MM&M Hall of Femme and Women to Watch 2019

What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare?

I have such a passion for helping people and animals, I would probably own acres of land to rescue every dog I could. Working in healthcare allows me to make a living and still feed that passion because I know I’m helping people.

Last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment?

Completing the Boston Marathon in 2017. There are so many parallels between building a career and training for a marathon. Both require commitment, long-term strategizing, and the understanding that, instead of jumping straight to the big accomplishment – finishing the race or getting a big promotion, for example – you must first achieve small accomplishments that you can then build on to get to the bigger payoff.

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What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare?

What I love about working in healthcare marketing is that I get to focus on helping people by leveraging insights about their lives. If I weren’t in healthcare, I would work at a foundation or non-governmental organization distributing grants, or training and mentoring.

Talk about the last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment.

I’ve always wanted to write a book. I had a draft, but non-fiction books need company support to be published. Around this time my agency had a CEO change. The new leadership wanted to reassure me I was valued during the transition. So I told our CEO what I wanted. The result was The Advertising On-Ramp, a guide to getting your first job. I’ve managed my career in a way I call “messy but effective.” I mostly got what I earned but sometimes pushed too aggressively, or was too emotional. This time I was proudly “effective.”

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What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare?

I’m not sure I will ever be fully out of healthcare. I’ve spent the majority of my career in healthcare across wellness and pharmaceuticals, but always with a focus on helping women live healthier lives. I love being associated with making women’s lives better in both big and small ways and have found that working in healthcare lets me do that. While some people define healthcare as just interventions, I can see it in a company that combines wellness and treatment options, as both are important for a healthy mind, body and spirit.

Last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment?

When I found out a friend was in remission from cancer. It was such a rush and reminded me how grateful we should be for the wonderful people in our lives.

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What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare?

I can’t imagine myself in another field. All my life – getting Red Cross certified and working as a lifeguard at 15, taking premed science studies in college, and pursuing the career I have today – I’ve always wanted to help other people live healthier lives. Even when I retire, I picture myself doing some kind of volunteer work in healthcare.

Talk about the last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment.

We recently won a new piece of business for a truly innovative and important new therapy for type 2 diabetes. We worked really hard to earn the business, drawing on our wide-ranging expertise and deep experience in the category to develop a powerful and creative brand strategy. I can’t wait to get to work on it.

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What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare?

I’d probably be doing something with data science. I am such a nerd and love the idea of being able to tell stories with insights from data.

Talk about the last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment.

When we were given the charge to reposition the combined entity of Quintiles and IMS Health, it was clear we had to retain the value of two legacy brands with 70-plus years of history while still painting a picture of something truly new and distinctive. My team involved 100 people that tacked everything from a new brand, value proposition work, new visual system, thousands of new assets including websites, offerings, and even a new way to speak about our space – Human Data Science. The fist-pumping moment came when we shared the progress of our efforts six months post-launch to the CEO and board, showing that the trust they placed in us had paid off for our companies, clients, shareholders, partners, and patients.

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What would you do if you did not work in healthcare?

It would be hard to imagine not being connected to healthcare in some fashion. The opportunity to positively impact society and address some of the toughest challenges has always been a draw for me. Working in healthcare is personal, my grandmother suffered from a disease which eventually took her sight and it drove me to find solutions. My senior year of college I submitted my first patent for a device to support blind diabetics. Healthcare innovation, whether it’s a new biologic or a new device, has the ability to impact so many lives – that has meaning to me. 

Talk about the last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment.

Nearly every day. Looking at how much our small team has been able to do for patients is a daily victory. We’ve done what no one thought was possible, taking a 9-year-old therapy and changing the preconceived notions and beliefs of physicians. Watching the a-ha moments when physicians understand the science and impact of gout is powerful because you know you are helping transform patient care and the practice of medicine.

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What would you do if you didn't work in healthcare?

Up until college this answer was easy: an anchorwoman. My first paper was on Diane Sawyer and I wanted to follow in her footsteps. Now, I would answer this differently: academia. I really enjoy the academic atmosphere and would love to teach marketing or history. Imparting knowledge and encouraging individual and team growth is something I am really passionate about.

Talk about the last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment.

Personally, my husband has worked hard to get our two sets of twins on skis this year. We all went skiing this past weekend and it was an all-day fun time without any crying.

Professionally, what is fun about the agency world is victory can happen at any time. A successful client presentation, a promotion for a team member, an industry award. My most recent victory was just last week when we walked out of a new business pitch and everyone nailed their parts. It was rewarding to see months of hard work pay off and be well received.

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What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare? 

I would be an executive coach. My favorite part of the job is mentoring others and watching them achieve things they never thought possible. This is especially true with the next generation of female leaders at TBWA.

Talk about the last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment. 

We recently created a new consumer healthcare offering at TBWA. We believe healthcare brands should be iconic brands of the same caliber as Apple, Nissan and Gatorade — brands that occupy a special place in our hearts and minds. Brands that love us, so that we love them back. As we refined the vision for this offering, I raised my hand to launch and lead the TBWA\Health Collective. Through the support of many, my dream is now a reality. Anything is possible at TBWA for female leaders with ambition and vision. What an inspiring place to work, and a true victory for me.

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What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare?

I love the outdoors and enjoy all types of flora. I always said my dream job would involve being the head horticulturist for a fancy resort. I would love to plan and design elaborate flower beds and plantings throughout a large property.

Talk about the last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment.

I led the commercial planning and launch of Revcovi, an enzyme replacement therapy for ADA-SCID, approved by the FDA last year. For 30 years, physicians relied on Adagen, another such therapy. When the active ingredient used to produce it was no longer available, we developed Revcovi using recombinant DNA technology. Other companies may not have recognized the commercial value of a therapy for such a small population. With focus and dedication, we created and implemented a viable commercial model for Revcovi.

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What would you do if you didn't work in healthcare?

I would open a full-service home remodel business and pitch it to HGTV. Assuming it’s a success, I would kick back and enjoy a life of daily snowboarding after my kids go to college.

Talk about the last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment.

Not to downplay truly exceptional moments in my life — running the New York City marathon, seeing my team get promoted, and watching my kids master the slopes — but nothing feels like true victory to me like getting a good bargain.

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What would you do if you didn't work in healthcare? 

I would probably be a college professor. I love learning and sharing what I learn with others. 

Talk about the last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment.

The last fist-pumping victory feeling was after making the decision to move to the agency side and join Luckie last year. I had that “this is exactly what I wanted” moment after a few months at the company, where I was thoroughly engaged in what I was working on and absolutely loving the team I was working with. For me, it’s doesn’t get better than that. 

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What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare?

Nothing is more personal than health and as the world changes to get more personal, health is in the middle of it. Today, food companies are rebranding themselves as nutrition companies, technology companies are focused on building devices to help people manage their wellness and there are so many more examples. I call this shift “healthification,” and it’s one reason I have trouble imagining working in a field that isn’t related to health. 

That said, if I did not work in healthcare marketing, I would work at a startup to improve the quality of life for patients — perhaps by creating new devices or patient support programs. Then again, isn’t that what good healthcare marketing does?

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What would you do if you didn't work in healthcare?

I’d be a behavioral economist. It gets to the core of human behavior and why people make the choices they do. I grew up with a father who was a social psychology professor and a mother who was a counselor, so our discussions at dinner were often about feelings, individual behavior, and social influences. I didn’t fully appreciate their teaching until I studied economics in college. The basis of economic theory is we are all “rational economic agents.” A great thought, but people are irrational. Behavioral economics blends human behavior and economic theory so we can better understand people and nudge them toward better choices.

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What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare?

If I had lived out my childhood fantasy, then I would be a professional dancer. A more likely alternate career at this point in my life would be an interior designer. I’ve remodeled a couple of homes over the past few years and found it be a really exciting creative outlet.

Talk about the last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment.

The beauty of Heartbeat is we’re celebrating big and little victories all the time, so peer props are regular and feeling valued is constant.

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What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare?

Healthcare is a big place. One of our goals for the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association in Philadelphia has been to recognize that the “business of healthcare” is wide-ranging and comprehensive, far beyond traditional borders or definitions. Providers, payers, pharma, medical devices, academia and medical schools, biotech, technology, software and now retail health all define today’s continuum of care. It’s hard for me to imagine a situation where I couldn’t still work in healthcare.

If I didn’t work in healthcare marketing, I would want to be more on the front lines of providing or enabling care. My first job in healthcare was as a candy striper at our local hospital while I was in high school. Even as a young volunteer, I felt like I was making a difference in the lives of patients. That feeling has always stuck with me and kept me focused as I’ve evaluated my career options.

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What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare?

I would study race, gender and sexuality and work for a cause that helps women, low-income or marginalized communities. I volunteer for Maryland’s House of Ruth, one of our nation’s leading centers for intimate partner violence. I always wish I had more time to spend helping so that’s probably what I would do full-time if I changed careers.

Talk about the last time you experienced a fist-pumping victory moment.

Last summer I attended a health design boot camp at Jefferson University and learned how to apply design thinking techniques to healthcare marketing. Leveraging those approaches, we won our first AOR account several weeks later, realizing our ambition of being more than a social media agency and validating our commitment to using unique, empathic approaches for marketing.

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With a background in luxury and fashion marketing, Mitali Banerjee brings a game-changing perspective to med comms. Her belief in the power of emotional marketing and its untapped potential has driven this innovator to find new ways to disrupt the landscape and innovate digital communications through wearable devices, AI, chatbots, and more.

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Cynia Barnwell has developed a reputation for sharpening creative strategy, amplifying social media presence, mentoring junior writers, and generating brand buzz. A go-to central nervous system expert, Barnwell began as a lead writer in this space and helped establish a unified linguistic footprint for the multimillion-dollar brand.

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Over the course of her career, Kate Booth has created a new standard for data-driven decisions. She is a staunch believer in how strategy and data can be used to create experiences and provide information that helps patients live their best lives and has long been committed to making sure the right data is captured and KPIs are outlined before any new programs, channels, and tactics are launched. Providing an honest transparency of outcomes allows her team to continuously learn, improve, and ensure the right information is available to patients, caregivers, and HCPs.

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Being well prepared has its merits, but there are times when a professional’s best asset is the ability to turn on a dime. While Jordan Brensilber wins praise for her preparedness and depth of knowledge, she is also valued for being a resourceful, agile marketer.

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Ana Capellan started her career at Heartbeat on one of the agency’s most high-profile and challenging accounts, XenoPort’s Horizant brand. Her wizardry in process and logistics, ability to flourish in the ambiguous and lead a team with confidence helped catapult the account to the highest revenue grossing and most awarded account in the agency’s portfolio at the time.

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Under Jamie Dowd’s leadership, Genentech became one of Weber Shandwick’s most comprehensive accounts, supporting more than 30 products and earning multiple industry recognitions. Dowd not only helped grow the account, she also grew the New York health practice 35% and has been instrumental in the expansion into Philadelphia. 

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Saving lives is a serious business. Kelli Flaherty’s work with Sarnova has helped the national specialty distributor of EMS healthcare products and acute care markets partner with its customers to improve patient’s lives.

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A highly accomplished and collaborative leader with a track record of putting patients first, leading change, and delivering results, Andrea Geppert has played an instrumental part in Strongbridge Biopharma’s advances in rare neuromuscular and endocrine diseases.

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After joining Silverlight Digital in 2018, Meredith Hughes was instrumental in leading one of the year’s most successful and award-winning pharmaceutical campaigns. Her standout work on the launch of Tymlos.com resulted in significant jumps in website engagement.

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Former spokesperson for first lady Laura Bush, who secured her on the cover of Us Weekly where she was dubbed “comforter-in-chief” after 9/11, Ashleigh Koss knows how to navigate a crisis. At Sanofi, she has managed all U.S. crises and issues, from lack of vaccine supply to drug pricing protests and litigation.

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With an expertise in display and search media measurement as well as detailed website analytics, Alina Levin has established measurement strategies for multichannel campaigns across both launch and established brands.

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From Clorox to Verizon, Miranda Madar has worked on digital marketing campaigns for a number of blue chip clients. She spearheaded the national launch for Verizon 4G LTE, considered cutting-edge technology at the time, and won numerous awards for her work on some of Coca-Cola’s most high-profile domestic and international projects.

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At a young age, Lindsey McClennen is already a pro with multiple launches under her belt across a variety of therapeutic areas. McClennen has pioneered a number of innovative marketing solution firsts in the pharma space. She helped launch the first direct patient education by mail capability for AstraZeneca’s Crestor, helped deliver the Faslodex 500 launch, and created the first virtual peer-to-peer platform and oncology portfolio HCP tools.

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Kimberly Moran has a reputation for delivering impact for patients and shareholders and for developing broader value for her colleagues and peers.

Equally at home in the clinic and the boardroom, Moran has a keen ability to assimilate diverse perspectives to create opportunities for providers, payers, and advocates to increase their value to patients.

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A rising star at Horizon Pharma and in the pharmaceutical industry, Laura Rodgers focuses on finding ways to provide greater relevance and value for patients, deliver greater impact on her organization’s business, and elevate smarter marketing practice to the industry as a whole.

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Leah Shanholtz has been instrumental in strengthening AbelsonTaylor’s reputation as a major force in the digital space. Since joining the agency, she has helped expand its UX service offerings to meet the needs of its broad base of healthcare clients. In six short years, her work has earned her three promotions.

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A major force in the transformation of Eli Lilly’s diabetes business unit, Lina Shields has championed insight-based, data-driven marketing and advocated for new ways to connect with patients through data, creativity, and media.

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A tactical and strategic marketer, Maria Simeone is known as the pro who can “see the through line between big picture and minute details.” Her skills span traditional marketing, high touch event production, marketing technologies and operations, digital and content marketing, and corporate culture building.

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Since the beginning of her career, Julie Turnbull has been passionate about the science of human diseases, especially rare diseases. Her background in healthcare academia – including a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in molecular genetics and a postdoctoral fellowship at the world-renowned Hospital for Sick Kids – enabled her to become a “multilingual diplomat” who can speak the languages of strategists, web developers, clients, and patients.

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In the past 12 years, Annie Wong has left her creative mark at some of New York City’s finest pharma shops, including Saatchi & Saatchi, CDM, Havas Worldwide, Area 23, FCB Health, and Intouch, and has an enviable client list of companies large and small across a variety of disease states.

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