STRATEGIES FOR THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY

Kara Della Vecchia is the President and Founder of KDV Communications, Inc. A self-motivated, entrepreneurial, public relations professional, Kara has extensive experience in successfully managing the communications needs of medical companies and healthcare organizations.

During her career Kara has launched companies and products into the spotlight in the face of larger, well-established competitors, repositioned industry leaders as innovators in their fields, maintained positive media exposure in the midst of crisis situations, and assembled first-rate advisory boards consisting of clinicians, researchers and academics.

An issues management specialist, Kara has crafted communications campaigns to generate awareness for key healthcare topics and concerns, such as needle stick and sharps injuries, medication errors, fad diets, nurse-to-patient ratios, hospital-acquired infections, PVC and DEHP exposure, and prescription drug access. She has a particular aptitude for developing messages, language and materials that resonate with both clinical and consumer audiences.

Kara is a published author who has written articles on a wide range of clinical topics, including home health care, pulse oximetry technology, hospital infection control, electronic patient diaries, needle stick prevention, and peripheral nerve block techniques. Kara's most recent work, an article offering public relations tips for home medical equipment dealers, was published in the January 2006 issue of Home Health Products magazine.

Before founding KDV Communications, Kara served as a senior member of the life sciences and technology teams at two of Boston's leading communications agencies. In these roles Kara oversaw day-to-day program implementation for a broad range of clients, including medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, technology and product development firms, industry associations, nonprofit organizations, and hospitals. Past clients include the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC) and Nellcor, the world's foremost supplier of pulse oximetry, fetal pulse oximetry and airway management products.

Kara is a member of Boston Women Communicators (BWC). A Massachusetts native, she currently lives in Boston.