Daria Blackwell
Co-Founder and Director
Daria Blackwell is founding partner and serves as Director and Secretary of Knowledge Clinic, Ltd. Ms. Blackwell focuses on four integrated aspects: interactive modular multi-channel patient education, complementary education for physicians, targeted research both before and after delivery of knowledge, and a reward system through third party payors to reinforce behavior. Blackwell also provides internal management and sales force training to ensure complete understanding of the therapeutic implications of patient behavior as well as the influence of cultural factors on assimilation of information.
As President of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association in 2004, she led the organization through a powerful transformation into a national force dedicated to advancing women in healthcare industry careers. The organization now represents more than 6000 individual members and hundreds of corporate partners in 15 chapters and affiliates throughout the United States and Europe.
Blackwell also served as a Director on the Board of Agile Therapeutics, a start-up biotech company dedicated to women’s health where she continues as a consultant.
As President of White Seahorse, Inc., an independent consulting firm in strategic marketing communications, Blackwell focused her attentions on raising awareness of women’s issues in healthcare marketing from three perspectives: 1) a marketer creating targeted programs to reach women as consumers and patients 2) a marketer speaking to women physicians and other healthcare professionals, and 3) the business case for marketing organizations to elevate women into decision making roles in order to capture the benefit of a diverse leadership that reflects the makeup of the primary target audience it serves.
As former President of Bozell Global Healthcare, Blackwell spearheaded the True North Women’s Health Marketing Group that formulated the fundamentals behind the vision of marketing to women. She was also instrumental in developing polycultural approaches to marketing The Merck Manual – Home Edition, Online Edition, and Spanish Edition, helping to sell 1 million copies in its first year. She brings this experience to bear on e-Learning initiatives for marketers.
Blackwell started as a brain researcher at the prestigious Rockefeller University in New York , then spent five formative years in research and marketing at Roche. As former President and long-term employee of Dugan/Farley Communications, her career spanned scientific communications, medical education, creative copywriting, account services, and agency management.
Experience |
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| 2008-current | Independent Consultant, Marketing & Communications, Provide consulting services to small companies regarding marketing and communications strategies to fuel business growth, with special focus on the marine sector. Coach and mentor to small businesses and start-ups in business plan development, funding application, sales plan presentation, and marketing plan implementation. Specialize in steering small businesses through marine sector regulations and approvals applications in Ireland. |
| 2007-2008 | Managing Partner, Sudler & Hennessey LLC Responsible for managing a 400+ employee company, its largest multi-divisional accounts and all of its digital operations. Personally managed key product launches at the beginning of 2008, during which time Namenda (memantine) for Alzheimer’s Disease reached the milestone of a $1 billion brand globally (05/07). Exceeded all targeted income projection goals. |
| 2006 | EVP, Director of Multicultural Communications, Sudler & Hennessey LLC Infused ethnic, racial, and cultural understanding as well as clinical development and marketing planning into the business case for all cross-divisional efforts. Instituted cultural competence training for clients and employees. Created communications plans for culturally appropriate educational resources for healthcare workers, patients and their caretakers. |
| 2005-2006 | President, Knowledge Clinic, Inc. Established sole proprietorship. Developed and implemented culturally competent, fully integrated educational programming for physicians, patients, payers, and healthcare marketers, with special emphasis on the patient-HCP interface. |
| 2001-2004 | President of White Seahorse, Inc. Strategic Marketing & Communications Worked directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers, biotech companies, and medical communications agencies to identify optimal positioning options and strategic plans for brands, portfolios, and companies. Assisted companies with positioning of themselves in licensing, promotion, and partnership deals. Published resources for the marine market. |
| 1999-2001 | President, Bozell Global Healthcare, A True North Company (IPG) Led merger of two agencies (Dugan/Farley Communications and Lewis Gace Bozell) into a unified diversified company. Established Executive Committee, managed external client and public relations, and managed integration into True North network upon their acquisition of Bozell. Full P&L responsibility. Met all financial goals. Appointed to a nine-person task force established by the CEO of True North to re-engineer all of True North’s healthcare operations after acquisition by IPG. |
| 1981-1999 | Dugan/Farley Communications, A Unit of Bozell Wellness Worldwide (formerly Division of Ally & Gargano, Inc.) President: Led agency through the retirement of the founding partners and two acquisitions. Full P&L responsibility for agency, studio, and shared services operations. Exceeded all financial goals during this period of transition. Was selected to head merger with Lewis Gace Bozell. Member of Bozell Wellness Worldwide Operating Board. Managing Partner, Business Development and Client Services: Responsible for new business activities, managing all client services and strategic planning for the agency, including the educational division. Executive VP, Director of Client Services: Cultivated client base, hired and trained account services staff, provided agency-wide strategic guidance, ensured creative excellence, managed agency self-promotion, and new business development. Liaison with consumer marketing groups. VP, Account Group Supervisor: Managed largest account group in the agency: Merck Human Health Division, Merck Vaccine Division, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Lederle-Praxis Biologicals, and Biotel Diagnostics. Account Supervisor: Managed Merck Recombivax HB account. Director of Scientific Communications: Established the department as an information sciences service unit for the agency and expanded it into a profit center through proprietary literature analysis service. Creative Copywriter/Medical Writer: Primary copywriter for Merck (antibiotic, vaccines), Lederle (oncology, dermatology), CIBA (women’s health), and Alcon (ophthalmics). Developed extensive patient resources for oncology and DTP communications for vaccines. |
| 1976-1981 | Roche Laboratories Medical Writer: Copywriting and project management for antibiotic, antineoplastic, gastrointestinal, CNS, and cardiovascular product lines. Medical Information Specialist: Conducted information research and analysis for internal and external queries on disease, diagnosis, and therapeutics. Assistant Scientist: Conducted basic research in biochemistry and drug metabolism, with particular focus on the cyt p450 liver enzyme system. |
| 1975-1976 | Rockefeller Universit Assistant Research Scientist Conducted research in physiological psychology, studying the effects of stress on biochemical activity in the brain. Supervised a staff of full- and part-time employees. |
Education |
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| 2007 | Commercial Captain's License issued by the US Coast Guard. |
| 1975 | New York University, BA Biology/Chemistry
President’s Achievement Award for Outstanding Scholarship |
Board Appointments |
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| 2001-2009 | AGILE Therapeutics Independent board member of start-up biotech company dedicated to women’s health. Continue to serve as independent consultant after restructuring of the Board upon refinancing to take the primary brands through to FDA approval and market launch. |
| 1998-present |
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| 1999-2006 | Medical Marketing & Media advisory board member |
| 1999-2008 | Coalition for Healthcare Communications board member |
| 1999-2000 | Medical Advertising Hall of Fame board member |
Publications |
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| 2009 | Leadership Lessons from the Sea. HBAdvantage |
| 09/2008 | Chapter 4: Marketing to Ethnic Groups, in Case Studies in Niche Marketing. HCPro |
| April 2008 | Connecting in an on-demand world. PharmaVoice |
| September 2006 | Solutions to Bridging the Cross-Cultural Divide in Healthcare, PharmaVoice |
| April 2005 | Cultural Competence, Medical Marketing & Media |
| Mar/Apr 2004 | HBA Bulletin, President’s Forum |
| December 2002 | Women Physicians Are Waiting to Hear from You. Medical Marketing & Media |
| May 2001 | Becoming Woman Wise, Medical Marketing & Media |
Awards |
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| 2011 | HBA STAR, Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association
"By expanding into Europe, Daria moved the HBA towards globalization, attracting new talent worldwide to support HBA's mission of advancing women in healthcare. Daria epitomizes all the qualities of an HBA volunteer leader in her commitment, vision and passion for our organization." |
| 2008 | Commodore Kenneth J Starkweather Trophy, American Yacht Club
"For oustanding service to American Yacht Club" |
| 2007 | Donald B. King Trophy, International Society for Perpetuation of Cruelty to Racing Yachtsmen
"For running an event that clearly dwarfs anything any race committee could ever create and bringing hope and joy to our most precious assets, our children." |
Personal |
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| Avid sailor and skier, USCG licensed Captain. Crossed Atlantic Ocean three times in three years on a 57-foot sailboat. Co-author of book Happy Hooking. The Art of Anchoring. Deliver global webinars as well as local seminars on boat anchoring, crossing oceans, and sailing the Caribbean and Atlantic Islands. Co-webmaster of www.americanyc.com, co-founder of www.coastalboating.net, co-founder of “Sail4Kids” in affiliation with Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center. Member of Ocean Cruising Club, Seven Seas Cruising Association, Mayo Sailing Club, and American Yacht Club. Frequent contributor to sailing publications on both sides of the Atlantic. | |
Category Experience Overview |
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| References available on request | |
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White Seahorse (Reg. in Ireland, #444071) is a division of Knowledge Clinic Ltd. |