After Madison Norman graduated with an undergraduate degree in business administration from Boston University and then a marketing MBA from Washington State University, she worked in market research at the Boston employment agency JohnLeonard, as a marketing communications manager for Frameable and as a marketing manager for Captiv8. It was her time at the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB), however, that left an especially notable impact.
In roles as a marketing coordinator and then a digital marketing strategist at PTCB, Norman became convinced that healthcare marketing was the career path she wanted to pursue. She’s now been at Pleio, a company that uses a human-digital hybrid model to improve patient support programs, for almost a year as a marketing manager.
In a Q&A for Fierce Pharma Marketing’s “Rising Stars” series, Norman discussed the power of empathy and human connection in an industry that’s sometimes too preoccupied with tech solutions, while also touting her loyalty to the San Francisco Giants.
Responses have been lightly edited.
Fierce Pharma Marketing: What inspired you to pursue a career in pharma marketing, and what keeps you motivated?
Madison Norman: I was a marketing coordinator at the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board when the pandemic started, and I was able to see what a vital role pharmacy technicians played then. I left healthcare for a few years and was working in tech, which gave me a lot of new skills, but I knew I always wanted to come back. That’s how I ended up at Pleio.
One of the things that I always come back to is seeing the impact that we’re able to make within healthcare and always focusing on the bigger picture, making sure that everyone feels empowered, supported and confident in their care when they’re a patient.
FPMK: What has been the most rewarding or challenging project you’ve worked on so far?
MN: At Pleio, we fielded a survey and created a report titled “Loneliness and Health Behaviors: A Missing Link in Chronic Care,” to better understand emotional barriers, specifically loneliness, to treatment. What we found was sobering. One stat that stood out was that more than half of patients with a chronic condition said that loneliness interfered with taking their medications as prescribed—and that skyrockets to 70% for those on specialty medications.
We need to confront the reality of loneliness, especially in America today, and the huge impact that it can have on patients and adherence.
FPMK: If you could give one piece of advice to industry veterans who’ve been in pharma marketing for decades, what would it be?
MN: There’s such a focus right now on tech and AI, on push notifications and different apps, but at the end of the day, the patient journey is very human. It’s a very emotional time, and I think we can’t lose that human element. Connections between people are important and vital, and we need to remember the importance of empathy. I feel like the space has become very crowded with tech, and it’s important to take a step back.
FPMK: Where can you be found when you’re not working on Pleio projects?
MN: I live in San Francisco, right by Golden Gate Park, and I’m usually either there or at a Giants game when I’m not working. That’s where I was last night; I’m trying to see as many games as I can before the season ends.