Strategists, marketers gather in Chicago for SHSMD conference

More than 1,700 health care strategists, planners, marketers and communication/PR professionals are gathered in Chicago this week for the 20th annual Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD) conference.

The four-day 2016 SHSMD Connections conference kicked off with keynote speeches from former ABC News White House Correspondent Ann Compton, who discussed possible implications of the presidential election, and former Google Chief Health Strategist Roni Zeiger, who shared insights into designing for true patient engagement.

Breakout sessions through Wednesday cover myriad topics spanning the areas of customer experience, digital engagement, strategic planning, analytic, research and leadership development.

Seven members of the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations (SDAHMPR) are attending, and the group plans to discuss possible speakers to recruit for SDAHMPR’s 2017 summer meeting.

SHSMD is a personal membership group of the American Hospital Association (AHA), boasting more than 4,000 members.