Medical Public Affairs is now WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications – Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

The Office of Medical Communications at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has been reorganized and renamed WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications. The new organization will develop a strategic focus on supporting meaningful school-wide initiatives.

The change comes at a pivotal time for WashU and WashU Medicine, according to David H. Perlmutter, MD, Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor, George and Carol Bauer Dean, Vice President for Medical Affairs. As the medical campus continues to meet the challenges of the coronavirus crisis, WashU School of Medicine faculty members are making more significant progress than ever in research and clinical care.

“We are a campus in motion,” says Perlmutter. “We are creating more scholarships for our students, modernizing our curriculum, expanding and diversifying our faculty, staff and leadership. We are in the midst of a strengthening, unprecedented medical campus construction campaign.The medical school is leading a university-wide effort to commercialize WashU’s research, and is using traditional We are actively looking for new and different sources of funding, and we are constantly evolving the stories we share.”

The changes to WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications come at a time when it’s not all smooth sailing across the country. “Like all medical schools, we face significant social, cultural, economic and political headwinds – locally, nationally and globally. a rapidly aging population; a challenging political culture plagued by racism, misogyny and resentment; and an uncertain economic environment,” Perlmutter said.

“Yet, other external factors are impacting our mission, including labor shortages in critical clinical, research, and administrative support positions. Disruptive competition from large corporations with balance sheets Pressure on payer reimbursement and management of patients Generational shift in patient expectations As a top 5 medical school, the best medical schools on the East and West Coasts, research grants, We compete for faculty, students, residents and fellows, and we strive to stay on the cutting edge by adapting and improving, long before our paradigms of success become obsolete in a rapidly changing world. Driven internally by necessity, maintaining momentum in the face of these critical challenges requires constant strategic communication and a clear and strong commitment to external audiences that aligns with school and university goals. I need your message.”

Going forward, WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications will work more closely with school and department leaders to build marketing campaigns that enhance the school’s brand. Develop robust internal communications to support departmental initiatives and reach employees. And it creates more strategic external communications that highlight faculty expertise and what sets WashU Medicine apart from other institutions.

To achieve this, WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications forges a strong partnership with University Marketing & Communications. University Placement; University Leaders in Innovation and Commercialization, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Additionally, WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications will better capitalize on and leverage the enormous potential of its partnership with BJC HealthCare (BJC).

WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications has two main focus areas. The Brands and Marketing department leads brand awareness efforts, leads strategic marketing campaigns that support the priorities of schools and their leaders, and provides enhanced web and digital content strategy and design support. We also create compelling stories about the department and WashU Medicine that support the mission of Medical Advancement and ensure that such stories are supported in line with the university’s overall message and goals.

The second area of ​​focus is medical communications. The group is responsible for all aspects of news and media relations, publishing exciting stories about the impactful work the medical school community is doing in research, patient care and education, and working with brands and marketing. To do. Group enhances its story of clinical innovation and excellence in partnership with BJC. In addition, the communications team partners with academic, clinical, and administrative leaders to support strategic internal communications, support the medical school’s public relations campaigns, and develop internal communications for employees.

Bullet

Greg Barrett has taken on a new role as Vice President for Biomedical Strategy, Marketing & Communications. Barrett has been with the School of Medicine as Associate Vice President of Strategic Projects and Outreach for the campus. has played an important role in Prior to that, he served as president of the Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital Foundation. He also served as Vice President for Development at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. He is Vice President for Development and Vice President for Organizational Strategy at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He also served as Director of Major He Gifts and Principal He Gifts at the Children’s Memorial Hospital of Chicago.

“Greg has a passion for academic medicine and brings that passion, strategic vision and leadership assets to WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications,” said Perlmutter.

Joni Westerhouse, who has led Medical Public Affairs since 2014, will serve as Vice President for Medical Communications. A national survey of Vice Chancellor/Chief Marketing Officers for Medical Marketing will begin sometime next month.

“The new WashU Medicine Marketing & Communications is part of our strategy to better resource and support scientists, educators and clinicians in their work,” said Perlmutter. “We look forward to more remarkable stories about WashU’s legacy of excellence.”