Team Bios
Brian Lefkowitz,
President
What is the boldest thing you have ever done?
”Biking 100 miles.”
Role: Agency Leadership
Relevant Experience:
Brand launches: American Express Blue Card, Starburst – Europe, Gilead Creating Possible
Years Experience: 20+ years
Location: New York, NY
As President of Digitas Health, Brian has helped lead the creation of strategic cross-channel campaigns and content for some of the top healthcare companies and health providers around the world. Over the past 20 years, Brian has been passionate about building and directing integrated teams that are committed to helping patients and healthcare providers through the health experience by leveraging the integration of data, technology, and creativity.
Tapping into his multidisciplinary background of design and digital marketing, Brian has launched and created award-winning global campaigns for both consumers and healthcare providers across all media channels in a wide range of therapeutic areas including oncology, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, dermatology, HIV, HCV, neuroscience, ophthalmology, anaphylaxis management, and more.
Throughout Brian’s career, he has been recognized, awarded, and featured in AdWeek, AdAge, Archive, Campaign, Clio’s, Creativity, Effies, MM+M, and The One Show. He’s also a member of the Google Health Advisory Board.
Joseph Bailey,
Executive Vice President, Head of Growth
What is the boldest thing you have ever done?
”I can’t pick just one because everything I do is bold.”
Role: Growth Strategy
Relevant Experience: Genentech "Ask Bigger Questions"
Years Experience: 15+ years
Location: New York, NY
Intention. Innovation. Impact. Whether it’s building brands, teams, or partnerships, Joseph puts a laser focus on bringing together what’s best for moving Digitas Health and our clients forward.
He launched his marketing, public relations, and creative strategy career in the lifestyle sector at PR firm People's Revolution before transitioning into healthcare. Now, a seasoned professional in global healthcare marketing, Joe has launched some of the most recognized brands in the industry for some of the top holding companies in the world including IPG Health and Omnicom Health Group.
Joe also focuses his skills on his love of community and has co-founded “You Give. We Cook. They Eat” supporting frontline hospital workers in Los Angeles and “Racism Has No Home Here,” a grassroots organization focused on anti-racism and anti-discrimination community-based work.
Emily Lenard,
Vice President, Group Account Director
What is the boldest thing you have ever done?
”Being a parent has been the best adventure to date!”
Role: Account Management
Relevant Experience:
Disney World 50th Anniversary Campaign Development, Disney Parks and Resorts Campaign Development and Launches, CPG Product Development and Launches, AOR and Interagency Team Leadership
Years Experience: 16 years
Location: Chicago, IL
Emily brings deep multi-vertical experience leading cross-functional teams in developing fully integrated campaigns and insights-driven creative from inception to optimization. Before joining the inspiring world of healthcare marketing, she served brands by leading teams on some of the most loved brands, including Disney Parks and Resorts, Starbucks, Trek Bikes, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day, and Kimberly-Clark.
Joining Digitas Health almost 3 years ago, Emily successfully launched one of the biggest entrants into the gastro space and is now serving as PublicisDNA DTC integration lead on VABYSMO as well as the Health Client Lead for Publicis Health at Genentech.
Always keeping the humanity of advertising in focus has enabled Emily to curate a distinctive set of skills and experiences to pull from in service of her brand team partners and team. She is passionate about identifying unique, new-to-market ways for brands to connect to their target audiences.
Emily lives in the near Chicago suburbs with her husband and two kids, where soccer and gymnastics fill their weekends.
Erica Rivera,
Senior Vice President, Engagement Strategy
What is the boldest thing you have ever done?
”Dancing the Argentine tango in 2 states with Robert Duvall – and the first time I invited him to the milonga (tango dance party)”
Role: Engagement Strategy
Relevant Experience:
Brand launches: MIT Hacking Medicine Hackathon mentor and participant, CSL Behring, National Hemophilia, Foundation and MIT Hacking Medicine partnership for first-ever Hacking Hemophilia onsite event with patients, caregivers, HCPs and engineers – 201, Allstate College Football and March Madness campaign, sweepstakes and activations - 2014-15
Years Experience: 23 years
Location: Chicago, IL
Erica brings over 23 years of agency experience to her role at Digitas Health as SVP, Engagement Strategy. With over a decade of dedicated pharmaceutical Engagement Strategy experience, Erica has launched 6 global brands for both HCP and DTC—including oncology—with many more indication launches in the mix.
Erica joined Digitas Health in 2022 to lead HCP Engagement Strategy in response to the agency’s desire to increase innovation across the ever-shifting needs of this critical target audience. Her team partners directly with Brand Planning, Medical Strategy, and Data & Analytics to develop omnichannel experiences throughout highly measurable ecosystems designed for rapid optimization.
Of particular personal pride, Erica was integral to the first-ever Hacking Hemophilia hackathon held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in partnership with CSL Behring, MIT Hacking Medicine, and the National Hemophilia Foundation. She has also served as a hacker and mentor at MIT’s Grand Hack where she always felt too old and tragically unhip, but delighted in sitting on the floor until all hours of the night with cold pizza, cold coffee, and a great team to finalize an idea.
Before joining Digitas Health, Erica led the Engagement Strategy team at AbelsonTaylor, including the UX and Social Media Strategy capabilities, where she drove digital innovation for the agency’s clients.
Erica lives outside Chicago with her family, and after hours you will find her cheering for a marathoner, a lacrosse face-off/get-off guy, or a budding motocross competitor, or snuggled under a cat and standard poodle reading a book.
Clients include: Merck, Gilead, AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Kite, Takeda, Biogen, CSL Behring, Sunovion, Sage Therapeutics, Arcutis, Chiesi, G1 Therapeutics, Bluebird BioSciences, MyoKardia, Vericel, NatureMade vitamins, and more.
Specialties include: Oncology, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Allergy/Immunology, Cardiology, Neurology, Psychiatry, Nephrology, Dermatology, and Rare Diseases.
Chanel Hemphill,
Vice President, Director, Cultural Intelligence & Engagement Strategy
What is the boldest thing you have ever done?
”Snorkeling in the Atlantic Ocean and riding a dolphin.”
Role: Cultural Intelligence & Engagement Strategy
Relevant Experience: Abbott Corporate Marketing Strategy and Execution, Merck Brand Campaign
Years Experience: 15 years
Location: Dallas, TX
Chanel is a data-driven Experience Strategist with deep roots in community activism, cause marketing, and digital strategy. She has spent her 15-year marketing career infusing equitable data and engagement strategy across payer, finance, and pharma clients (Health Care Service Corporation, Charles Schwab, Abbott, Abbvie, Merck, Gilead).
Leading Healthcare Client Initiatives for Health Equity: Throughout Chanel's career, she has led efforts to develop tools and strategies that effectively connect healthcare and pharmaceutical clients with marginalized patient populations. Recognizing disparities in health literacy and access among diverse communities, she designed targeted marketing campaigns that specifically addressed the unique needs and challenges faced by these populations. By leveraging data-driven insights and employing culturally competent messaging, Chanel successfully increased health literacy levels and advanced health equity in underserved communities.
Harnessing Data Analytics to Understand Regional Disparities: In her role as a marketing professional, Chanel has consistently utilized data analytics to gain a comprehensive understanding of regional variations in awareness, access, and search behavior. This approach allowed her to identify critical gaps in information dissemination and service availability, leading to more effective and strategic marketing interventions. Her data-driven approach enabled clients to tailor marketing strategies to better resonate with diverse audiences, fostering increased engagement and positive outcomes.
Championing Inclusive Technology Adoption: As a Subject Matter Expert, Chanel has played a vital role in ensuring that new technologies, such as AI, ChatGPT, and machine learning, are inclusive of diverse populations. Believing in the power of technology to bridge gaps and empower individuals from all walks of life, she collaborated with technology development teams to implement features that account for cultural nuances and linguistic diversity. By championing inclusive technology adoption, Chanel contributed to creating more equitable marketing practices that truly resonate with diverse populations.
Meredith Gardner Britton,
Vice President, Group Creative Director
What is the boldest thing you have ever done?
”Swimming with a lot of things in a lot of places: sting rays, manatees, sharks, barracudas.”
Role: Creative
Relevant Experience: Corporate branding, consumer and healthcare campaign development, ad board development and management fostering co-creation
Years Experience: 18 years
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Meredith Gardner Britton is a multi-faceted creative professional whose passion lies in crafting content that builds brand platforms and changes behaviors in the marketplace. Equally, she loves driving collaborative teams with a special eye on mentorship and growth.
Meredith has nearly 20 years of advertising agency experience. Upon graduating from S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, the earlier years of her career saw her working across an array of consumer categories, from hospitality and entertainment to life sciences and technology.
In her time focused on healthcare, Meredith has led creative development and campaign management for HCP, DTP, and DTE audiences. When she can be part of making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients, that’s when she feels most fulfilled. To that end, she’s had the opportunity to work in service of the families overwhelmed by hemophilia, the high-risk infants suffering from severe respiratory disease, the resilient people living with the HIV, those seeking more relief for their PsA, the everyday heroes fighting cancer, and those facing the “quieter battles” of fertility and family planning. Her pharmaceutical client partners have included: Merck, Novo Nordisk, Amgen, Gilead, AstraZeneca, and Hologic.
Meaghan Thompson,
Vice President, Group Director, Data & Analytics
What is the boldest thing you have ever done?
”While in Hawaii, I went shark diving and then learned how to surf all in the same day.”
Role: Research & Measurement
Relevant Experience: Research & Measurement Lead for SLB Global Corporate Rebrand & Capital One Philanthropic Insight Center Launch, Data & Analytics Lead across HCP & Consumer clients in both the Immunology and Neurology space
Years Experience: 12 years
Location: Chicago, IL
Meaghan holds the title of VP, Group Director of Data and Analytics and currently leads measurement across clients in the Immunology & Neurology healthcare verticals at DH, focusing on both patient and HCP audiences. With a rich background that spans strategic research, media analysis, PR & comms, and performance analytics, she has mastered both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies across a broad range of audience segments in sectors as diverse as healthcare, beauty, financial services, travel, and energy.
With a versatile data arsenal at her disposal, Meaghan is an expert at finding unique, custom research and measurement solutions to meet any and all client needs no matter the constraints. She is deeply committed to a holistic approach to research and measurement, always striving always to paint the full picture with her insights. This has proven invaluable in leading significant rebrands and PR launches. A highlight in her career was the recent rebrand of Schlumberger to SLB, which repositioned the company from a traditional oilfield services entity into a trailblazer in technology and innovation. This shift not only refocused the brand on reducing carbonization and improving energy efficiency but also aligned it more closely with the goals of environmental sustainability.
Throughout her varied career, Meaghan has shown a knack for adapting her skills to meet the challenges of different industries, leveraging data not just to craft strategies but to boost operational effectiveness and strengthen market standing. Her innovative use of data continues to deliver real, measurable successes for her clients making her a trusted data consultant to both her colleagues and clients.
Bailey Pescatore,
Managing Director, MSL Health
What is the boldest thing you have ever done?
”Buying farmland upstate for a future pigmy goat farm.”
Role: Earned/Communications
Relevant Experience: 15+ years leading communications initiatives that build public trust in leading healthcare brands
Years Experience: 15+ years
Location: New York, NY
Bailey leads the MSL Health practice, leveraging over 15 years of expertise in healthcare communications to enhance corporate reputation, launch groundbreaking products, and drive market share growth for the world's leading pharmaceutical and biotech clients. At MSL, Bailey spearheads integrated communications strategies that align with comprehensive marketing and advertising efforts, ensuring cohesive and impactful brand narratives.
Under her leadership, MSL's Health practice has successfully navigated complex data and regulatory environments, managed high-stakes issues and crises, and delivered influential public affairs and consumer health programs. Bailey also leads dedicated health equity programming, developing and implementing initiatives aimed at addressing disparities in healthcare access and outcomes. Bailey's strategic vision has consistently fostered public trust and reputation for premier healthcare brands.
Lisa Valtierra,
Executive Director Healthcare Marketing, CIEN+
What is the boldest thing you have ever done?
”Hang-gliding in Brazil.”
Role: Cross-Cultural Strategy
Relevant Experience: Community engagement and stakeholder strategy (Genentech, Novartis, GSK, United Healthcare, Abbott, Boehringer Ingelheim), AOR and Interagency Team Leadership (Merck, GSK)
Years Experience: 25 years
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Lisa is a leading cross-cultural marketing and advocacy expert in the pharmaceutical and healthcare fields. She has proven success in crafting Spanish and English campaigns that resonate with U.S. Latino consumers and broader audiences. Her zeal for health equity began as a grassroots advocate for women living with HIV, which led to advocacy across several therapeutic areas and cross-cultural marketing within pharma. She's a seasoned liaison who can inspire creative and business teams to spark behind award-winning marketing efforts, with experience pinpointing both Hispanic and broader mass media channels and an acute awareness of cultural sensitivities within the Latino community.
Lisa boasts over 7 years of expertise gained at Abbott Labs in the HIV Advocacy Relations team.
In this role, she managed relationships with AIDS Service Organizations (ASOs) across the USA, providing grants for patient programs and delivering presentations on HIV/AIDS awareness, scientific updates, mental health, personal finance, goal setting, and living well with HIV to support groups. Additionally, she conducted HIV sensitivity presentations for clinic staff and healthcare professionals, developed a consumer booklet in English and Spanish for newly diagnosed women, and organized semi-annual ASO summits for scientific updates and best practices sharing.