Susan Dubuque, a strategist and writer specializing in health care and behavior change, was a cofounder and principal of Two Tango (formerly NDP Agency).Susan Dubuque

Marketing Strategist
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Richmond, VA
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Susan Dubuque, a strategist and writer specializing in health care and behavior change, was a cofounder and principal of Two Tango (formerly NDP Agency). She literally wrote the book on marketing’s role in health improvement, Gearing Up for Population Health: Marketing for Change, published by the SHSMD of the American Hospital Association. She is an adjunct instructor at VCU’s School of Health Professions. Susan serves on the editorial advisory board of Strategic Health Care Marketing and is co-chair of the 2023 eHealthcare Leadership Awards.

Susan has contributed her expertise to the articles listed below.

Have You Created a Sustaining Health System Brand?

Suzanne Bharati Hendery, Renown Health

A strong and sustaining health system brand is a living organism. It is conceived from the system’s mission, vision, values, and strategic plan. It is hatched from empathy. It is nourished and allowed to flourish when expressed in one voice. So how does a health system bring its brand to life? What steps must be Read More

5 Keys to Building Stronger Relationships Between Marketing and Finance

stevens-ward-fors-blaha

Increased economic pressures caused by the pandemic and other factors are making it more important than ever for marketers to partner with their chief financial officers to develop a deeper understanding of finance and demonstrate return on investment for marketing spending.

A new Strategic Health Care Marketing webinar for health care marketers and strategists

Presented on January 12, 2022

Your Presenters:

  • Amy Stevens, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Tidelands Health
  • Beth Ward, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Tidelands Health
  • Melissa Fors, Vice President of Marketing Strategy, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
  • James A. Blaha, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

stevens-ward-fors-blaha-photo

Watch Now »

Pro Bono Work Is Not Just for Doctors and Lawyers

Peggy Frank, CEO, Frank Public Relations

“Physicians travel around the globe to donate their time to help others less fortunate, sharing their knowledge and skills while expecting nothing in return except the self-satisfaction that comes from their acts of unselfishness,” says Ross K. Goldberg, president of Kevin/Ross Public Relations and member of the SHCM editorial advisory board. “But what about those Read More

The Perks of Pro Bono: What You Get When You Give

Ross K. Goldberg is president of Kevin/Ross Public Relations

// By Ross K. Goldberg // Pro bono work “feeds the soul,” says Susan Dubuque, principal at NDP. In this article, we hear from Susan and four other senior marketing and PR leaders about why they volunteer. Stepping outside your normal routine and using your skills to help a worthy cause may be just the Read More

Overcoming Resistance: Targeted Communications to Promote COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance

A Strategic Health Care Marketing webinar on demand for marketers, communicators, and strategists at hospitals, health systems, and physician groups

Your Presenters:

  • Jeanine D. Guidry, Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
  • Victor Reiss, System Vice President of Consumerism and Insights – Marketing and Communications, UNC Healthcare

Moderated by:

  • Susan Dubuque, Principal, NDP Marketing & Advertising

Learn More or Watch Now »

News from the Front: Health Care Shifts into High Gear to Address the Coronavirus

jane weber brubaker

// By Jane Weber Brubaker // Well before cases of COVID-19 began to spike in the U.S., health care organizations were watching the response to the pandemic unfold worldwide and preparing for the worst-case scenario. Communications to myriad stakeholders have been and are being created, coordinated, and standardized across multiple channels. Accurate, up-to-date information is Read More

“What Goes On in That New Building?” VCU Health Offers a Soft-Sell Explanation with Equal Parts Nostalgia, Induced Guilt, and Romantic Playfulness

Susan Dubuque, principal, NDP

// By Peter Hochstein // Can simple charm compete for share-of-mind in a hot health care marketplace? Yes, if the charm is really charming enough. Here’s how it works in Richmond, Virginia. This probably isn’t the first time you’ve seen a bicycle treated so callously. It stands in a dusty garage, surrounded by other carelessly Read More

Looking at Population Health Through a Marketing Lens

Susan Dubuque, principal at NDP Agency

“Population health is a hot topic in our industry,” says Susan Dubuque of ndp. “But let’s be honest. As health care marketing professionals, we may have a difficult time getting our heads around this complex, multifaceted concept. There is lack of clarity about even the most basic issues like: What is population health? Who is Read More

New Research: Exploring the State of Population Health

Susan Dubuque, principal at NDP Agency

Marketers envision playing a leading role in population health activities. // By Susan Dubuque // Population health is a hot topic in our industry. But let’s be honest. As health care marketing professionals, we may have a difficult time getting our heads around this complex, multifaceted concept. There is lack of clarity about even the Read More

Edward M. Rafalski and Kathy Selker Join Editorial Advisory Board of Strategic Health Care Marketing

Ed Rafalski and Kathy Selker

The Strategic Health Care Marketing Editorial Advisory Board is made up of leaders in the health care marketing field who are committed to shaping the future of the industry. They offer ongoing feedback on our editorial coverage, write occasional articles, and point us to developments and people SHCM members like you should know about. I am very pleased to announce that Edward M. Rafalski, Ph.D., MPH, FACHE, and Kathy Selker have joined this elite group.

How Health Care Marketers Can Boost Population Health Efforts

Susan Dubuque

“As health care marketers, we are keenly aware of the rampant changes taking place in our industry — unforeseen mergers and consolidations, aggressive competitors entering the marketplace, pressures to demonstrate measurable ROI, and reorientation from delivering acute or episodic care to managing the health of a population with the goals of improving health and reducing Read More

Rowing Together: A Collaborative Approach to Promoting Behavior Change

Susan Dubuque

// By Susan Dubuque //  As health care marketers, we are keenly aware of the rampant changes taking place in our industry — unforeseen mergers and consolidations, aggressive competitors entering the marketplace, pressures to demonstrate measurable ROI, and reorientation from delivering acute or episodic care to managing the health of a population with the goals Read More

Linda MacCracken Joins Editorial Advisory Board of Strategic Health Care Marketing

Linda MacCracken, senior principal at Accenture

The SHCM Editorial Advisory Board is made up of leaders in the health care marketing field who are committed to shaping the future of the industry. They offer ongoing feedback on our editorial coverage, write occasional articles, and point us to developments and people SHCM members like you should know about. I’m very pleased to announce that Linda MacCracken has joined Read More

How Marketing Can Help with Population Health Efforts

Susan Dubuque, principal at NDP Agency

When the powerhouse brands of Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase recently pooled resources to form a new independent health care delivery system to serve 1 million collective employees, an entire industry took notice. While lots of questions remain as to how the company will operate, one thing is clear: The health care industry has Read More

Population Health + CRM: A Winning Formula for Behavior Change

[Webinar on Demand]

Sponsored by ndp

This event is free for members of Strategic Health Care Marketing to view thanks to our event sponsor.

Your Presenters:

  • Susan Dubuque, principal and co-founder, ndp
  • James Colvin, marketing analytics lead, ndp
  • Katie Mardigian, transplant outreach coordinator, Hume-Lee Transplant Center, VCU Health

Duration: 60 Minutes

Susan Dubuque, James Colvin, Katie Mardigian

In today’s health care environment, the only thing we can really count on is CHANGE, and one of the most potentially transformative changes is the reorientation from delivering acute care to managing the health of populations.

One essential element of any population health effort is changing behaviors, and who is better qualified to inform, educate and persuade people to modify their behavior than a health care marketing professional?

But as health care marketers, it is imperative that our roles evolve. Our focus needs to expand beyond market development and promotion to include a leadership role at the population health table. Understanding behavior change—and how technology helps to facilitate it—is key.

Watch this webinar and gain an understanding of behavior change theory and see how you can practically deploy a population health strategy through customer relationship management (CRM) campaigns.

You’ll learn:

  • How to apply the “Stages of Change” model of behavior change to your health care marketing
  • How the model can be put into practical use through CRM
  • How to effectively measure the outcomes of behavior change campaigns
  • The leadership role marketing can play in a health care organization’s population health efforts

Plus, you’ll hear a case study about how VCU Health used CRM, working with ndp on creative, and with Evariant as their CRM provider partner, to identify people with an existing medical diagnosis, and engage them in behavior change to prevent further medical deterioration.

View now »

Racing to Wellness [Special Report]

Mastering the Role of Marketing in a Changing Health Care Environment

An Exclusive Report from Strategic Health Care Marketing

// By Susan Dubuque //

These days, says health care marketing expert Susan Dubuque, health care organizations across the country are racing to stake their claims as champions of wellness:

They shout, “We are no longer dedicated to treating you when you’re sick or injured. Now we are committed to keeping you well—and out of the hospital.” The unspoken words: Like our financial lives depend on it.

What is the best approach for health care marketers to calm the frenzy, she asks, and help their organizations remain focused and smart?

In this exclusive report, Dubuque, a nationally recognized expert in health care marketing and a member of the Strategic Health Care Marketing Editorial Advisory Board, deftly examines this question in three thoughtful chapters. We know you will appreciate her take on what “wellness” means to health care consumers these days, how to align wellness with
your strategic goals, and more.

Read More »

Population Health Management: Behavior-Change Marketing is One of the Best New Tools for Health Care Marketers, Communicators, and Strategists

[Webinar on Demand] Until recently, health care marketers have focused primarily on generating volume: putting as many “heads in the beds” as possible. But with recent changes in health care reimbursement, hospitals and health systems are transitioning from getting people into their facilities to keeping them healthy. And health care marketers are an important part Read More

Gearing Up for Population Health, Part 5: Fear Factor

// By Susan Dubuque // Last year Strategic Health Care Marketing published a series of three articles on Racing to Wellness. This year we will delve further into the evolution of our profession in a rapidly changing environment. As we move away from conventional promotions intended to drive volumes, we will explore the reinvention of marketing and communications Read More