representatives (Press Release)
June 5, 2026
Representatives Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) and Darin LaHood (IL-16) introduced the Boxing Therapy for Parkinson’s Access Act to expand access to evidence-based boxing programs for veterans and individuals living with Parkinson’s.
This herbicide is so toxic it’s been banned in over 70 countries. But plants in the South are releasing it into the air.
The Lens (New Orleans, LA)
April 29, 2026
Paraquat has been linked to Parkinson’s disease and just a sip is fatal, but tens of thousands of pounds of it are being released in the Mississippi Basin. This long-format investigative piece discusses regional impacts of paraquat production, as well as national advocacy efforts, like those from the Parkinson's Foundation, to stop production of the toxic chemical.
Andi L. Fristedt, Parkinson’s Foundation: “The data (on paraquat) is clear.”
CSIS Podcast (Center for Strategic & International Studies)
March 3, 2026
Parkinson’s Foundation Chief Strategy and Policy Officer Andi L. Fristedt is interviewed about the Foundation's mandate to “connect the dots” between science with those in Congress, and the administration, able to shape policy. A paramount concern discussed during the interview is the pesticide paraquat, which continues to be used widely in the United States, while outlawed in dozens of countries.
New York state lawmakers introduce bill to ban the herbicide paraquat, linked to Parkinson’s disease
Environmental Working Group
February 10, 2026
Lawmakers today introduced legislation to ban the use of paraquat, one of the most toxic herbicides allowed for use in the U.S. In support of the bill, Parkinson’s Foundation executive vice president and chief strategy and policy officer, Andi Lipstein Fristedt, is quoted.