Sept. 17, 2018 – After 16 years with the Coalition for Healthcare Communication, John Kamp will be stepping down as Executive Director and Jon Bigelow has been named his successor. Kamp will continue his association with the Coalition as Washington Counsel.
“Jon is exactly the right person at the right time to take the guiding role at the Coalition,” according to Kamp. “Moreover, I’m delighted to stay on as Washington Counsel to support the tradition of careful but aggressive advocacy on behalf of media and agency members.”
Bigelow has been a member of the Coalition’s Executive Committee since 2009, and has chaired its annual Rising Leaders Conference on Healthcare Policy in Washington since 2016. He also is President of Thayer Pond Solutions, providing strategic support on health communications and policy, and serves on boards of two companies and an ocean sciences laboratory.
From 2007 to 2014, Bigelow was CEO and President of KnowledgePoint360 Group, a leading provider of multichannel medical communications, digital and strategic consulting, benchmarking services, and workflow solutions in the U.S., U.K., and Germany. Earlier, he was President of Cliggott Publishing; Group VP/General Manager of CMP Medica; founding Editor of a series of innovative controlled-circulation clinical journals; and President of the Association of Medical Media.
“The Coalition serves its members by monitoring key regulatory and legislative proposals and industry trends, keeping members informed about important developments and their implications, and representing the healthcare communications industry in clarifying the impact of these proposals,” said Bigelow. “We join the dialogue – through the press, in broader industry coalitions acting on specific issues, and where appropriate in direct outreach to members of Congress, CMS or the FDA,” he continued. “And we mobilize our members to take action where needed.”
Bigelow steps into the Executive Director role at a time when the Coalition is changing its scope. “In recent years, our mission has broadened from a central focus on First Amendment issues to also highlight the importance of accurate and credible health information,” he said.
“Our members believe that responsible communications on innovative developments in medicine assure that healthcare providers and their patients will have the information necessary to use diagnostic tools, medicines and devices appropriately, effectively, and safely,” Bigelow commented.
In an article posted today by MM&M, Bigelow explained his mission to expand the Coalition’s membership: “I am hoping to work towards broader participation in the coalition,” Bigelow said. “We are strongest when we are a big tent. I want to involve more companies from the medical communications field, from digital media, from patient-focused communications [organizations], and other forms of marketing.” To read the full MM&M article, go to: https://bit.ly/2pe0i9u