Meredith Rae Vehar, MPA, is Director of Communications at Huntsman Cancer Institute. Since joining the cancer center more than 20 years ago, Meredith strives to be an agent of progress and enable others to recognize their potential. She leads a team of creative communication professionals who represent the cancer center through brand management, social media, web content and design, publications, multimedia, and internal communications. This meaningful work is very personal to her, and she sees camaraderie, sincerity, and laughter as key.

Meredith earned her Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Utah in 2018, along with a master's certificate in health communication. Since 2021, she has served on the steering committee of the Cancer Marketing and Communications Association (CMCA). In 2024, she and her team were honored to host the annual conference in Salt Lake City. She currently serves as Vice Chair of CMCA and will lead the organization as Chair in Spring 2026.

Outside of work, Meredith loves running, hiking mountain trails, and traveling with her two teenagers.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• Branding as a "meaning-system", not a logo: Gain insights into Meredith's definition of brand as a promise and value system where every employee from valet to clinician embodies the mission, reinforcing consistency and trust across touchpoints.
• Why access to care is a core brand promise in modern healthcare: Understand how programs like Huntsman at Home and affiliate hospital networks expand access across rural and underserved communities, and why access is increasingly central to healthcare brand trust and loyalty.
• How Huntsman Cancer Institute positions itself as the only NCI-designated cancer center in the Mountain West region, while building a national brand through brand, innovation, and patient experience.
• How personal storytelling drives trust in cancer marketing: Learn why Huntsman prioritizes patient stories, caregiver voices, and community narratives to humanize complex science and build emotional connection, especially in high-stakes healthcare decisions.
• The strategy behind Huntsman's "Speak Up for Cancer Research" campaign, which activates patient and influencers to advocate for cancer research funding – blending advocacy, brand, and impact.
• The role of innovation (AI, robotic surgery, proton therapy) in cancer brand strategy: Discover how Huntsman integrates AI-powered imaging, robotic surgery, and proton therapy into both clinical care and communications to reinforce credibility, innovation, and national standards of excellence.
• How Huntsman manages 320+ active clinical trials, collaborates nationally for rare diseases, and navigates the communications complexity of educating patients while maintaining credibility and clarity.

Additional resources:

• Meredith Rae Vehar on LinkedIn
• Huntsman Cancer Institute Website
• Josh Dougherty on LinkedIn
• Josh Dougherty's speaking site
• A Brave New's Website

Brianna Miller is a digital marketing leader with over 15 years of experience building data-informed strategies that connect marketing efforts to real business growth. She currently serves as the Director of Demand Generation at Cohere Health where she develops multi-channel demand generation campaigns and account-based marketing strategies.

Beyond her professional roles, Brianna is dedicated to advancing the industry and mentoring its next generation of leaders. She serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, teaching Marketing Strategy and inspiring future marketers. Her commitment to innovation extends to advisory and editorial contributions; she is a 3Sixty Insights Global Executive Advisory Council member, a regular contributor to Martech.org, and an active participant on several boards, including the UMSL College of Business Marketing Advisory Board and the MarTech Conference programming committee.

Brianna has had the privilege of sharing actionable insights at 20 industry events and has been featured on numerous popular marketing podcasts, where she connects with audiences on topics ranging from ABM trends to practical AI applications. As a speaker, she is known for making complex concepts approachable and providing audiences with strategies they can put into practice immediately.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• Balancing technology with a human touch: How healthcare brands maintain empathy, educate audiences, and create meaningful customer experiences while leveraging AI.

• Storytelling as a differentiator in healthtech: Why compelling narratives and creative thought processes help AI-focused brands stand out in a crowded healthcare technology market.

• How the importance of building trust and transparency with customers is essential in the age of AI.

• How to build an effective brand and ensure marketing and sales consistently reflect it.

• The importance of seamless collaboration between marketing and sales teams, emphasizing shared goals, open communication, and consistent meetings to align on campaigns.

• Account-based marketing (ABM) strategies for healthcare technology: How to engage accounts effectively throughout complex buying cycles.

• Personalization in ABM campaigns: When to use one-to-one, one-to-some, or one-to-many approaches to maximize engagement.

• Key considerations for tools that support targeting, personalization, and long term cycle measurement.

Additional resources:

• Brianna Miller on LinkedIn

• Brianna Miller's branding site

• Cohere Health Website

• Josh Dougherty on LinkedIn

• Josh Dougherty's speaking site

• A Brave New's Website

Adam Taylor is a multidisciplinary designer, illustrator, and educator with more than 15 years of professional experience in Utah, Michigan, and Seattle. Throughout his career, he has worn many hats within the ever-evolving world of design, but his strongest affinities lie in strategic brand development, UI/UX, and illustration.

Adam also serves as a remote Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Michigan State University, where he teaches courses on design tools, theory, and brand identity development. Outside of work, he's an occasional exhibiting fine artist, a novice dungeon master for a very patient group of friends, and a small-time local musician.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

· How early-stage health tech startups can effectively build and leverage their brand to support fundraising, selling, and scaling efforts.

· The importance of branding for early-stage health tech startups, emphasizing that a strong brand can empower founders to tell a differentiated story about their product.

· How branding can help founders build trust and credibility with investors, particularly in the context of fundraising.

· How strong positioning is crucial for building a memorable brand and creating a cohesive visual identity that communicates competence and direction to potential investors.

· How a defined brand platform, visual identity, and messaging platform can better equip your team to follow up with leads and close deals.

· How a well-defined brand will make scaling easier, more efficient, and less expensive.

Additional resources:

· Adam Taylor on LinkedIn

· Josh Dougherty on LinkedIn

· Josh Dougherty's speaking site

· A Brave New's Website

Josh Dougherty is a brand strategist, speaker, and the founder and CEO of A Brave New, a Seattle-based branding agency that crafts bold and memorable healthcare brands. They have specific expertise in healthcare technology, hospitals and specialty care providers, and healthcare nonprofits. Josh has 15 years experience building new brands from scratch, refreshing existing brands and building strategies to bring those brands to life in the market.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• What's ahead in 2026 including healthcare branding trends, emerging challenges, and a glimpse into the podcast topics we'll dive into throughout the year.
• A preview of the guests that will be joining the podcast on a weekly basis.
• How healthcare branding and marketing intersect to create memorable, impactful organizations.
• Strategies for building and maintaining trust with patients in a complex healthcare landscape.
• Ways scrappy brands succeed with limited budgets while delivering exceptional brand experiences.
• How to move beyond descriptive branding to inspirational storytelling that highlights what makes a brand unique.
• The power of focused, engaged brand experiences that inspire audiences and create loyal brand advocates.

Additional resources:

• Josh Dougherty on LinkedIn
• Josh Dougherty's speaking site
• A Brave New's Website

Hillery Smith Shay, MBA is chief marketing and experience officer, senior vice president of communications at Children's Minnesota.

Hillery Shay joined Children's Minnesota in 2021, as VP of marketing and
communications and is now chief marketing and experience officer, senior
vice president of communications. She provides strategic direction for
organizational marketing and communications. She is also responsible for
defining and building an organization-wide experience strategy.

Ms. Shay brings nearly 25 years of leadership experience in health care and
mass communication, with a proven track record of success leading national
and global public health campaigns and marketing initiatives. Prior to her
role at Children's Minnesota, Shay served in leadership roles at Abbott Labs
leading professional education, marketing, communications and scientific
congress strategy. She also served as a journalist and team leader for more
than 10 years at the Associated Press and the Baltimore Sun, including as a
photojournalist covering two sitting U.S. presidents as well as the Pentagon
on 9/11.

Ms. Shay earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Haverford College in
Pennsylvania and a master's degree in business administration from Bethel
University in Minnesota. She is an active member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,
inc.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• How Children's Minnesota faced and overcame a significant branding challenge after shortening their name, leading to market confusion with other similarly named experts in their market.
• How adding "The Kid Experts" to the Children's Minnesota brand was implemented to create clear differentiation and clarify their identity in the market.
• The step's that Children's Minnesota took to safeguard their brand identity.
• How the repositioning strategy resulted in measurable improvements in brand perception, evidenced by a significant increase in their NRC Health image and reputation score over a three-year period.
• The crucial role of consistent implementation of the "The Kid Experts" branding across all touchpoints, including physical hospital and clinic spaces, for reinforcing the new brand identity.
• How the "Raise Them Up" campaign emerged from community trauma and served as a powerful example of a brand connecting with its audience through hope and advocacy for children.
• How Children's Minnesota demonstrated a commitment to inclusive branding by intentionally reaching diverse communities in their service area through translated materials and tailored outreach efforts.
• About the tangible results of the "Raise Them Up" campaign in engaging diverse communities, including increased clinic visits requiring translation and higher conversion rates for targeted advertising.
• About the importance of a long-term perspective in brand building, showcasing the multi-year effort to reposition and strengthen the Children's Minnesota brand.

Additional resources:

• Hillery Smith Shay on LinkedIn
• Children's Minnesota's Website
• Josh Dougherty on LinkedIn
• Josh Dougherty's speaking site
• A Brave New's Website

Josh Dougherty is a brand strategist, speaker, and the founder and CEO of A Brave New, a Seattle-based branding agency that crafts bold and memorable healthcare brands. They have specific expertise in healthcare technology, employee health and wellness programs, and hospitals and providers. Josh has 15 years of experience building new brands from scratch, refreshing existing brands, and building strategies to bring those brands to life in the market.

In this episode, Josh is joined by A Brave New's content director, Brad Steinbacher, to discuss how health tech brands can develop distinctive and memorable brand positioning. Brad has more than 15 years of experience creating content for brands across industries with a special focus on healthcare and technology.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• The opportunity brand positioning offers for health tech companies, especially startups
• Why brand positioning isn't always prioritized as it should be
• Why moving beyond just speaking clearly about your product and features is essential
• Real-life examples of brand positioning
• Specific ways to build differentiation with your positioning and visual identity

Additional resources:

• Josh Dougherty on LinkedIn
• Brad Steinbacher on LinkedIn
• Josh Dougherty's speaking site
• A Brave New's Website

Tamar Rudnick is a healthcare executive who has spent 10+ years in leadership roles
across early-stage, public company, and PE-backed businesses. She is currently an
Operating Partner at Define Ventures, one of the largest early-stage digital health VCs
with ~$800M under management and $22B in exited value.

At Define Ventures, Tamar leads strategic growth initiatives. Based in Silicon Valley,
Define invests in early-stage companies from Seed stage to Series B, and has backed
and built some of the category-leading companies such as Livongo, HIMS, and Evolent.
Define differentiates itself by providing unparalleled expertise in go-to-market and
commercialization. Tamar leads this work—developing relationships with a coalition of
industry-leading Payers, Health Systems, and Life Sciences companies. To date, Define
has delivered customer contracts for over 50% of their portfolio companies.

Prior to Define Ventures, Tamar was the SVP of Growth at apree health, where she was
responsible for leading Sales, Enablement, Marketing, and Customer teams across
Employer and Health Plan segments. apree health is a leader in tech-enabled primary
care delivery for commercial organizations, including Fortune 500 Employers and
National Health Plans with Elevance as a key strategic partner. apree health was
formed as a combination of Castlight Health and Vera Whole Health. At apree, Tamar
led the commercial team, delivering 30% revenue growth for the combined business
while integrating two commercial organizations and developing the combined go-to-
market strategy.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

• The current state of the health tech venture capital space
• Trends within the health tech space, including
  
  • Regulatory trends and shifts that are both positively and negatively impacting the startup space
  • Generative AI's ability and potential to drive efficiency and reduce operational costs
  • GLP-1s and how they are driving the consumerization of healthcare
• Where AI is having an impact in the healthcare space and how to discern the signal from the noise
• The key findings from Define Ventures' recent study of the health tech space, including a deep dive into funding trends and exits
• The importance of go-to-market and brand strategies in the startup environment

Additional resources:

• Tamar Rudnick on LinkedIn
• Define Ventures website
• Define Ventures Health Tech Report
• Josh Dougherty on LinkedIn
• Josh Dougherty's speaking site
• A Brave New's website

Josh Dougherty is a brand strategist, speaker, and the founder and CEO of A Brave New, a Seattle-based branding agency that crafts bold & memorable healthcare brands. They have specific expertise in healthcare technology, employee health & wellness programs, and hospitals & providers. Josh has 15 years experience building new brands from scratch, refreshing existing brands and building strategies to bring those brands to life in the market.

What you'll learn about in this episode:

1. What brand architecture is and is not
2. Why brand architecture is an essential part of your brand strategy
3. The four most common brand architecture frameworks
   
   • Branded house
   • Sub-brands
   • Endorsed brand
   • House of brands
4. For each framework Josh dives into
   
   • Real world examples from the healthcare space
   • Strengths
   • Weaknesses
5. When you should take time to evaluate your brand architecture
6. Why it's essential to keep a constant eye on the interrelation and interactions between your brands and/or products

Additional resources:

• Josh Dougherty on LinkedIn
• Information about Josh's keynote, The Memory Curators
• Branding Fundamentals eBook
• Brand Portfolio Strategy by David Aaker
• A Brave New's Website