OVERVIEW

My work experience is diverse, but my activities can be categorized into three primary functions all of which are underlined by a strong subject matter expertise in the life sciences.

Product Management

• Product Development
• Innovation
• Roadmap Planning 
• Positioning
• Market Segmentation and Targeting

Business Development

• Growth Strategy
• Client Relationships
• Contract Negotiation 
• Thought Leader Engagement & Advocacy
• Channel Partnerships

Marketing

• Message Platform Development
• Content and Creative Design & Development
• SEO, Paid Search, and CRM Implementation
• Compliance and Regulatory Promotional Review
• Sales Force Training

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CURRENT EMPLOYMENT

Kognito
Head of Product, Healthcare
2020 - Present

Delivering AI-powered virtual human simulations used by Schools of Health Professions, Health Systems, and Health Plans to train, test, and track healthcare provider interpersonal and therapeutic communication skills.

Key Achievements:

• Led expansion into new markets supporting graduate and undergraduate medical school curricula
• Remodeled buyer personas, value proposition, message platform, and product portfolio to better align with market opportunity among schools of health professions and industry clients
• Established new product development process to include all curriculum support components in addition to simulation content leading to increased renewal and upsell
• Launched suite of Telehealth simulations for provider training
• Launched Kognito Patient and Consumer Education product line that supports federal, state, and local agencies and reaches thousands of users

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PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT

Kognito
Senior Director, Business Development
​2018 - 2020

Head of strategic partnerships and new market development for Healthcare vertical working directly with Chief Executive.

Key Achievements:

• Negotiated and oversaw contracting for multi-year, multi-million dollar engagement with Fortune 100 company to leverage Kognito's simulation platform as a behavior change engine for client retention and engagement
• Negotiated and completed multiple research partnerships including data sharing agreements to synthesize in-simulation data with EHR records for further simulation impact validation
• Secured multiple Biopharma simulation development contracts totaling >$2M
• Over a dozen speaking invitations to highlight the various positive impacts of Kognito's simulation platform on both provider and patient behavior
• Sitting member of Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH) Corporate Roundtable

Singh Life Sciences
CEO & Principal
2018

DDB Health
Vice President, Channels & Innovation
2016 - 2017

Digital strategy and analytics department head for West Coast office, organizational lead in development of novel tactics and campaigns that expand business operations into new marketing channels.

Business Development

• Evaluated digital footprint of potential clients and their competition to provide strategic insight that won new business.
• Cultivated and managed a book of business >$1.75MM including major projects for two of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

Innovation

• Designed multi-channel marketing strategies that incorporated previously untapped tools alongside traditional channels to increase reach and impact among technology-native customers.
• Brought the first immersive disease education game play simulation to market that was specifically designed for practicing physician specialists.

Third-party Partnerships

• Built partnership roadmaps to evaluate 3rd party technology platforms that would expand digital reach to target consumers.
•  Negotiated exclusivity deal to box out competitors with the leading health tracking app in the therapeutic area, delivering >1MM active users worldwide for our client.

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In 2009 I set out to build an independent consulting practice with the intellectual freedom to pursue my interests.  In the years since I have tackled projects that excite me and developed the skills necessary to exceed my clients' expecations.  The following is a look back at my engagements as Principal of Van Ness Consulting.

Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals
Neurology Business
2015

In 2014 Mallinckrodt acquired the Questcor business and began the difficult work of implementing their consolidation plan.  During negotiations with the FDA the organization agreed to complete the conversion of all intellectual property to the Mallinckrodt label by September 30, 2015.  In March 2015, the Neurology Group Product Director charged me with guiding his franchise through the necessary changes and providing additional support for their commercial objectives.  Beyond the administrative challenges associated with the merger and abbreviated transition timeline, the Neurology franchise was facing significant threats in the market.  Revenues had fallen year-over-year; the prescriber base lacked consistent growth, relying heavily on a small segment of physicians; and commercial sales were being squeezed by patient access and fulfillment issues.

During my engagement with Mallinckrodt I provided strategic management and operations support, lead cross-functional project teams, performed research and analyses, designed sales training exercises, and developed content for the Neurology Group all devised to address the brand's challenges.  The following is a list of the individual projects I managed or supported, a detailed description of each initiative can be found below.

• Corporate Transition and Rebrand
• Segmentation Implementation and Training
• Sample Promotion Strategy
• Data Warehouse Needs Assessment
• Patient Access and Fulfillment Working Group
• 2016 Brand Planning
• Patient Starter Kit Revision
• Non-Personal Professional Promotion
  • Journal Ads
  • Direct Mail Campaign
  • Email Campaign
  • Digital Media
• Digital Specialty Center Development and Launch
  • Content Development
  • Multi-Media Asset Development
  • CRM Implementation
• Consumer Website Revision Assessment
• Website Metrics, SEO, and Paid Search Analysis

•  Strategic Brand Management 
•    Professional and Consumer Marketing  
•     Digital Asset Strategy  

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Corporate Transition and rebrand

Purpose:  Sustain ongoing marketing functions during personnel and protocol changes.  Update all franchise assets to the Mallinckrodt corporate brand, concomitantly assess alignment of each asset with core claims and broader marketing mix. 
Duration:  6 months
Method/Research: 

• Conducted a series of interviews with each member of the team to identify ongoing projects and alignment with the franchise Critical Success Factors
• Established a schedule for regular status updates to identify necessary cross-functional inputs and action items to secure continued progress
• Built communication plan with corporate liaison to stay ahead of changes and relate team progress
• Assigned priority to marketing assets based on sales force utilization and customer engagement metrics
• Created a rubric for evaluating alignment with core claims, which included multiple discussions with the Promotional Review Committee to confirm acceptable guidelines
  • Retired old assets, consolidated tools where appropriate, identified gaps in promotional materials and tools, and recorded all required revisions
• Collaborated with agency of record to rebrand and/or revise assets
  • Managed development of timelines, budgets, creative briefs, SOWs, and lead promotional review of all assets.
• Outlined a comprehensive rollout plan to both collect all old assets from the field and release updated versions

Deliverables: 

• Inventory of all franchise marketing materials to be analyzed during assessment
• Transition Brand Book outlining all Mallinckrodt brand elements to be incorporated into existing materials
• Summary and analysis of current market research and operations data as it pertains to marketing material prioritization
• Finalized prioritization list of all materials to be assessed and rebranded, grouped by content and audience
• Core claims analysis rubric
  • Claims organized by topic and brand driver
  • Each core claim numbered for reference
  • All committee-validated variations of permissible language previously discussed attached to each core claim
• Documentation and tracking for project sponsor and Promotional Review Committee approval, including change logs and review committee feedback notes
  • Core claims and rebranding change log associated with each reviewed piece
• Updated and rebranded franchise marketing materials
• Sales Training Materials associated with each updated piece
  • Field Direction Memo for approved modified material outlining the changes and the implications for use
  • Annotated PowerPoint presentation for more advanced materials with a larger number of changes that would necessitate such a presentation
• Adaptive review process and implementation plan for future updates to web assets or new materials based on changes to existing marketing materials
• Replacement plan for retrieving old materials and distributing new versions
• Regular project status updates for project lead

Outcome: 

• Evaluated, rebranded, and/or revised over 400 franchise marketing pieces
  
• Completed all revisions and released all materials prior to deadline
• Established gold standard process adopted by all other marketing teams

Segmentation Implementation and Training

Purpose:  Drive sales force adoption of physician segmentation and segment selling process.
Duration:  1 month
Method/Research: 

• Relaunched Segmentation Typing Tool with completion requirements
• Aligned Segments, Belief Continuum, Message Platform, and Tools/Materials to clearly delineate the messaging hierarchy for each segment, and tools that support each message
  
• Developed training workshop that demonstrates to sales force how to apply segment selling to a physician they call on:
  • Task each Sales Specialist to identify one physician they call on from each of the 3 segments
  • Each Sales Specialist creates a brief profile of each based on call logs including:  key discussion points covered, outstanding questions, barriers to trial or adoption, list of marketing materials and messages previously referenced
  • Wrote workshop discussion guide based on belief continuum and major objections posed by each segment to create role-play exercise for Specialists to practice against - Each exercise to be supervised by a Sales Trainer and provide guidance to increase efficacy and troubleshoot approach

Deliverables:

• Sales Force Segmentation Training for National Sales Meeting Slide Presentation
• Complete Advanced Instructions for Completion of Preparatory Work
• Role Play Discussion Guide
• Exercise Evaluation Surveys - for Specialists and Trainers

Outcome:

• 100% segmentation completion by deadline
• Self-reported increase in segmented sales approach directly leading to increased product trial among customers
  

Sample Promotion Strategy

Purpose:  Develop sample promotional strategy that increases product trial without cannibalizing revenue.
Duration: 1 month
Method/Research:

• Analyzed sample program usage and prescribing trends to identify key characteristics of customers for which sample program participation may lead to increased product trial and prescribing
• Generated customer target list for sample program promotion by cross-referencing operations data with key characteristics from prescribing analysis
• Developed cost estimate for initial phase of program promotion as part of an ongoing Direct Mail campaign and generated revenue growth projections based on limited sample program data as part of comprehensive commercial business case
• Created Needs Assessment for program approval by Compliance to ensure alignment of promotional strategy with Sample Program rules and regulations

Deliverables: 

• Commercial Business Case
• Compliance Needs Assessment
• Physician Target List for Sample Promotion
• Direct Mail Response Card

Outcome:  The proposal was approved and the Direct Mail Response Card was in development at the end of my engagement with Mallinckrodt

Data Warehouse Needs Assessment

Purpose:  Identify
Duration:
Method/Research:
Deliverables:
Outcome:

Patient Access and Fulfillment Working Group

Purpose: 
Duration:
Method/Research:
Deliverables:
Outcome:

2016 Brand Planning

Purpose: 
Duration:
Method/Research:
Deliverables:
Outcome:

Patient Starter Kit Revision

Purpose
Method/Research:

• Revised patient segments based on usage and engagement data to develop segment specific materials that increased patient-initiated conversations with physician about product at each stage of the treatment flow.
  

Input
Deliverables
Outcome if known

Non-Personal Professional Promotion

Neurology Specialty Center Development

Purpose
Method/Research
Input
Deliverables
Outcome if known

Consumer Website Revision Assessment

Website Metrics, SEO, and Paid Search Analysis

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Questcor Pharmaceuticals
Nephrology Business
2012 - 2014

Significant opportunity existed for my client to enhance their promotional effectiveness and reach with a coordinated digital asset strategy.  I performed a complete inventory of the group's digital and print marketing assets along with an analysis of the available market research and website metrics to identify unmet promotional needs and information gaps.  The results of the analysis lead to follow-on project work revising existing print and digital assets, outlining a new digital asset strategy, and developing several new marketing programs.  The following is a list of the individual projects I managed or supported, a detailed description of each initiative can be found below.

• Social Media Monitoring
• Promotional Case Study Development
• Library Program Implementation
• Interactive Visual Aid Development
• Physician Perspectives Digital Video Library
• Branded Professional and Consumer Website Revision and Redesign
• Website Metrics, SEO, and Paid Search Analysis
• Unbranded Consumer Website Needs Assessment

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Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals
Endocrinology Business
2009 - 2011

The team engaged my services to lead the development and launch of a pilot patient adherence program.  The pilot program would pair behavioral coaches with patient families to identify their personal barriers to adherence and create goal-oriented programs for addressing their individual challenges.  The program required extensive cross-functional cooperation to manage the legal, regulatory, and technical complexity, and necessitated extensive documentation for senior management approval.  As the development of the program progressed the nature of the project evolved and the initiative was incorporated into the organization's comprehensive support program.  My work in creating the program protocols, training materials, and promotional materials earned praise and additional responsibilities. 

I was charged with the management of the brand's web promotions and asked to advise their broader marketing campaign development.  The branded consumer website we created was recognized by the Web Marketing Association for Outstanding Achievement in Web Development in 2011.  The following is a list of the individual projects I managed or supported, a detailed description of each initiative can be found below.

• National Sales Meeting Support
• Patient Adherence Pilot Program
• Core Visual Aid Revision
• Consumer Campaign Revision
• Branded Professional and Consumer Website Redevelopment
• Website Relaunch Supporting Materials
• Unbranded Consumer Website Development
• Website Metrics, SEO, and Paid Search Analysis
• Mobile Dosing Application Development

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Campbell Alliance
Consultant
2007 - 2009

I joined Campbell Alliance in July 2007 as an Analyst in the Brand Management practice, based out of South San Francisco.  I began my career mastering Campbell's best-in-class product launch offering, Launch Playbook, where I learned the function of every role on a product launch team, the core launch deliverables, and the key interdependencies between multiple stakeholders that can make or break a product launch.  Within a few months I had command of the structure and operations that comprise a global pharmaceutical business, and I had cultivated the essential skills of effective project management, thus earning myself additional responsibilities.  I was put in charge of analysis on a wide array of projects ranging from comprehensive 5-year strategic brand plans to focused Tactical Needs Assessments.  At my six-month performance review I was promoted to Consultant and given additional opportunities to work out of other Campbell offices with different project teams.   By the time I left Campbell in January 2009 I had served as primary consultant on over a dozen projects with major pharmaceutical manufacturers in New Jersey, Southern California, and the Bay Area while maintaining >95% excellence in customer satisfaction on all the projects I served.

The following is a list of project types that I supported with a brief description of my role.  I worked primarily on brands in the oncology therapeutic space, but also completed project work for cardiology, neurology, and  endocrinology products.

• Launch Playbook
  • Role:  Coordinate launch team meetings; Conduct launch update meetings with client team members; Track activity progress, potential risks, and interdependencies for all launch work streams; Generate status updates, progress reports, and Gantt charts for all team meetings
• Change Management and Transition Planning
  • Role:  Assemble, Catalog, and Prioritize all relevant documentation; Conduct interviews with key stakeholders; Build transition timelines; Identify all potential risks and develop mitigation plan;  Create and manage Master Change Record
• Advisory Board Development, Recruitment, and Facilitation
  • Role:  Identify and recruit thought leaders for participation; Develop situation analysis presentation; Design Ad Board surveys; Capture and consolidate insights from meeting
    
• Competitive Intelligence and War Gaming
  • Role:  Assess client needs via stakeholder interviews; Gather and analyze available client data; Conduct primary research of personnel with direct competitor experience; Conduct KOL interviews for ATU data; Conduct secondary research to assemble competition commercial fundamentals; Compile analysis presentation; Build competitive market analysis and shadow brand plans; Provide onsite support during War Games
• Customer Account Management Strategy and Optimization
  • Role:  Analyze existing strategy and market research; Develop primary market research protocols, conduct interviews with healthcare professionals and internal stakeholders; Compile and analyze research results; Propose strategic and tactical modifications to address identified issues
• Medical Affairs/Sales Field Force Sizing and Deployment Planning
  • Role:  Build situation analysis of current deployment based on client documentation; Profile ideal Field Force Team Member responsibilities and capabilities; Analyze geographic distribution of targets; Research competitive benchmarks; Conduct capacity analysis and produce numerical recommendations for field force sizing options
• End of Lifecycle/Generic Competition Planning
  • Role: Develop Brand Situation Analysis; Identify essential criteria for analog research; Create Analog Case Study for tactical insight; Produce prioritized list of action items for End of Lifecycle preparation
• Value Proposition Development
  • Role: Conduct internal stakeholder interviews to understand product key attributes; Analyzed existing market research for benchmark measures of customer attitudes and behaviors; Developed value messages to drive behavior change; Validated value messages with primary research across customer segments; Developed communication strategy for stakeholder segments; Implemented ongoing measures to track desired behavioral change
• Brand Planning
  • Role: Developed Brand Plan Scope; Analyzed existing data and research outputs; Identified outstanding data gaps; Conducted stakeholder interviews to determine Brand Objectives and Critical Success Factors; Condensed insights and built Brand Plan presentation of Situation Analysis, Disease Overview, Unmet Needs, Buying Process, Product Profile, Competitor Overview, SWOT Analysis, and Value Chain Analysis

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PARTNERSHIPS

Throughout my work career I've had the opportunity to partner with other great teams across the industry.  The following is a collection of agencies I've collaborated with to build solutions for my clients.

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AWARDS

2011 WebAward for Outstanding Achievement in Web Development
Winning Entry:  Increlex Brand Website
Award:  Pharmaceuticals Standard of Excellence

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