Entrée Health's Veronica Warman on the Evolution of Oncology and 'The Bread Exam'

Veronica Warman has 20+ years of experience in healthcare communications. She started as an editor in medical education. She moved into healthcare advertising as an editor and then transitioned into copy. Her experience is deep, ranging across brand and omnichannel marketing for HCPs and patients, with a focus in rare diseases and oncology. She recently joined Entrée Health and now uses her experience and expertise to shape communications to payers, health systems, and HCPs with the goal of helping people access the healthcare they need.

We spoke with Veronica for our series Checkup, where we chat with leaders in the healthcare marketing space.

Veronica, tell us...

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I was born and raised in the Bronx by a single mother of three. I currently live in Central New Jersey with my husband and three children, but we are in the process of moving back to New York.

How you first got into healthcare marketing, and what attracted you to it.

My first job after college was as a production editor at a scientific publisher. From there, I was recruited by a medical education agency. And they had a sister agency that focused on HCP marketing. We shared a kitchen. In hearing conversations over lunch about the various projects they got to work on, I pursued the switch to that agency and have since navigated through patient and consumer marketing, digital marketing, and now market access marketing.

Something people might not know about the healthcare industry.

The focus of healthcare marketing is not just to sell. It's a complex matrix of resources (both human and other) that simplify a brand's story, which helps key decision makers (patients and health care professionals) make well-informed decisions.

A recent project you’re proud of. 

So much of the most creative work that we do in market access are things we can't share publicly, but I recently helped create a recruiting campaign for my agency that showcases some long-time employees in a cute and fun way. There are so many Entrée employees who have had incredible career growth here and we wanted to showcase that to show others that they can grow with us too.

Someone else’s project within healthcare that you were impressed by recently. 

There is a lot of incredible work out there, but I was recently impressed by The Bread Exam for its culturally informed approach to healthcare communications. It’s such a great example of how important language is and how creative expression using analogy can be both beautiful and effective.

A major challenge facing healthcare advertisers today.

Risk aversion is the biggest challenge I see. Healthcare marketers try very hard to be innovative, disruptive, and trend setting, but are often held back by incredibly conservative MLR committees whose main concern is avoiding an FDA letter or fine rather than creating groundbreaking communications that will actually help patients.

One thing about how healthcare is evolving that you're excited about.

I find the evolution of oncology care incredibly exciting. So much has advanced since I started in the business. And, with vaccines on the horizon and new device and immunotherapy combinations being studied, we are quickly getting closer to beating cancer.

How healthcare can attract more creative talent.

I think the key to attracting creatives is helping them understand that there are a variety of unique opportunities that healthcare marketing offers. But first and foremost, creatives in this arm of the industry get to create work that helps people get access to the healthcare they need.

What would you be doing if you weren't in healthcare marketing?

I'd be running a book / record store with my husband.