Daria Blackwell

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Blackwell is founding partner and serves as CEO and Director of Knowledge Clinic, Ltd. Ms. Blackwell focuses on the medical and healthcare aspects of the business, and contributes expertise to the general and marine marketing sectors.

Blackwell is the lead for management of Best Patient and its four integrated aspects: patient medical education, complementary education for physicians, targeted research and data analytics before and after delivery of knowledge, and a reward system through third party payers to reinforce behavior.

In her prior roles as President of Bozell Global Healthcare, entrepreneur in her own consultancy, Director of Agile Therapeutics a start-up biotechnology company, and Managing Partner of Sudler & Hennessey, the largest medical marketing firm in the United States , Blackwell developed a leadership style and philosophy that won the appreciation of employees and the attention of the industry. Ms. Blackwell’s broad experience in many therapeutic categories and her expertise in strategic marketing are well respected. Her specialty in cultural competence on a global scale has been acclaimed as visionary. She brings this experience to bear on delivering consulting and mentoring services and sharing her expertise in educational venues including seminars, webinars, and workshops delivered through Knowledge Clinic.

As President of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA) in 2004, she led the organization through a powerful transformation into a global force dedicated to advancing women in healthcare industry careers. She later started up and served as Past President of the HBA Europe Chapter and was named 2011 HBA STAR for her efforts on both sides of the Atlantic . The organization now represents more than 6200 individual members and hundreds of corporate partners in 15 chapters and affiliates throughout the United States and Europe .

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. 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.

In her other life beyond healthcare, Blackwell holds a USCG Captain’s license, has crossed the Atlantic three times in three years on a 57-foot ketch sharing responsibilities with her husband, is a licensed long-range radio operator and scuba diver.  She is co-author of “Happy Hooking. The art of anchoring.”, the website www.coastalboating.net, courses about anchoring a boat, crossing oceans, and cruising islands, and numerous articles about sailing and seamanship in publications on both sides of the Atlantic . She is a member of Ocean Cruising Club, Mayo Sailing Club, American Yacht Club and Seven Seas Cruising Association and co-founder of Sail4Kids. She is also a frequent speaker and author on motivational subjects in leadership, taking lessons from industry and crossing oceans and combining them into lessons that can be applied in any environment.

Experience

2011- Present

Chief Executive Officer & Director, Knowledge Clinic Ltd.

2008-2011

Independent Consultant, Marketing & Communications,
Westport , Ireland

Provided consulting services to small and large companies regarding marketing and communications strategies to fuel business growth. Coach and mentor to small businesses and start-ups in business plan development, funding application, sales plan presentation, and marketing plan implementation. Consultant to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in strategic planning and cultural competence in R&D and marketing.

2007-2008

Managing Partner, Sudler & Hennessey LLC, New York , NY

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 and Namenda (memantine) for Alzheimer’s Disease which reached the milestone of a $1 billion brand globally (05/07). Exceeded all targeted income projection goals. Instituted multi-divisional brand management strategy.

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 University
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

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

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

  • Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Member HBA Advisory Board 1998 and member of the HBA Board of Directors in various capacities.
  • President, HBA Global in 2004, led legal and structural reorganization into an umbrella non-profit corporation with 9 chapters and affiliates in the US .
  • Led the expansion into Europe with launch of first European affiliate in 2006. Chair of the Nominating Committee, Chair of HBA Woman of the Year, Chair of HBA Leadership Conference, Chair of the HBA Task Force on International Expansion.
  • Past-President HBA Europe 2008
  • Co-Chair ACE Award Committee 2007-2008,
  • Mentor to HBA MidAtlantic Chapter and HBA Europe Affiliate and Chapter, member of Editorial Board HBA Advantage publication, 2011 STAR.

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

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

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

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

  • Expert in strategic marketing to health care professionals and patients
  • Specialist in segment marketing including marketing to women, marketing to women physicians, and marketing with cultural competence
  • Strong cardiovascular (HT-HF) and CNS (PD, AD, RLS, POI/OBD) experience
  • Vast depth of biologicals (vaccines) experience (MMRII, Recombivax HB/HB-VAX II, Pneumovax, HIB-Vax, Orimune, PedVax HIB, Acel-Imune, Tetramune, Rotamune, FluImune, PnuImmume, Gardasil)
  • Technology focus in the development of a transdermal contraceptive, and the launch of two transdermal HRT products – Estraderm and Climara, as well as Catapres-TTS
  • Promotion of OTCs Advil, Children’s Advil, Dimetapp, Robitussin and others to the professional and managed care audiences. Worked with Whitehall Robins to develop the strategic approach to their affiliation with Solgar
  • Worked with Monsanto to explore a line of nutraceuticals in partnership with leading spa providers, namely Canyon Ranch.
  • Created, managed and taught workshops on effective marketing and communications programming to US based and global pharmaceutical marketers (Merck & Genentech)
  • Created and delivered lectures to the pharmaceutical industry and medical teaching institutions on building cultural competence in healthcare delivery and disease management as well as leadership

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Knowledge Clinic Ltd. - Europe: Port Aleria, Rosnakilly, Kilmeena, Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland - USA: PO Box 726, Mahwah, NJ 07430
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