Catherine Blackwell is the Community Engagement and Partnerships Lead at Syneos Health. She is a Registered Nurse with an MBA in Health Administration with 25 plus years in the Pharmaceutical and CRO Industry as well as the Patient Advocacy space where she was the Chief Health Equity Officer for the Allergy & Asthma Network responsible for building trusted relationships and collaborations with patients, patient organizations, and professional medical associations. She was also at the forefront of patient engagement and diverse recruitment for clinical trials for Lupus and Eosinophilic Asthma, to keep the patient’s voice front and center while collaborating to obtain patient insights and feedback in an effort to develop innovations for patients, with patients. Catherine has extensive experiences and has held several leadership roles including Clinical Research/ Operations, Medical Affairs (KOL engagement/strategy), Strategic Alliance Partnerships, Patient Education, Disease Management in MCOs, Clinical Trial Educator, Minority Patient Recruitment, Sales and Marketing. Catherine is recognized as a strategic and innovative professional with a track record of leveraging a breadth of industry experience to share knowledge and champion transformation at the global national and local level. She has worked in therapeutic areas of Rheumatology, Dermatology, Neuroscience, Women’s Health, Nephrology and Oncology. She is an engaging, culturally competent communicator who understands international business protocol and subtle cultural nuances and differences. She is passionate about making a meaningful difference in the lives of people living with healthcare conditions, especially those where unmet need persists. Her experience is grounded in communications and advocacy work, with over twenty-five years of experience in the healthcare industry leading cross-functional teams and developing comprehensive advocacy and patient engagement strategies.
Outside of her professional life, Catherine is a community and patient advocate with a heart for the elderly, a passion for helping the underserved population and a strong desire to impact health disparities. She is a native of Philadelphia (GO EAGLES!!) but currently resides in Atlanta with her husband Don and enjoys interior decorating, landscape design, dancing, entertaining at home and spending time with family and friends.