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Principal Consultants

Tad Heitmann
President
Southern California

Tad Heitmann has spent nearly 20 years as a corporate and marketing communications specialist for the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries. His convictions about the power and versatility of the network model agency stem from a career that has included roles in corporate and marketing communications within healthcare companies as well as senior management and account positions at prominent healthcare public relations agencies. He has experience in more than a dozen major therapeutic areas and has implemented successful programs to manage pre-approval communications, launch new products, influence medical professionals or corporate customers, educate patients and caregivers, create coalitions of healthcare stakeholders, and inform and motivate investors.

	WHY A NETWORK?
	“Having been both a provider and consumer of agency services, I knew there had to be another way.”

Prior to founding BioComm Network in 2001, Tad served as Vice President, Corporate Communications, for cell therapy pioneer Nexell Therapeutics Inc., where he was responsible for investor and public relations, professional and patient education, employee communications, and major trade show appearances. He was the chief communications strategist, principle company spokesperson and primary author of all company annual reports, announcements, and other collateral material.

Tad joined Nexell from its public relations agency, Manning, Selvage & Lee, where as Senior Vice President, he established and directed a West Coast healthcare practice that by his departure was providing comprehensive communications counsel to more than a dozen clients from two MS&L offices (Los Angeles and San Francisco).

Prior to joining MS&L, Tad was Manager, Marketing Communications for specialty healthcare company Allergan Incorporated, where he and his staff were responsible for public relations, professional education, and shared value services support for all Rx and OTC eye and skin care products and ophthalmic medical devices.

Tad began his career at NY-base PR firms Ruder-Finn and PRISM International, where he planned and implemented communications and professional education programs for a broad spectrum of healthcare clients.

Tad received a B.A. in English and Anthropology, summa cum laude, from the State University of New York at Albany, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and held a Herbert H. Lehman Graduate Fellowship in Anthropology at Cornell University. He later earned an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University. Tad currently serves as a marketing and public relations curriculum advisor for the University of California, Irvine, Extension Program and on the Board of Managers of the YMCA of Orange County’s Community Services Branch. He is a member of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) and the Medical Marketing Association (MMA).
 

Michele Parisi
Senior Vice President
Bay Area

Michele Parisi has more than 12 years of experience in healthcare public relations. Most recently a senior vice president and director of Manning Selvage & Lee's West Coast healthcare practice, Michele currently provides senior counsel to a wide range of healthcare organizations, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, device and diagnostic companies, as well as health plan and health services providers, and nutritional companies.

Michele's experience includes branding and message development, FDA communications, patient and medical professional education, advocacy and activist relations, media relations and crisis communications. She has led the development and execution of programs for a wide variety of healthcare institutions, including large, national and global organizations such as Kaiser Permanente and Philips Medical Systems as well as small, start-up organizations facing their first product launch or communications opportunities.

Michele received bachelor’s degrees in English and sociology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she graduated summa cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Michele holds a master's degree in journalism and public relations from the University of Southern California.
 

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