Buoyant Health is a healthcare engagement practice that strengthens trust and improves participation across underserved communities and markets.
We combine healthcare expertise with integrated marketing, communications, stakeholder engagement, and event production to design, activate, and scale engagement strategies that strengthen trust and drive measurable participation.
Buoyant Health helps life sciences companies, health systems, academic medical centers, and public health organizations design engagement strategies that close trust gaps and improve performance in markets where participation is uneven.
Our work strengthens the pathway from awareness to sustained action, aligning institutional goals with the realities of how communities make healthcare decisions.
Where Participation
Breaks Down
Participation weakens when awareness fails to convert into action, when early engagement fades instead of deepening, and when community trust does not translate into measurable program uptake. Stakeholder relationships may exist, but without alignment to behavior change, they do not influence outcomes.These breakdowns affect clinical research participation, product adoption, preventive care engagement, and long-term health outcomes. They are not communication gaps alone. They are structural engagement failures.
Where Engagement
Drives Outcomes
Engagement becomes
mission-critical when:
Market Entry & Expansion
When organizations enter new markets or seek greater impact, engagement must be grounded in community and market realities. We align defined enrollment, screening, or adoption goals with seamless execution across live and digital platforms.
Stakeholder & Community Engagement
When trust gaps limit participation, stakeholder networks must be activated with intention. We design community-centered programs and partnerships that measurably increase patient and community participation.
Uptake Acceleration
When awareness exists but screening or enrollment falls behind, engagement strategies must convert visibility into action. We develop culturally resonant narratives and data-informed execution models designed to increase measurable conversion and sustained participation over time.
Trust & Disparity
TRUST
55% of Black Americans distrust the healthcare system
Source: KFF / Undefeated National Poll
OUTCOMES
Black women are more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
OUTCOMES
Hispanic/Latino women are twice as likely to die from stomach cancer as the U.S. population overall.
Source: Office of Minority Health
PARTICIPATION
Non-white Americans make up more than 40% of the U.S. population but account for only 2–16% of clinical trial participants.
Source: Antidote
NATIONAL IMPACT
Racial and ethnic health disparities cost the U.S. economy an estimated $451 billion annually.
Source: National Academy of Medicine
We Don't Market to These Communities. We Belong to Them.
Most health communications agencies approach underserved communities as an audience to be reached. We approach them as communities we are part of, accountable to, and built by. That distinction changes everything — how we design engagements, who we bring to the table, what we ask, and what we actually hear back.
100% Black-owned. 85%+ people of color on our team. Our staff reflects the communities we serve — and that shapes the work at every level, from strategy through execution.
"The storytellers your communities will actually trust."
When the people building your campaign share the lived experiences of the people you're trying to reach, the work lands differently — rooted in a fundamentally different relationship with the material, and with the communities it's meant to serve.
"The expertise to operate at every level of the health ecosystem."
From NIH research programs and academic medical centers to national media campaigns and community engagement infrastructure, our leadership has spent careers inside the institutions your audiences have learned to distrust — and understands exactly how to bridge that distance.
"The only partner who brings both sides of the table."
A former national journalist who has spent a career shaping narratives at scale. A public health leader with deep relationships across the community engagement ecosystem. Together, they close the distance between what health institutions say and what communities actually hear.
A Team Built to Turn Healthcare Strategy Into Action
Buoyant Health combines healthcare strategy, community engagement, and executional expertise to address one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: turning awareness into participation.
The team brings deep experience in pharmaceutical marketing and communications, public health, stakeholder engagement, and culturally grounded campaign execution, helping organizations build trust and drive measurable results.
Featured Healthcare Engagements
The work of our team members spans enterprise pharmaceutical strategy, health systems, and community-rooted engagement initiatives designed to increase participation and improve outcomes.
Corewell Health
Award-winning maternal health equity campaign for Michigan’s largest healthcare system
We led a multimedia storytelling initiative designed to address disparities in maternal health outcomes across priority populations. The campaign integrated digital content, community voice, and measurable engagement strategy to elevate awareness and reinforce Corewell Health’s leadership in advancing equitable care.
Buoyant’s work earned national recognition, including a Telly Award, and strengthened the health system’s positioning as a trusted advocate for maternal health equity.
Gilead Sciences
Embedding health equity into global corporate brand and strategy
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Gilead sought to integrate health equity into its enterprise narrative and long-term business priorities. Corey helped develop a comprehensive narrative architecture grounded in stakeholder research, competitive benchmarking, and executive alignment.
The engagement included workforce socialization, executive visibility, and the launch of Gilead’s inaugural Global Health Equity Summit. The result was formal adoption of a new strategic vision centered on health equity and strengthened brand positioning across key markets, reinforced by top-tier national earned media coverage.
AstraZeneca
Advancing clinical trial diversity through community-rooted activation
To increase participation among Black women in U.S. oncology trials, AstraZeneca required a credible, community-centered engagement strategy. In partnership with trusted advocacy leaders, Valarie led the design and execution of a culturally grounded activation that integrated storytelling, stakeholder dialogue, and direct clinical trial matching pathways.
The initiative strengthened trust, elevated AstraZeneca’s leadership in clinical trial diversity, and generated measurable momentum toward increased awareness and recruitment.
Let’s Design Your Engagement Strategy!
Would you like to partner with us on your next project, join our team of storytellers, or pitch us an innovative solution? Tell us more to get the conversation started!
Engagement Lead
Valarie Clark is a national public health leader with more than 20 years of experience building trust between health institutions and underserved communities.She most recently served as the inaugural Senior Vice President of Health Equity at Ketchum, where she led national campaigns for AstraZeneca, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Novartis, 3M, Clorox, and the USDA.
Her prior leadership includes:
- Director of Stakeholder Engagement for the NIH’s “All of Us” research program, convening more than 100 national and community partners to increase participation in biomedical research.
- Former Director of Constituent Engagement at the Association of American Medical Colleges, leading national outreach across academic medicine and public health.
- Board member of Hip Hop Public Health, advancing culturally resonant health education in underserved communities.
Valarie brings a deep national network across provider associations, patient advocacy organizations, and community institutions to her work translating relationship capital into sustained participation and measurable impact.
Credentials: Director of Stakeholder Engagement, NIH All of Us Research Program · Director of Constituent Engagement, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) · Recipient, AAMC Spirit of Excellence Award · Former SVP Health Equity, Ketchum · Leadership roles at National Medical Association and National Association of County and City Health Officials · Board Member, Leadership Greater Washington · MPA, Clark Atlanta University (HBCU) · BS Health Services Management, Norfolk State University (HBCU)
Corey Dade leads Buoyant Health, advising life sciences companies, health organizations, and foundations on engagement strategies that strengthen trust, increase participation, and drive measurable market performance.
He works at the intersection of commercial strategy, public policy, and community trust — helping organizations move from awareness to sustained action in markets where engagement has historically been uneven.
His healthcare work includes:
- Engagement strategy for BridgeBio Pharma in support of Attruby (acoramidis), integrating community engagement, narrative strategy, and in-market activation.
- Health equity brand strategy for Gilead Sciences, including media strategy for breakthrough clinical trial results for the HIV prevention injection Sunlenca (lenacapavir).
- Stakeholder engagement and policy advocacy for the American Kidney Fund and the American Physiological Society.
- Media strategy for Together for Supportive Cancer Care, a national coalition advancing equitable access to cancer care.
- Reputation and engagement strategy for Pfizer, Novartis, and Johnson & Johnson.
A former journalist at The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and NPR, Corey applies more than 20 years of storytelling, coalition-building, and policy communications to the design of engagement strategies that resonate in communities, while advancing business and public health outcomes.
Credentials: 2x Emmy Award-winning journalist · Former national correspondent, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe · Former SVP, Burson-Marsteller · Former VP Communications, WSP USA and Bechtel · Adjunct Faculty, Columbia University School of Professional Studies · Crisis communications specialist across healthcare, finance, infrastructure, and government
Eric founded Buoyant in 2015 to serve purpose-driven organizations. He has built
Buoyant's healthcare practice serving Corewell Health, Eli Lilly & Company, BridgeBio, and health-focused foundations including Consumer Health Foundation (now if, a Foundation for Radical Possibility). His work on Corewell's maternal mental health campaign helped secure a $2.5M grant from Pivotal Ventures. Eric provides strategic oversight and participates in the C-Suite Advisory Session.
Credentials: 2x Emmy Award-winning journalist · Former national correspondent, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe · Former SVP, Burson-Marsteller · Former VP Communications, WSP USA and Bechtel · Adjunct Faculty, Columbia University School of Professional Studies · Crisis communications specialist across healthcare, finance, infrastructure, and government
At Buoyant Health, Derek leads the creative and technical vision behind the practice's media production work — translating complex health equity narratives into content that is visually compelling, culturally resonant, and built to move people. His background as both a cinematographer and an editor gives him a distinct advantage: he approaches every shoot with the final story already in mind. That discipline, combined with his recent work in virtual production and live streaming, ensures that Buoyant Health's clients have a production partner who can meet communities where they are — across every screen, format, and platform.
Credentials: 2x Emmy Award-winning journalist · Former national correspondent, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe · Former SVP, Burson-Marsteller · Former VP Communications, WSP USA and Bechtel · Adjunct Faculty, Columbia University School of Professional Studies · Crisis communications specialist across healthcare, finance, infrastructure, and government
Shamika Shahid serves as Vice President of Operations and Events at Buoyant Health, bringing more than two decades of experience producing high-profile events and managing complex agency operations to every client engagement. Her event portfolio spans Capitol Hill, major universities, and leading nonprofit organizations — including concerts for award-winning recording artists, national celebrations, and large-scale gatherings of 8,000 or more attendees for prominent political leaders. That breadth of experience, across intimate VIP settings and multi-day conferences alike, gives Shamika a rare ability to match strategic vision with the kind of precise execution that high-stakes health equity work demands.As the operational anchor of Buoyant Health, Shamika ensures that every project — regardless of scope or complexity — is delivered accurately, on time, and with the seamless coordination that clients depend on. Her expertise in collaborative tools, systems alignment, and team operations means the creative and strategic work Buoyant Health produces always has the infrastructure to support it. For clients navigating complex campaigns and community engagement initiatives, Shamika is the steady hand that keeps everything moving.
Credentials: 2x Emmy Award-winning journalist · Former national correspondent, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe · Former SVP, Burson-Marsteller · Former VP Communications, WSP USA and Bechtel · Adjunct Faculty, Columbia University School of Professional Studies · Crisis communications specialist across healthcare, finance, infrastructure, and government
Lead
At Buoyant Health, Rod serves as a Digital Strategist, helping healthcare organizations translate complex services and patient journeys into clear, data-driven marketing strategies that drive engagement and growth. With a background in marketing leadership and digital consulting, he specializes in aligning sales and marketing systems, ensuring that every campaign, platform, and touchpoint works together to generate measurable impact. His experience spans CRM strategy, demand generation, and multi-channel digital execution, with a focus on making marketing both accountable and scalable. At Buoyant Health, Rod brings a pragmatic, results-oriented approach to helping healthcare brands connect with the right audiences, improve access, and turn strategy into sustained performance.
Credentials: 2x Emmy Award-winning journalist · Former national correspondent, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe · Former SVP, Burson-Marsteller · Former VP Communications, WSP USA and Bechtel · Adjunct Faculty, Columbia University School of Professional Studies · Crisis communications specialist across healthcare, finance, infrastructure, and government