Lise J. Hall
Title: Associate Director of Consumer Marketing, Lung Cancer Franchise
Company: AstraZeneca
Education: MBA, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
Family: Dad, mom, sister, Angélique, brother, Daniel
Hobbies: Home renovation, cooking and eating, discovering new cultures
Bucket List: Buy and renovate an apartment in Paris and a U.S. lake house; master wok cooking; visit Bali; go whitewater rafting; travel cross-country in an RV and visit the Grand Canyon; learn to dance Kizomba
Awards/Honors: Marketing That Matters Excel Award (recognizes remarkable marketing and outstanding cross-functional teamwork that delivers top results) for Cymbalta diabetic nerve pain consumer marketing campaign
Associations: Sickle Cell Disease Association of America Inc. (SCDAA) Board of Directors; Consortium for Graduate Study in Management
Social Media:
Tweet: @suoiruc14
The Embodiment of Patient-Centricity
Lise Hall has always been patient-centric, even before patient-centricity became the current buzzword. Colleagues report that she has been a leader in patient engagement since well before the industry’s shift toward patient centricity, and her passion for patients translates into everything she does, both personally and professionally. As associate director of consumer marketing, lung cancer franchise at AstraZeneca, Ms. Hall puts patients at the forefront of all of her marketing decisions.
She makes sure the voice of the patient is heard and that this voice is carried through the work of everyone working on the brand.
According to all descriptions, Ms. Hall is a compassionate woman who dedicates long hours to helping others. Her commitment goes beyond earning a paycheck; she is making a difference in the lives she touches.
She establishes meaningful personal relationships with the patients she meets, agency collaborators, and partners with patient groups on co-creation projects, such as the very successful LVNG With campaign.
Ms. Hall, along with her colleagues at AstraZeneca and in partnership with DLBi and Snow Companies, piloted the groundbreaking patient education and support program for people living with lung cancer and loved ones in 2015. The program includes a robust online and social media presence, a physical publication distributed through physician offices, and a series of live events for people touched by lung cancer.
The LVNG With program re-established AstraZeneca as a leader in the lung cancer community. In a survey of healthcare professionals, about half reported being aware of the program. LVNG With social media has resulted in more than 50,000 followers in the first six months post launch. LVNG With events resulted in 98% of program attendees rating the program very valuable (84%), valuable (14%), and 100% of attendees planned to share their learnings with others. The campaign has become one of Ms. Hall’s greatest career highlights.
“One of my colleagues said it was the best work he’d seen or been a part of in his 28 years with the company," Ms. Hall says. “Increasing word-of-mouth reach was one of the primary goals and the program has achieved more than 30,000 shares and mentions. I feel proud of the impact the program has had in helping people move beyond simply coping to truly living with lung cancer."
At previous positions held at Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and Vanda Pharmaceuticals, Ms. Hall also worked on branded and unbranded patient-education campaigns. At HGS, she developed The Us in Lupus program (theusinlupus.com) focused on delivering lupus education and building a sense of community among the lupus population. At Vanda, Ms. Hall redesigned and enhanced the Non-24 program (non-24.com), an educational program for people living with non-24, a serious, rare circadian rhythm disorder that primarily affects people who are totally blind.
For each of these programs, she has partnered to create a cohort of ambassadors — people living with their respective condition — who are trained to speak on behalf of the organization about their condition.
Ms. Hall embodies patient-centricity and has brought innovative disease awareness campaigns to communities with limited to no educational resources. She brings sound rationale to the fight for budget dollars to develop and execute programming and resources for people living with chronic and life-threatening conditions because she is one of the few marketers who understands that doing the right thing for the patients and their loved ones is the basis for causing real change.
Nicole Hebbert
Title: VP, Patient Access & Engagement
Company: United BioSource Corp. (UBC)
Education: BA, Business, Hampton University
Family: Husband, Dudley Hebbert Jr.; children Whitney Hebbert, 24; Jordan Hebbert, 21
Hobbies: Reading, gardening, golfing, traveling to the Caribbean and Central America, calypso/soca music
Bucket List: Start her own Lupus Foundation to specifically focus on the needs of minority female patients; attend all three Triple Crown Horse Races in a single year; visit the Great Sphinx and the pyramids of Giza
Social Media:
Tweet: @UBCPharma
Easing the Path for Patient Access
For Nicole Hebbert the measurement for success is simple: happiness. And humor plays a big part in being happy.
“I love to laugh, and I enjoy the work I do and all the people I work with," she says. “Without happiness and humor, any success achieved would be very dull."
During her 20 years in the healthcare industry, she has built a reputation with pharma clients and internal audiences based upon her thorough knowledge of patient access programs, compliance, regulations, and reimbursement processes. Using this knowledge, she is able to develop solutions that comply with regulatory restrictions, and meet the important needs of specialty patients.
She has risen rapidly in her career. Just shy of her 30th birthday, she was promoted to VP of reimbursement at Priority Healthcare after seven years of working her way up from frontline reimbursement specialist to a top leadership role.
Recently, Ms. Hebbert was promoted to VP, patient access and engagement at United BioSource. Previously, she led UBC’s commercial services operations teams providing pharma manufacturers with best-in-class service in clinical contact centers, reimbursement hubs, and the implementation and administration of FDA-mandated risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS) program.
She has been instrumental in growing the department, increasing staff numbers by 40% in 2015, and today leads 1,600 team members. She has helped to implement new service offerings that support innovative therapies and drive efficiencies while increasing patient access to life-changing therapies.
She recognizes, appreciates, and supports a holistic approach to success at UBC, which in turn means that UBC can support more patients more fully.
She has overseen a program for a product dispensed exclusively through UBC, providing best-in-class operations, and customer service for all stakeholders, including patients.
Ms. Hebbert says one of her toughest tasks was dealing with the Ferguson, Mo., unrest in the fall of 2014.
“With a large staff in the immediate area, I had to work cross-functionally to ensure that employees and business operations were safe during a very contentious time," she says. “The logistical, emotional, and operational challenges were many but with a strong commitment to my staff and our patients and clients, disruptions were minimal."
Clients respect her not only for her industry knowledge but also for her authenticity.
As a lupus patient, Ms. Hebbert says her disease has fueled her professional drive, her compassion, and her desire to help others.
“Lupus has influenced me to be a bold, visionary leader always willing to find ways to assist patients with their access to therapies," she says.
“And, it’s helped me become a leader and mentor who has inspired many along their path to great careers."
She sees the challenges and burdens patients and their families encounter every day and draws on her own diagnosis with lupus as an educational opportunity to help her team truly understand what it means to be a patient living with a rare disease. She focuses not only on the operational metrics of patient-access services, but also on improving the journey for patients and their caregivers.
“I want to ensure that every patient has access to his or her prescribed drug therapy and reimbursement hurdles are removed," she says.
She goes the extra mile for patients in need. When the business heard about a pediatric patient in rural Idaho who had been newly diagnosed with a condition that required treatment within 24 hours to avoid mortality, and it was too late at night for routine carrier operations to get the product delivered, Ms. Hebbert supported arrangements for a company pharmacist to book a flight and personally carry the needed product to the hospital for administration to the child.
Ms. Hebbert leads by example, and always gives credit where credit is due. Colleagues say she is always open for a healthy debate and she is known for her ability to encourage courageous thoughts and actions, which have empowered her teams to achieve previously unattainable goals.
“A positive, encouraging and collaborative approach drives others to believe that ‘we’ can overcome any issue, if we work as a team," she says. “I believe motivation comes from the collective strength of the team."
Despite the high pressure, fast-paced environment, Ms. Hebbert makes time to mentor, and inspire her teams while also balancing the demands of her job.
“Mentoring others is important to me because I believe in paying it forward," she says. “I have been fortunate to have many great leaders, friends, and family take an interest in my career and development and as such I want to do the same for others."
Carolyn Horn Dumond
Title: Manager, Advocacy & Patient Education
Company: Myriad Genetic Laboratories Inc.
Education: BS, Health Education & Promotion, University of Utah
Family: Parents and role models, Sally and Cal Horn
Hobbies: Skiing, mountain biking, hiking, gardening, reading, cooking
Bucket List:
Kayaking in the fjords of the Kenai Peninsula
Awards/Honors: Employee of the month, Employee of the year, Spirit of Giving Award
Social Media:
Making Every Day Count
When she closes her door at the end of each day, Carolyn Dumond likes to know she has made a difference in people’s lives.
“I measure success by knowing that I did at least one thing that day to make a difference in someone’s life," she says.
Ms. Dumond has been making a difference in the lives of patients, especially cancer survivors, for more than 20 years. From direct outreach to collaborating on an organizational level, Ms. Dumond’s keen interest in helping people has borne fruit in developing impactful partnerships that ultimately have made a difference to families.
When Ms. Dumond joined Myriad Genetic Laboratories in 2005, she was moved by the impact that breast cancer genetic testing was having on families who had lived with generations of cancer diagnoses that often extended deep into the family tree.
She began working with patients, helping them share their stories of hope and struggle with others who had similar family backgrounds. Ms. Dumond began to recognize the incredible value that patient advocacy organizations provided to patients and sold this brand value to her management team, creating the first-ever advocacy department at Myriad.
She helped to develop an organized strategic playbook within the advocacy world that would help external audiences understand the value of the risk assessment Myriad offered and ultimately empower them to reach more patients.
Until that point, Myriad had very few advocacy partnerships. In fact, a couple of organizations were plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Myriad on whether the company could patent gene mutations it had discovered. Despite this challenging environment and as the only member of her department, Ms. Dumond worked tirelessly to reach out to the patient advocacy organizations, to understand their needs, and to find ways to work together in areas of intersecting interest.
As technology advanced to encompass panel testing, or the genetic testing for risk of multiple cancers, Ms. Dumond saw the benefit this could provide to the organizations that she was developing relationships with. Certain genetic mutations were found to carry risk for multiple types of cancer, and advocacy organizations were not fully prepared to educate their constituencies about these interconnected factors.
Recently, she was the driving force behind a groundbreaking collaboration of unaffiliated cancer advocacy groups that came together as a first-ever think tank.
Building upon the trust and deep-rooted relationships she had developed through her consistent and caring outreach to more than 20 patient advocacy organizations, Ms. Dumond was able to help many of them by bringing them together to talk about the challenges and successes they were experiencing as they met with patients whose hereditary risk spanned cancer types that went beyond their respective organizations.
She facilitated this first-ever consortium to join forces and agree upon best practices in educating patients about hereditary cancer risk, ultimately co-authoring Understanding Hereditary Cancer in the Era of Multi-Gene Panel Testing. The paper highlighted challenges and opportunities for patients, their healthcare providers, and patient advocacy organizations.
Building trust is a priority and Ms. Dumond says her most challenging assignment has been repairing broken relationships.
“Regaining that trust took many long months, difficult conversations, and proof that I would deliver what I promised," Ms. Dumond says.
Going forward her goal is to consult with other industry leaders and help implement successful advocacy programs for a diverse patient and healthcare population.
Ms. Dumond has been lauded for her willingness to give up nights and weekends to attend patient events; to travel to distant cities for walks, runs, or fund raisers; and for organizing teams for local events and hosting patients or advocacy group representatives in her home.
She makes deep personal connections with everyone she interacts with, all with a goal of helping patients and their caregivers understand cancer risks.
“Knowledge is power," she says. “Raising awareness about hereditary cancer and other healthcare options doesn’t help just one person, it helps entire families."
Chemelle Evans
Title: VP, Client Services
Company: Snow Companies
Education: MBA, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Family: Her father for his love for adventure, entrepreneurial ingenuity, and consistent compassion for people; her mother, for her endless encouragement and support
Hobbies: Dancing, traveling
Bucket List:
Visit the Egyptian Pyramids and take an African Safari
Awards/Honors: 2013 DTC Perspectives Top 25 DTC Marketers
Social Media:
Honoring the Lives of Patients
An exemplary marketer, Chemelle Evans puts patient strategies at the forefront of everything she does.
Ms. Evans’ hard work, diligence, and perseverance have been critical to the success of patient education programs that have changed the lives of newly diagnosed patients across a variety of disease states.
She has helped to sharpen the skill level of new, current, and future pharmaceutical company employees and patient advocates that will make a lasting impact for years to come. Her efforts have helped to create a foundation and foster a culture that allows her employees to focus on successful strategies while building a lasting legacy of excellence and integrity.
A career highlight for Ms. Evans was pioneering the use of social media at UCB with the launch of the Epilepsy Advocate Facebook page and being one of the first marketers in the industry to engage in this arena when so many were hesitant to jump in.
“There was no roadmap or playbook for how to work in social media effectively or compliantly," she says. “We took a leap of faith, and what started out small has grown into a robust community of patients and caregivers who are taking on the stigma and misconceptions of epilepsy."
Ms. Evans always puts her clients’ needs first and prides herself on the strategic partnership offered by herself and her team. In her role at Snow Companies, and along with key members of the Gilead team, she spearheaded the development and execution of successful call centers in support of people living with hepatitis C. These centers fielded more than 32,000 calls in 2015 with more than 50% of qualified leads resulting in registration.
She has a steadfast focus on the patients, helping them to better understand their conditions, treatments, or the evolution of new products in the medical environment, while simultaneously keeping in mind the needs of the business. Ms. Evans truly gets her clients’ business needs, adds her own brand of smart thinking to address them, and then transitions that alchemy to her team members. She leaves any brand she touches in a better place because of her ability to clearly weave together business needs with patient needs and make them work together in perfect harmony.
“I take commitment very seriously, such that when I dedicate my time and energy to people, projects, causes, or initiatives, they have my 100% commitment," she says.
Fostering and developing the skills of her team is one of her top priorities. Under her leadership, her team excels and always offers top-notch customer service. She also pioneered the use of StrengthsFinder across the organization as an additional way to tap into the skills of her colleagues.
Ms. Evans is the first to recognize the work of the team for the goals achieved; yet she is the one common thread to the successful creation, implementation, and continuation of excellence. Many events and programs would not have been accomplished with such a high degree of excellence if it had not been for her leadership and influence.
Ms. Evans is a mentor to many, helping others to set goals, work to accomplish those goals, and provide long-term vision. She cares deeply about those she works with, their perspectives, and what’s important to them.
She believes innovation thrives where there is a desire to learn, a collaborative environment, and the willingness and courage to try something new.
Described by those who work with her as a true leader, she manages with confidence while encouraging and supporting the input of others.
She says she would like to be remembered as fair, dedicated, innovative, strategic, and for working tirelessly to achieve the highest levels of excellence in everything that she did.
“I want to be remembered as someone who worked to honor the lives of the people I was there to serve, the patients," she says.
For Ms. Evans success means that she did her best to make an indelible mark on the lives of the people she has encountered beecause of the integrity, commitment, love, and authenticity she has shown.
Valerie Kobzej
Title: Director, Multiple Myeloma Marketing
Company: Celgene Corp.
Education: Bachelors’ Journalism Advertising, University of Missouri
Family: Her late mother, father, and stepdad; aunts and uncles; brothers and sister-in-law, twin niece and nephew
Hobbies: Fashion, tennis, traveling
Bucket List:
Attend Wimbledon
Awards/Honors: Annual Innovation Award, 2014 and 2015, Celgene
Social Media:
Tweet: @mygalpalval
Bridging the Gap for Patients
Once Valerie Kobzej sets her mind to something, there is nothing that can stop her. She will fixate upon it and gather all the evidence necessary to get people on her side and get the job done.
It’s this tenaciousness combined with her ability to challenge and improve upon the status quo to enhance results that have enabled Ms. Kobzej, director of multiple myeloma marketing at Celgene, to strive for huge improvement in the quality of care for African Americans living with multiple myeloma.
The myeloma community was largely aware that African Americans had two times the incidence of this cancer, but Ms. Kobzej discovered that African Americans represent a striking number of people living with multiple myeloma. In fact, they represent 13% of the U.S. population, yet make up almost a quarter of those living with multiple myeloma. And, many of these patients seemed younger, and most notably, they didn’t seem to be doing as well as they could be or getting the same level of care.
After researching the issue more thoroughly with thought leaders, Ms. Kobzej’s suspicions were confirmed. She learned that multiple myeloma does indeed affect African Americans differently. She learned that while incidence is higher, when African Americans get the treatment they need they do just as well as, and sometimes better than other groups. She saw a critical need for raising awareness and working toward equal access for treatments. She spearheaded an initiative leading to the launch of a campaign called “Standing in the Gaap for Africans Living with Multiple Myeloma," which raises awareness around disparities in cancer care and provides education around the fact that African Americans may have a better shot at survival because of potentially favorable disease biology.
Standing in the Gaap gets information and resources to patients and caregivers to help them feel more confident and involved in their care, and it provides healthcare providers with education about how African Americans are affected differently in their disease and in the care they typically receive. The program also provides information for social workers and nurse navigators who are helping patients through the complex healthcare system.
“I’ve spoken about this initiative to people within Celgene, in the myeloma community, and even Capitol Hill, and it is so gratifying to see the passion it sparks in people," she says. “We started a Facebook community — African Americans Living with Multiple Myeloma — that reached more than 34,000 followers in just four months after launch. It is now the largest presence for multiple myeloma on Facebook. It is amazing to see that our message is resonating, and humbling to know how many lives we are able to touch with such a rare disease."
Ms. Kobzej says leading a patient marketing team in an oncology market where the physician is king can potentially be a huge challenge.
“At Celgene, I’m encouraged to follow my passion and do what’s best for the patients," she says. “I believe a patient with cancer has the most at stake. In a world where most people with cancer are treated by a community oncologist who sees all types of cancer, it is more important than ever to empower patients with rare cancers such as multiple myeloma to become more educated about their disease and treatment options. We as pharmaceutical marketers have a responsibility to help."
The next phase of the Standing in the Gaap program involves working with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to encourage more African American students to pursue careers in hematology/oncology, with a focus on multiple myeloma.
The essence of the phrase Standing in the Gaap is: “I am there for you, I have your back, I will provide the bridge to help you achieve your goals."
Ms. Kobzej has worked hard to embody these values and stand up for all patients.
Over the course of her career, Ms. Kobzej has been a constant patient advocate. She is dedicated to empowering patients and is a champion for bringing information to those who need it most.
She has led her team in the creation of two unique websites for the multiple myeloma community: MyelomaCentral.com for patients and MMCenterForNurses.com for community oncology nurses.
She and her team also launched Celgene’s first branded creative campaign targeting multiple myeloma patients and caregivers and Celgene’s first patient support group presentations and branded patient ambassador program.
Ms. Kobzej is proud of her ability to challenge and improve upon the status quo when it comes to improving the quality of life for patients.
She believes success is measured by the ability to compel others to join your cause or take action because of the work you have done.
“When people see you truly believe in what you are doing, and you effectively communicate the issue and your goals, you can inspire people to take a second look at how they approach their work," she says. “Even if it is just one patient we are able to help, it makes it all worth it."
Caroline I. B. Kurtz, Ph.D.
Title: VP, GCC Platform Lead
Company: Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Inc. Education: Ph.D., Immunology, Harvard University
Family: Husband, Steve Connelly; two daughters, Emily, 23, and Kira,13; six siblings; two wonderful parents
Hobbies: Cooking, scuba diving with 13-year-old daughter Kira, marine life, and conservation
Bucket List:
Become a volunteer for Science Club for Girls; visit the Galapagos Islands
Associations: American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology, American Association for Immunologists, Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, WEST
Social Media:
Innovating for Patients
Caroline Kurtz, Ph.D., began her career in academia, conducting research funded by the MS Foundation. Within that project, she would receive letters directly from the patients her research would be affecting. It was this experience that made her more aware of patients’ needs and spurred her to give back by more directly contributing to improving therapies to treat chronic debilitating diseases. In 1995, she turned to research and development in the pharma industry.
“My main goal is to bring additional great innovative new drugs to patients," Dr. Kurtz says. “This is what we are here to do. Along the way I want to continue to grow my leadership capabilities and take on new therapeutic programs both within and outside of GI therapeutics. I also want to expand my mentorship role of young professionals in my company."
For the past 12 years, Dr. Kurtz has worked at Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, and her biggest career highlight to date has been leading the team that discovered, developed, and gained FDA approval for the drug Linzess (linaclotide), a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with constipation and chronic idiopathic constipation in adults. This drug has gained approval in the EU, Canada, Mexico, and is under review in Japan and China through partners.
Linaclotide’s success to market was driven by Dr. Kurtz who harnessed the power of high-functioning teams from the beginning of the drug’s clinical journey in 2004 through the present day, when more than 1 million unique IBS-C and chronic idiopathic constipation sufferers had filled prescriptions to take the drug in the hopes that it would bring relief to their symptoms.
“The development of linaclotide was both exciting and challenging," Dr. Kurtz says. “In building great collaborations with our corporate and global partners, we had to overcome different cultures, languages, and continually align on priorities as the program evolved. It was important to build great relationships across company lines and maintain an internal commitment to working together well to solve problems as cross-organizational teams and we did."
Colleagues say Dr. Kurtz would never take the credit for herself, because as a leader she is very team-oriented. Drug development relies heavily on teamwork, and this is a great fit for Dr. Kurtz.
“I love working with teams,’’ she says. “There is no other way to develop a drug, and it is the diverse insights, talents, and personalities that lead to success and allow us to have fun along the way."
Team members say her focus is always about the team, the product, and the patient, and this emphasis makes her an effective leader, one for whom the team will work incredibly hard. She creates an environment in which people feel empowered to have their genius moment, or to share their brilliant insight, or to persevere in the face of adversity.
Dr. Kurtz is a stellar problem solver who also is sincerely committed to helping patients. She doesn’t just talk the talk; she walks the walk of patient centricity. She is active in the patient community, attends conferences, reads the latest literature, and continually talks with key opinion leaders and patients to try to understand their experiences and points of view.
Dr. Kurtz also strives to be a strong mentor, committing hours of her busy day for one-on-one mentoring sessions and daily support. She works with staff members to map out long-term and aspirational plans for professional development. She consistently and reliably supports staff on a day-to-day basis, whether it’s to give advice, bounce around an idea, share a success, or help navigate a challenge.
“I asked to be a mentor and this is integrated into my goals and position as a leader," Dr. Kurtz says. “Currently, I supervise two great program leaders at Ironwood. It is really important to take time to develop emerging leaders in the company to help them realize their full potential, and also to bring out the best in our teams."
It is often said that a true leader leaves behind in others the conviction and desire to carry on the vision. Dr. Kurtz does this through her passion for science, her unwavering determination to help patients, and her openness to creative innovation.
Kelli P. Duprey
Title: Senior VP, Primary Care Franchise
Company: Boehringer Ingelheim
Education: BSc, Pharmacy, Ohio Northern; MBA, Simon School, University of Rochester
Family: Husband, Peter; mother, stepfather, sisters, nephew, brother, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law and partner
Hobbies: Bicycling, yoga, pilates, skiing, hiking, collecting wine, traveling, cooking
Bucket List: Going to China, India, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand; leading a non-profit or owning her own business that helps young women navigate the business world
Awards/Honors: Pharmacist of Year, URMC; Special Achievement and Shining Star, Roche; Council of Excellence, Serono
Associations: Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, APhA, AMCP, Women’s Health Foundation
Social Media:
Tweet: @kringros
Business Savvy and People-Focused
There’s a word that crops up often when people describe Kelli Duprey: caring. Right from the beginning of her career, Ms. Duprey illustrated her compassion for patients and her direct approach to bettering their experience. Colleagues who have worked with her over the years say they knew long ago that she would make meaningful changes in the industry and was destined to influence the way pharma interacted with patients.
Her motivation, vision, business acumen, and leadership, combined with a genuine care for her teams and for people in general, are inspirational to many.
Using her realistic insight and customer-centric approach, Ms. Duprey has been applying outside-of-the-box thinking to business decisions and making groundbreaking differences. Her ability to understand trends and see the possibilities enhanced her cornerstone patient-focused approach and made her brand teams think and act with insights, not just data, way before the pharma industry realized the importance of this type of knowledge.
A registered pharmacist by trade, her passion and commitment to patients as well as their families and caregivers, have been the cornerstone of her leadership. She exemplifies disruptive thinking when it comes to problem solving and is always looking to improve the centricity surrounding the human healthcare consumer, striving to improve his/her clinical outcomes.
Her career goal — which it appears she is already achieving — is to lead a business that makes a significant difference in people’s lives.
Ms. Duprey is also known for her business acumen and improving organizational models wherever she goes. At Pfizer, she led the regional business unit excellence project that created a more efficient and effective regional model. This initiative resulted in $25 million in annualized savings. She also developed new and enhanced customer-facing capabilities, which required significant change management and re-enrolling people back into the culture.
She hopes to be known as a caring person who created an environment where people like to come to work, which has led to millions of patients to be able to live the lives they love.
Ms. Duprey also has a passion for mentoring and helping women develop their career paths. As a member of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA), she has encouraged others to join the organization, and she mentors colleagues as well.
“I have been a mentor since my first management role," she says. “I love helping others obtain the success and happiness they deserve."
Through her years of executive leadership at Abbott, Sanofi, Pfizer, and now currently as senior VP of the primary care franchise at Boehringer Ingelheim, she has brought this innate passion for developing women by being a member of the governing bodies for women’s networks or by developing training curriculums to address the growing need for women’s leadership programs. Specifically, at Pfizer, Ms. Duprey spearheaded the initiation, development, and execution of two new innovative leadership programs focused on driving diversity, touching up to 200 employees.
She finds sponsorship and mentoring as a source of inspiration and rallies her peers to take the lead as well. She works with about 20 people as a mentor and mentee from all facets of her career.
What separates her from other industry leaders is her personal and caring approach to everyone she interacts with, whether it’s spending in-person time with those she sponsors and mentors, finding them the tools and resources for them to realize their goals, or conducting team-building events to reinforce the humanistic company’s culture.
She is a community leader as well, lending her skills, passion, and commitment to various nonprofit causes, such as serving on the board for the Women’s Health Foundation and as an advisory board member for one of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association’s chapters. (PV)
