MCS has announced the appointment of Dana Karpinski as senior account executive, expanding the agency’s commitment to provide our clients with the highest quality of strategic counsel, product communications and project management.

Karpinski brings to MCS a background in both public relations and patient education.   Prior to joining MCS, Dana was an assistant account executive at HealthEd Encore in Clark, NJ, where as part of the account management team, she worked on a variety of communication and marketing projects with a main focus on patient education. Specifically, Dana has implemented direct-to-consumer campaigns in an array of media, including print, instructional videos, and the Web. Previous to Encore, Karpinski was a PR specialist with Baer Consulting in Montclair, NJ, where she was responsible for external media campaigns, event planning and spokespeople management.   Karpinski also interned at WSET, an ABC affiliate in Lynchburg, Virginia. She is a graduate of Liberty University and holds a bachelor’s of science in Communication Studies.  

“We are very excited to welcome Dana to the MCS team,” said Jeff Hoyak, president of MCS Healthcare Public Relations. “Her patient education and public relations experience, combined with a firm grasp of the current regulatory environment and the communications challenges and opportunities it presents to our healthcare clients, provides a unique perspective that will be a valuable asset to MCS in meeting the diverse needs of those clients.”

In the spirit of the holiday season, MCS wanted to give back to our local community. Throughout December, our employees collected generous amounts of non-perishable goods for donation to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. Just prior to the holidays, the MCS team packed up the boxes, bundled up and helped load the truck set to deliver the goods!

We are so grateful that we are able to share with others during this time of year. Happy Holidays and a successful New Year to all!

This week’s lesson is a personal tip from one of MCS’ leaders. Communiqué magazine asked our own Jeff Hoyak, MCS president, for his insight as part of a virtual roundtable on this question: “What three qualities are most important in a successful leader in healthcare communications?”

This is what Jeff had to say:

“Rather than three distinct qualities, I would state that the current environment has yielded one overarching quality with three different aspects that is, frankly, a requirement to be a successful leader in this space. That quality is the passion, commitment and ability to be consistently on top of the following trends and how they are impacting and reshaping healthcare communications:

• Changes in the industry – Big pharma companies are merging again. Blockbuster drugs are going off patent, and generics are encroaching. The financial relationship between pharma companies and physicians is under a microscope. The FDA appears to be issuing more warning letters and is formulating new policies.  

• Changes in the media – Traditional print is on the way out, and online/social media (blogging, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, et al) is well on the way in as the healthcare communications vehicle of the near future.

• Changes in the world — How are the health-care reform bill in the U.S., the economic woes in Greece, and the emergence of China as the most prized new global market affecting the industry?   

These three categories of change frequently intersect to alter the landscape. For example, given the explosive emergence of social media as a healthcare communications tool, the FDA is scrutinizing this phenomenon and taking exploratory steps to develop guidelines for its use.

Only when a healthcare communications leader has, with Zeus-like command and confidence, adopted a 10,000-foot view of these ever-evolving dynamics and how they fit together, is that individual in a position to direct his or her staff and provide sound counsel to their customers.”

Take a look at the rest of our health care PR tips from our “25 Years, 25 Lessons” series.

MCS has a significant presence in the annual Healthcare Issue of O’Dwyer’s, the bible of the PR business. This October issue of O’Dwyer’s lists MCS’ ranking as number 11 out of the top 100 healthcare PR firms in the country. It also features a write-up on the agency, which draws attention to our creativity, service and results,
as well as an MCS advertisement on page 20 highlighting our privileged partnership with more than 100 organizations in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.

O’Dwyer’s is the number-one publication for PR and marketing professionals and has provided the latest inside news pertaining to public relations and marketing communications nationwide since 1968.

To read more about O’Dwyer’s recognizing MCS’ 25 years of outstanding creativity, service, and results, read our previous blog post here.

Judgement day is here! MCS’ own Sarah Morgan has been chosen to serve on the judges’ panel of the MM&M Awards, which are hosted annually by top health care industry publication Medical Marketing & Media.  The MM&M Awards are one of the highest accolades in health care marketing, and are judged by an independent panel of seasoned industry veterans. Morgan, a seven-year MCS employee who is currently a Director of Client Services, is described as one of the panel’s “distinguished members of the twitterati,” in an article about the awards that ran in MM&M’s May issue. On July 12, Morgan will take a break from serving MCS’ clients to join the other MM&M Award judges at the Hotel Warwick in New York City, where they will spend the day scrutinizing the many entries the publication receives each year for the distinguished awards. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in November. You can follow Sarah on Twitter at @sarahmorgan

For the fifth consecutive year, MCS has been ranked in the top 20 on O’Dwyers’ annual list of independent healthcare PR firms across the U.S. In the 2010 edition of O’Dwyers, MCS is listed at number 11 out of a total of 80 healthcare agencies, its highest rank to date and more than a few steps up from last year’s number 17 ranking.
MCS is also ranked number 58 on the overall O’Dwyers list of agencies, out of a total of 133. Additionally, with $3.6 million in revenue, MCS reported a 15% fiscal growth from 2008 to 2009, an impressive feat when the average growth among agencies reporting to O’Dwyers last year was -1.6%.

“MCS’ outstanding performance on the O’Dwyers list this year reflects the merits of the agency overall and our commitment to consistently surpassing our clients’ expectations,” said Joe Boyd, CEO of MCS Healthcare Public Relations. “I am very proud that MCS has earned this distinction.”

O’Dwyers has provided the latest inside news pertaining to public relations and marketing communications nationwide since 1968.

MCS is located in Bedminster, NJ, less than 15 miles from eight of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world.

MCS is pleased to announce three promotions in the month of April!

Eliot Harrison moves from Account Supervisor to Director of Client Services; Jennifer McGuire moves from Senior Account Executive to Account Supervisor; and Alanna Jamieson moves from Account Executive to Senior Account Executive.

“MCS places great emphasis on developing the skills of our staff with the goal of optimizing service to our clients,” said Joe Boyd, CEO of MCS Healthcare Public Relations.  “As they take on increasing responsibilities in their new roles, Eliot, Jennifer and Alanna will continue to achieve our clients’ goals with the level of quality that MCS has provided for the past 25 years.”

MCS has teamed up with JMB Consulting to offer a unique new service for healthcare executives that incorporates investor, corporate and product communications support.

Today’s healthcare environment demands that executives communicate e­ffectively to a variety of audiences. With a combined 85 years of pharmaceutical investor relations and product communications experience, we can provide solutions to some of the most critical communications issues. Are you prepared to deliver strategic messages that help generate a return on your investment?

MCS Healthcare Public Relations Launches New Strategic Communications Service for Health Care Executives

A Uniquely Integrated Approach to Executive Coaching That Offers Custom Solutions for Investor, Corporate and Product Communications Needs

BEDMINSTER, NJ, April 6, 2010 – MCS Healthcare Public Relations today announced that it has launched a new strategic communications training program for senior-level executives within the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.  MCS has teamed up with investor relations pro Janet Barth of JMB Consulting to develop this uniquely integrated approach that offers custom solutions to investor, corporate and product communications needs.

The new MCS strategic communications program will provide solutions to some of the most critical issues that “C”-level executives face in today’s highly competitive market, including development and delivery of consistent messages that effectively engage and inform audiences ranging from the financial and medical communities to government and regulatory authorities.

Barth is a 19-year veteran of the pharmaceutical industry with extensive experience in all phases of corporate, financial and investor communications. In her most recent role as Vice President of Investor Relations at Schering-Plough Corporation, she led the company’s global investor relations program and partnered with the executive management team on all matters pertaining to the financial community up until its planned merger with Merck in November 2009. Barth has been a member of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) since 1996 and currently serves as president-elect of the Virtual Chapter, the second largest NIRI chapter.

“An integrated communications approach is so critical when an executive is seeking to attract financial capital, build and protect a corporate reputation or launch a new brand,” said Janet Barth, Principal, JMB Consulting. “Today’s health care environment demands that industry executives remain consistent, responsive and credible when addressing a variety of different audiences that are important to their company.”

The collaborative program between MCS and JMB Consulting represents a combined 85 years of investor relations and product communications experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Joining Barth from MCS are Jeff Hoyak, President; Todd Forte, Executive Vice President; and Carol Cartwright, Vice President.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to work with Janet, a highly respected industry expert in high-level communications,” said Jeff Hoyak, President, MCS Healthcare Public Relations. “Her solid background in pharmaceutical IR coupled with the MCS team’s expertise in corporate and product communications and media relations has resulted in a superb combination with the chemistry and capacity to produce a return on investment for executives who employ this new service.”

For more information about scheduling a customized session that fits your unique communications needs, contact Jeff Hoyak at (908) 234-9900 or jeffh@mcspr.com.

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About MCS Healthcare Public Relations

MCS is an independent, award-winning health care communications agency recognized for its strategic focus, creativity and knowledge of issues affecting the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Located in the heart of Somerset County, NJ, MCS is less than 15 miles from eight of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world, and is within 40 miles of 33 of the top 50. For the last 25 years, MCS has worked with many of the world’s leading health care companies and has conducted public relations programs in virtually every therapeutic category. MCS is located in Bedminster, NJ. For more information, please visit www.mcspr.com.

About JMB Consulting

JMB Consulting tailors investor relations and communications programs to meet individual company needs, conducting both ongoing, full-service programs as well as strategic communications projects.

Sarah Morgan, Director of Client Services here at MCS, was recently featured in the publication Medical Marketing & Media in an article called “Will social networks produce ROI?”.  Sarah was one of four industry experts on social media consulted for the article, which ran in MM&M’s January issue.

Her commentary offered insight on striking the perfect balance with one’s involvement in social media, maintaining perspective on this exploding new form of communication’s  role in the larger picture, and giving due diligence to metrics in such a new media space.

Click here to read the entire article: http://www.mmm-online.com/will-social-networks-produce-roi/article/160453/

Due in large part to Sarah’s expertise, social media has become an increasingly important focus at MCS because, as she put it, “Social media is worth its weight in buzz.” Please keep in touch with MCS, on Linked In, Twitter, and Facebook!