What would you do if you didn’t work in healthcare?
I would probably be a fundraiser and event planner in the not-for-profit space … or maybe a wedding planner. I love a good party.
Can you give a shout-out to someone who helped you at a pivotal time in your career?
I have had some really great mentors in my life. My first boss, Steve Gross, walked on water for me. He was brilliant and passionate and just a touch over the top. He gave me my first shot, taught me to love this business and made me work harder than I ever have since. But because of him, there is a fire in me that never went out.
How has the pandemic reset the rules on your work-life balance?
Work-life balance is such a tricky thing because if you love what you are doing (at work or at home) things just seem to fall into place. I work with adults, and trust they know how to get their work done, take time off when they need/want it, and balance things around what they need to do as a human. For me, I have three kids, two companies, a husband, two dogs and a cat. There isn’t a lot of down time but my days are filled with happiness, which is the most important thing.
Share a moment when you left your comfort zone; what did you learn?
I started Vue Health six weeks after having twins. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, or if it was insane. But I set out to do something different, and to do it in a way that would show my new babies that women really can do anything. It was the hardest and most fulfilling thing I have ever done. I learned how to prioritize, I learned that quantity of time is less important that quality of time, and maybe most importantly, I learned that mistakes aren’t fatal.
What do you find frustrating about working in healthcare marketing?
I get frustrated by lazy work. So much of our job as marketers is to provide access and education to HCPs and patients so they can better tend to their health. Nothing irritates me more than another ad of someone walking through a field, painting a picture or some other generic activity with a laundry list of ISI. We owe it to the community to do better.
What are you doing to send the career ladder back down?
We have a pretty cool internship program going, and I spend a lot of time with my younger team members. I have an open door policy and make sure I am accessible. Because that is how I got my start. Being able to see and hear things that were above my pay grade.
What’s something your colleagues don’t know about you?
I was inspired by Angela from Who’s The Boss and used to play “advertising agency” as a kid.
What is one thing you would tell young women starting their careers in healthcare marketing?
Know your data — learn the science. And never forget that patients are people first.
Recount an experience with the healthcare system, positive or negative, that inspires you.
My uncle died of COVID-19. It was one of the most heartbreaking and terrible experiences with the healthcare system I could have ever imagined. They were understaffed and overworked. But he was not well cared for and his treatment was unlike anything I thought possible in this country. That experience strengthened my resolve to bring as much information into the healthcare system as possible to help HCPs do their job, and make every patient and caregiver an advocate.
Favorite TV show/movie/song/book?
TV: Sons of Anarchy
Movie: Encanto (What can I say, I am the mom of three girls under 6)
Song: “All Along The Watchtower” (DMB version)
Book: Where the Crawdads Sing
