MAHF names DiSanto and Prounis as 2019 inductees

 

Medical Advertising Hall of Fame names Carol DiSanto and Charlene Prounis 2019 Inductees

 

November 1, 2018 — The Medical Advertising Hall of Fame (MAHF) membership has elected its 2019 inductees: Carol DiSanto, trailblazer and former President of Cline, Davis & Mann, and Charlene Prounis, renowned entrepreneur co-founder of Flashpoint Medica and Accel Healthcare.

This marks the first time in the history of the prestigious program that both honorees have been women, and their remarkable contributions will be celebrated at a black-tie dinner on February 7th in New York City. The event will also include a tribute to late MAHF co-founder David Gideon, who died in 2018. Gideon’s passion and leadership made MAHF the most coveted and respected honors program in healthcare marketing.

Carol DiSanto began her career in consumer advertising at Esty working on OTC products from Whitehall Laboratories/American Home Products. She joined Cline, Davis & Mann (CDM) in 1987 and launched the first OTC consumer product the agency had at the time, Equalactin from Pfizer. When Viagra’s launch was on the horizon in the late 1990s, Carol and her consumer expertise were recruited as the DTC lead, partnering with professional lead Kyle Barich, and resulting in the industry’s most successful launch at the time. In the early 2000s Carol’s leadership skills were at the forefront when she was appointed Director of Client Services for CDM, and in 2009 she became President and Managing Partner. In her more than 27 years at CDM, she strategically grew agency talent from 60 employees dedicated to a single healthcare client to more than 1,000 people within 8 divisions focusing on over 40 clients.

Charlene Prounis started her career as a sales rep for Searle, followed by her first job in pharmaceutical advertising at Grey Healthcare Group. In 1999, Charlene launched her first agency, Accel Healthcare, which in five years grew to become a $20 million company and was eventually sold to Omnicom. Charlene helped launch her next agency, Flashpoint Medica, in 2005 and the agency grew rapidly, recognized as “Agency of the Year” in 2010 and garnering over 60 creative awards. The firm’s blue-chip companies included Amgen, Genentech, Celgene, Gilead, Novartis, and Pfizer. During her time at Flashpoint, Charlene was also recognized in 2014 as MedAdNews “Medical Advertising Person of the Year.” Charlene has been deeply committed to advancing the role of women in the healthcare industry and was very active in the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA). For this exemplary service, Charlene is the only person to have received the prestigious HBA STAR award twice. Charlene currently serves on the board of healthcare communications firm, W20.

 

ABOUT MAHF: The MAHF was founded in 1996 with a mission to preserve the history and heritage of the medical advertising profession and honor those who founded and built the industry through their induction into a Hall of Fame.

Since its founding, the mission of the organization has been broadened to include recognition of past excellence in creative work through its Heritage Advertising Awards, and creation of educational resources through a Young Executive’s Program which holds multiple educational seminars throughout the year. The organization seeks support from the industry for its efforts, with a focus on the Annual Awards Dinner held in February. Support is given through advertising in the Awards Dinner Program, and attendance at the Dinner. Seats and tables are available for the event, and may be purchased/reserved at www.mahf.com. Advertising support, in the form of full and half page ads, may be arranged by contacting Anne Gideon ([email protected]) for specifications, contracts, and IOs.

The inductees will be honored on February 7, 2019 at a black-tie dinner at The Pierre Hotel in New York City. As the MAHF enters its third decade of service to the industry, it is pursuing more educational programs, and expansion to cover digital communications. We hope that industry members will support us in our efforts, and look forward to welcoming them at our Annual Awards Gala on February 7t^h.

 

For more information, contact Anne Gideon, executive director, at [email protected].