Translating Science Into Action
Turning a rare disease initiative into a recognized clinical movement
Three Lakes Foundation was created after a founder lost their loved one to Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF), a devastating lung disease often diagnosed too late for meaningful treatment. Research existed, funding existed, and therapies were being explored, but the system connecting them did not.
I was brought in to define the organization’s brand, clarify its purpose, and build a narrative capable of aligning researchers, clinicians, pharmaceutical companies, and patients around a new translational science model designed to accelerate treatments.
The work moved the foundation from a funder of research into a recognized catalyst for medical progress.
The Challenge
Pulmonary fibrosis presented a unique communications and adoption problem:
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Most primary care physicians rarely encountered the disease and misdiagnosis was common
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Researchers, pharma, clinicians, and patients operated in disconnected silos
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“Translational science” (the core solution) was not understandable to non-scientists
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The organization had funding and urgency, but no shared narrative or positioning
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Without clarity, stakeholders couldn’t see how to participate, causing slowing progress toward therapies
The risk wasn’t brand awareness. The risk was that a life-saving model would fail simply because people couldn’t understand it.
The Strategy
I led a full positioning and narrative architecture effort to make a complex medical ecosystem actionable.
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Define the Role of the Organization. Through stakeholder workshops and competitive analysis (Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, American Lung Association, Stand Up To Cancer, Michael J. Fox Foundation), we positioned Three Lakes not as an awareness group or research funder but as the connector that accelerates treatments.
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Translate Translational Science. We simplified a technical concept into a human one:
Bridge promising ideas → clinical validation → real patient treatment
The brand shifted from institutional to catalytic. This was an engine of progress rather than a passive supporter. -
Activate Adoption. Brand alone wasn’t enough. We launched an omnichannel education and outreach program designed to change behavior, not just perception.
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Build a Multi-Audience Narrative. The system had to speak simultaneously to:
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Scientists
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Pharmaceutical companies
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Physicians
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Patients & families
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Funders
We created a unified story that could scale across scientific publications, physician education, partnerships, and public communication.
My Role
EVP, Brand and Marketing
Executive leadership across brand, communication strategy, and go-to-market adoption. I:
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Led brand discovery, positioning, and narrative framework development
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Directed agency partners (Media Cause) and cross-functional teams
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Designed stakeholder communication architecture across audiences
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Implemented marketing automation and targeting infrastructure
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Developed physician education and engagement campaigns
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Connected research, clinical, and industry stakeholders into a working ecosystem
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Measured adoption and optimized outreach against real-world outcomes
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This was not a marketing campaign; it was organizational alignment at industry scale.
Execution
Brand & Positioning
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Defined role of the foundation in the treatment pipeline
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Created messaging simplifying translational science
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Developed cross-audience communication frameworks
Adoption & Education
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Multi-touch digital outreach program
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Physician education initiatives
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Scientific and industry stakeholder engagement
Infrastructure
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Implemented marketing automation platform
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Built targeting and measurement capabilities
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Created repeatable communication systems for ongoing adoption
The Business Impact
6,000+
$20 M
12 +
6K primary care physicians educated. Improved recognition of PF symptoms and earlier diagnostic consideration
Donated to initiatives aligned with the mission of eradicating pulmonary fibrosis
funding provided for a Dozen (and counting) Tools for Advancing Novel Therapies, Clinical Trials, and Early Disease diagnosis
What worked
Clarity drives adoption
People don’t resist change; they resist confusion.
Brand can be infrastructure
When multiple sectors must cooperate, narrative becomes operational architecture.
Education is activation
Teaching physicians was as critical as funding research.
Simplification creates speed
Turning complex science into a simple story accelerated real-world medical action.