Torod B. Neptune

This article struck a chord with me. It’s about moving purposely toward a long-term vision in a world where we’ve come to place more value on agility and being able to pivot quickly.   The tension between doing things fast and doing things well came to mind. To be clear – they aren’t always mutually exclusive. We’re side-by-side with our clients and the round-the-clock expectations and urgency they deal with every day. Business happens at speed and acting quickly is often a necessity. But there are times when “fast” can work against us.   More intellectual work – like foundational messaging, like deep thought leadership – requires time to ponder, analyze, self-critique, go away and return with fresher eyes and sharper minds. When you cut that out, the result is like fast-fashion – it looks passable on the surface, but it doesn’t hold up to scrutiny and doesn’t hold lasting value.   It’s always about striking a happy balance.   Definitely worth a read. #Healthcare #Messaging #BuiltToLast

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My friend and colleague Jeff Caporizzo, a cancer survivor, will join an amazing panel of public health leaders from FDA, CDC, and NIH to share their insights on how audience-driven communications strategies can change the public’s awareness and behaviors towards cancer. Don’t miss this upcoming ICF webinar about the role communications can play in supporting positive public health outcomes. #cancerprevention #cancercommunications #CDC #FDA #NIH https://lnkd.in/e7te6Hh7

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>>>> 81% of surveyed physicians say corporate reputation influences their perception of medicine value at least moderately. (I can't get 81% of my family to agree to a pizza topping, so this is a staggering number!) Our latest #WEBrandsinMotion health report, "Reputation Rules: Unlocking Physician Prescribing Power," has a TON of fascinating, actionable takeaways for pharmaceutical companies, like the stat above. The full #ReputationRules report is at this link and is very much worth your time: https://lnkd.in/g3VcQzJv Kudos to my WE Communications Global Health colleagues on this powerful report!

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Erin here, back again with a Real Chemistry readout of the health policy discussion few are talking about from last night’s VP debate with Leslie Isenegger, MPP.   Over an hour into the debate, Senator JD Vance and Governor Tim Walz were asked about the cost of healthcare. The back and forth mostly focused on who has done more to strengthen the Affordable Care Act (Vance seemingly countering efforts by the Trump administration to weaken the law). But Vance echoed Trump’s vow to repeal the ACA and touted pre-ACA high risk pools, which led to a sharp rebuke from Walz.     On drug pricing, it’s no surprise that Gov. Walz highlighted the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program as key to VP Harris’s efforts to bring down costs. Vance claimed the average increase in drug prices under the Trump administration was 1.5% compared to a 7% increase under the Biden administration.     Vance appeared to be citing a HHS report tracking drug prices from 2017-2023. He may have conflated a 7% average price increase on single source drugs from 2022-2023, which was due to price increases on higher priced drugs, with a different statistic that showed 1.6% increase in the consumer price index from 2017-2018. Interestingly, neither candidate mentioned the $35 insulin cap despite both candidates taking credit for that measure.      This debate demonstrated that both candidates would plan to make drug prices a priority of their administrations, despite reports that Congressional Republicans are targeting Medicare price negotiation as a target for repeal in 2025.   https://lnkd.in/dHssXaPe

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The @PageSociety just released its newest report Beyond Communication: CCO Leadership in Navigating New Complexity. The findings underscore the CCO as an ever-more-essential partner with the CEO in defining and activating corporate character. Read more here: https://hubs.la/Q02x4nPQ0

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Last week, I had the chance to attend the PRWeek Healthcare Conference in NYC with my colleague, Theresa Liddy Dolge. I enjoy this conference every year, not simply because it’s fun to reunite with former colleagues and clients, but we get to hear from and connect with industry leaders on some of the most pressing health issues. Here are some of the biggest learnings we took away: 👩‍⚕️ Women’s health was a hot topic, with period positivity serving as the opening keynote. While progress has been made in how we talk about and treat menstruation, women in the US – more than in any other country – still face shame and restrictions related to their periods, including a lack of free period products in schools. Brands have an opportunity to lean into existing gaps to address women’s health head on and educate consumers in a positive way. 🤝🏼 Authenticity is key in creating partnerships to advance health equity. Organizations that meet communities where they are can make a bigger, more positive impact. 🔓 Weight stigma and bias are pervasive in our society. Although we’re seeing significant innovations in how we treat excess weight with anti-obesity medications, they are out of reach for many people living with obesity due to high costs or supply issues. It’s clear we can’t simply educate about obesity and weight health – we have to support and advocate for systems that ensure greater access to treatment. 👩🏾‍🤝‍👨🏻 What we say and how we say it is critical – particularly when trying to reach historically disregarded communities. From grassroots organizations to advocacy at the state level, it’s important for healthcare communications to be backed and informed by research and have set KPIs to maximize impact. As healthcare continues to evolve, our mission at Inizio Evoke Comms remains the same, to make health more human. I’m proud today and every day to be part of a forward-thinking global agency that supports clients in advancing health and wellbeing for patients and communities around the world.  #PRWeekHealthcare #Pharma #Communications 

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Great HBR article on The Art of Asking Smarter Questions. “Advances in AI have caused a seismic shift from a world in which answers were crucial to one in which questions are. The big differentiator is the ability to craft smart prompts.” Enter “question-storming” as a creativity technique with the following 5 domains of strategic questions: investigative, speculative, productive, interpretive, and subjective. What’s your question mix? https://lnkd.in/ehUyUVUT #AI #prompts #strategy #creativity #criticalthinking #questionstorming

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As RFK Jr. takes the reins at HHS, 2025 could mark a pivotal year for health communications. In an era where public health narratives are shaped often by platforms like TikTok rather than by the CDC, the need for science-backed education has never been greater. Patients are increasingly using social media to self-educate, which makes clear, compelling, and evidence-driven storytelling critical. And yes, some of this will be from corporations/brands but at the end of the day we will have to lean on trusted voices. I see certified physicians and patient-led communities playing hero roles in bridging the gap between credible data and accessible communication. Companies like MedFluencers and Savvy Cooperative are already leading the charge, proving that health literacy and authenticity can coexist on these platforms. With rare disease communities already demonstrating how empowered, knowledgeable patients can drive better outcomes, could this become the evolving model for all healthcare communications?

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An important piece from my colleague Gil Bashe on the danger to VEDS patients that can result from the recent subtyping of EDS conditions. Worth a read!

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Science Moms' #LaterIsTooLate campaign is the next Campaigns We Love. Their laser focus on their audience is a breath of fresh air in a sometimes muddled field. What do you think about it? What challenges do you face in trying to identify the audience for your campaigns?

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The direction set by this acquisition signals an impending shift toward greater collaboration among technology providers, healthcare institutions, and providers. The future will likely see a growing emphasis on interoperability, as stakeholders realize that seamless communication of insights can dramatically enhance patient care. #Medtronic #PaceMate #MedicalDevices

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🚨👇𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐋𝐄: **CCOs are getting a seat at the C-suite table** Elevating the role of communicators is something many of us have been focused on for years. As Dustin Siggins shares in this article that has been happening more frequently, which is a very good thing. However, elevating the role of chief communication officers also comes with new expectations for how those leaders operate within an organization and deliver results. I added my perspective on this topic along with Stephanie Roberts, Jeremy Tunis, Jeff Berkowitz and Nick Lagalante, MPS. Check it out! #communications #pr

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We’re a few days away from #ASCO24 where new data & findings will be shared with oncology leaders globally. Yet, despite new treatments & advancements, our greatest defense against advanced cancer remains the same: screenings. ☑ With younger adults being diagnosed with cancer at startling rates 📈, coupled with society’s social media obsession, it makes sense that RC found social media 📲 as the most effective way to raise awareness & inspire action for cancer screenings. (And, if you’re into longevity science like me, you’re channeling your inner #peterattia & focusing on prevention like it’s your job).

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What do you think is a leading driver of Corporate Reputation? According to the recently released survey results from Porter Novelli's Purpose Priorities Report, it is... PURPOSE. (+trust, + credibility + top talent)       Check out the report, which for the seventh year in a row, looks at how purpose, performance, and quality all drive brand reputation – especially challenging in today’s complex political and cultural landscape.  #PurposePrioritiesReport #DoingBusinessBetter #CorporateReputation #ConsumerInsights

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More one sided coverage from the The Wall Street Journal, this time from David Wainer. The piece focuses on health system growth via consolidation as the driver of healthcare cost increases. Yet fails to point out why this consolidation is necessary -- vertical integration of health plans and how UnitedHealth Group/Optum employs ~100k doctors or more than 10 percent of the U.S.'s doctors. There is a chart in the piece that shows the size of the largest health systems in the country by revenue to illustrate the thesis. Kaiser is #1 at $100B and HCA (Fortune 66) is #2 at $60B. But UnitedHealth Group is a Fortune 4 with $300B+ in revenue, Aetna, a CVS Health Company is part of a Fortune 6 at $300B+ in revenue, Cigna Healthcare is Fortune 15 at $180B+ in revenue, Centene Corporation is Fortune 25 at $140B+ in revenue and Humana is a Fortune 44 at $92B+ in revenue. When will the Journal look closer at the profits of these health plans as a driver of America's healthcare cost crisis? When will they look at prior authorization and the administrative costs that health plans have added to American healthcare?

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20+ years of writing and reviewing press releases has left me with a deep hatred of the words "iconic", "innovative", and especially "paradigm shifting"! This is a smart piece by Eleanor Hawkins. And I agree - as long as the time investment is kept to a minimum and all parties are aligned on the goals of a "press release", there's still a place for them in the comms toolkit as a way to memorialise a moment in time. One add though. With data hungry LLMs looking for more and more content to ingest, and given the shift among many publishers to block the use of their IP, will we see a resurgence in the impact of press releases as influencers of AI answer engines? I predict yes.

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Are the tools of journalism applicable to #corporate communications? Without a doubt. I recently had the opportunity to discuss three of those tools, and how to apply them, at a gathering of comms professionals from @Method Communications, @Sling&Stone, @Harvard and other teams from our @VCCP family. I’d love to hear about other skills from #journalism you think are applicable to helping companies tell their best stories in authentic, media-genic ways. Comment below!

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Two months ago, we wrapped up the first season of the Capital of Health podcast. It is incredible to see how far we've come. From our humble start, we've produced 12 episodes and are gearing up for the next 12 after the summer. The recent addition of two new members to our team has further enriched our perspectives, setting the stage for an even more exciting future. As I took some time to reflect, one episode in particular stood out to me as we envision our podcast's future in this coming season. Here are a few of the most important takeaways from that episode, during which I was joined by Simon Philip Rost GE's Simon Rost, the Chief Marketing Officer of GE Healthcare. *Storytelling is one of the oldest human practices, with roots in all global and rural cultures. From sitting under a tree to men writing in caves, humans have always connected through stories, and we need to incorporate this into our health education messaging. *While the potential of AI and automation in healthcare is undeniably promising, it's crucial to maintain a balanced approach. As Simon highlighted in our discussion, understanding the individual's context is critical. Without this, the outcomes of AI may not be as tangible as we hope. His analogy of Oktoberfest and missed doctors' appointments is a powerful reminder of how we can harness AI responsibly rather than overwhelming the consumer. As we look forward to the next season of the podcast and the fantastic lineup of guests on our calendar, I look forward to our upcoming season as we transform health through storytelling: empowering communities one life at a time. https://lnkd.in/eTXCCz33

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On this #EarthDay, it's important to flag that #climatechange has a profound impact on our well-being and #health. Here is a quick refresher on how the environment impacts our personal health, and why we should prioritize healthy environmental actions and behaviors (source: World Economic Forum): 1. Climate change intensifies extreme weather events and leads to droughts. Almost 40% of the lower 48 states in the United States and 17% of the European population are facing drought, threatening food and #watersecurity. 2. Poor air quality is linked to respiratory diseases, such as #asthma, bronchitis and #lungcancer. Additionally, pollutants, such as particulate matter and ozone, can worsen #cardiovascular health, leading to #heartattacks and #strokes. Air pollution could lead to 6 to 9 million premature deaths per year by 2060. 3. Climate change affects the distribution and behaviour of #disease-carrying vectors, such as mosquitoes and ticks. Warmer temperatures and altered precipitation patterns create favourable conditions for the spread of vector-borne diseases, like malaria, dengue fever, Lyme disease and Zika virus, to moderate and previously less affected climate zones, such as Europe and the United States. 4. Changes in climate patterns disrupt #agriculturalsystems, leading to decreased crop yields, food shortages and compromised #foodsafety. 5. Climate change-induced disasters and environmental degradation can take a toll on #mentalhealth too. The loss of homes, livelihoods and communities due to natural disasters can cause psychological distress, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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