California Healthcare Institute Appoints Director of Public Relations and Communications
LA JOLLA, Calif. (PRWEB) July 08, 2013 -- The California Healthcare Institute (CHI) announced today the appointment of Erica J. Hiar as director of public relations and communications based in CHI’s Washington, D.C. office. CHI is a non-profit public policy research and advocacy organization for California’s biomedical R&D industry.
As Director of Public Relations and Communications, Hiar will lead CHI’s corporate communications and public relations efforts on all fronts. She will work with key players within the organization and the biotech industry to create and deliver valuable content to CHI members. Hiar will also lead communications outreach to CHI target audiences, including federal and state legislators, leading biomedical executives and government affairs professionals. Her expertise will help to broaden CHI messages and promote CHI’s public relations, communications and policy objectives.
“Erica is an outstanding addition to the CHI team who will strengthen our media and public relations strategy,” said CHI President and CEO David L. Gollaher, Ph.D. “Already a seasoned communicator, Erica has experience in healthcare-related public relations, public policy and agency work that well-qualifies her to take CHI’s communication efforts to a robust new level.”
Before joining CHI, Hiar was a senior account executive at Merritt Group, serving as the public relations client lead on a number of healthcare accounts, including the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) and MAXIMUS, as well as medical device companies and other healthcare clients. Erica managed day-to-day client expectations, designed and executed top level communications strategies and was involved in Merritt Group new business proposals, outreach and pitches. Prior to that, she served as an Account Executive at Environics Communications and the Howard Consulting Group in a variety of capacities with leading healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations including: the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), Bend Research, Nutricia North America, the Epilepsy Foundation and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Hiar holds a bachelor’s degree in government and law from Lafayette College.
Editorial note: Photo available upon request.
About CHI
CHI represents more than 275 leading biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics, and pharmaceutical companies, and public and private academic biomedical research organizations. CHI’s mission is to advance responsible public policies that foster medical innovation and promote scientific discovery. CHI’s website is http://www.chi.org. Follow us on Twitter @calhealthcare, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Will Zasadny, California Healthcare Institute, (858) 456-8881, [email protected]
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