The Human Intelligence that Turns Today’s Challenges into Growth Opportunities
In today’s world, healthcare leaders must work quickly to keep pace with – and respond to – the almost daily barrage of changes in regulations, policies, reimbursement structures, patient and staff demands, and the competitive landscape.
While navigating these changes, leaders should be mindful of protecting and distinguishing the brand and mission vital to the continued trust of all stakeholders – patients, providers, employees, and the communities they serve. It is not always an easy or straightforward process.
To guide you, Springboard Strategy | Brand has assembled a faculty of senior healthcare strategy experts. Through our decades of experience working alongside more than 200 healthcare organizations, we have used a proven assessment process that transforms complex healthcare challenges into clear, actionable strategies.
This is not about theoretical frameworks or one-size-fits-all solutions. We analyze, diagnose, and craft strategic recommendations that help healthcare leaders make the meaningful decisions that allow their organizations to grow.
Addressing Today’s Most Pressing Strategy Challenges
Many healthcare organizations are asking:
- How do we react and communicate to our stakeholders amid regulatory uncertainty and funding shifts?
- How can we distill economic feasibility and allocate funds to address Board concerns more effectively?
- How do we align disparate brands with the parent organization, strategic partners, and each other to strengthen our market position?
- How can we affect patient/member experience to accelerate retention and referrals?
These are not simple questions. But they are solvable with the right strategic approach. Our expert facilitators help healthcare leaders craft the strategic plans and shifts that lead to growth.
Our Commitment
Springboard works closely with Chief Strategy Officers, Chief Marketing Officers, and other members of the C-Suite to bring insight, clarity, and strategic direction to branding challenges. Our promise to your brand is built on:
- The bandwidth and focus required for quick deployment.
- Specific healthcare knowledge and strategic expertise.
- Recommendations validated with data and analytics.
- An unbiased external perspective free from internal constraints.
- Implementation & advisory support.
Meet Our Faculty of Experts
Our team comprises seasoned healthcare strategists, branding specialists, and communications leaders who have worked across health systems, medical societies, health tech, and life sciences. Each engagement is assigned a team that brings the specific skills needed to advise on your challenges and opportunities.
Rob Rosenberg
Springboard Founder & CEO
Prior to founding Springboard in 2002, Rob was involved in the leadership of two national marketing communications companies specializing in the healthcare industry.
As a healthcare strategy leader, Rob is a frequent speaker at national healthcare conferences and is regularly featured in trade publications on the subjects of strategy and organizational development. In addition, Rob has authored articles and textbook selections for various publications and is a contributor to Springboard’s healthcare branding blog.
In 2019, Rob was honored to be inducted into the Hospital Marketing National Hall of Fame.
Edward Rafalski, PhD
Senior Strategist
Edward Rafalski, Ph.D., MPH, FACHE is an accomplished healthcare executive with demonstrated acumen and strength to lead large multi-disciplinary projects, in both staff and line capacity, in complex and competitive organizational environments, including urban, suburban, and academic health systems.
Offering more than 30 years of combined strategic planning, marketing, digital/e-commerce, social media, community relations, business development, public relations, contact center, real estate, managed care, group purchasing and emergency department / pediatric product line management experience, Dr. Rafalski is respected as a creative, data-driven, transformational leader, entrepreneurial-minded, and innovative.
He is known as a direct yet diplomatic thought leader who instills confidence, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking amongst peers and direct reports that drives the achievement of goals.
Paul Szablowski
Senior Strategist
Paul is an independent consultant and thought leader and former Senior Vice President of Brand Experience for Texas Health Resources. He previously served as service area Vice President of Marketing, Communications, Public Relations, and Business Strategy for Dignity Health in the Phoenix market.
Paul has a strong background in driving and collaborating on successfully executing strategies, initiatives, innovations and developing multi-stage customer experience transformations. He is known to be an active listener with a vivid imaginative conception for future trends and developments.
He is a frequent speaker and author on marketing, brand, consumer insights, social science, and a self-described “Positive Deviant.”
Ellen Craven
Senior Strategist
Ellen is a dynamic strategy, insights, and innovation executive with over 30 years of experience across the healthcare, insurance, and education sectors. She specializes in audience profiling, positioning strategy, trend translation, facilitation, and strategic innovation.
She has held leadership roles at agencies serving clients like Philips and Hill-Rom and previously worked at P&G. Ellen has also consulted for VC-backed startups, bringing agility and strategic foresight to early-stage innovation.
Recognized by peers as a thought leader, dot connector, and expert facilitator. Ellen brings a future-forward mindset to every engagement. Ellen has many awards for brand building and has spoken on Innovation at the FEI and Fuse Conferences.
Mike Chapman
Springboard President
Mike has vast experience leading strategic initiatives for healthcare clients. In his current position, Mike oversees all agency accounts to ensure client satisfaction and the delivery of initiatives on time and budget.
A member of the Springboard team for more than a dozen years, Mike has led identity, brand architecture, and the development of strategic marketing plans for numerous healthcare and medical society clients.
Mike was honored to be recognized as a 2023 Agency Vanguard Award inductee – recognizing his ability to drive innovation and significantly improve patient communications.
Additional Faculty:
Howell Malham
Theorist and Innovation Strategist
Howell is the architect of The GreenHouse Theory of Social Innovation, and Innovation Dynamics™
Donna Arbogast
Senior Strategist
Donna helped navigate MedStar Washington Hospital Center through a wide range of challenges that stressed the mission and brand.
Brian Gerstner
President of White Label IQ
Brian enables digital skillsets by providing website design, development, and data propagation; his team has a rare combination of expertise and speed.
Strategy Blogs
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Case Studies
We bring proven expertise to the challenges healthcare organizations face today. The following are just a few examples:
Jefferson
Jefferson is comprised of Thomas Jefferson University, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Jefferson University Physicians, Jefferson Health Design Lab, and Jefferson Office of Institutional Advancement.
- Challenge: While the Jefferson organization is perceived as a quality-driven, historic institution with a well-regarded reputation in academics, clinical delivery, and patient care, functioning as five separate business units leads to the following:
- Business silos that reduce the decision-making speed needed in today’s dynamic healthcare environment.
- Lost opportunities among potential partners in the healthcare and business community.
- Approach: Leadership interviews and strategic roundtables determined that the organization needed to get to the core of the brand and its key business units to develop a flattened organizational strategy and master brand architecture that allows leadership to react proactively and grow.
- Outcome: In just under 10 years, Jefferson Health has grown from a three-hospital network to 32, with the strategic acquisition of Abington Health, Aria Health, Philadelphia University, Kennedy Health, Magee Rehabilitation, Einstein Health Network, and Lehigh Valley Health Network.
Society for Vascular Surgery
The professional medical society for vascular surgeons dedicated to advancing excellence and innovation in vascular health through education, advocacy, research, and public awareness.
- Challenge: Members of the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) consistently ranked “branding” as their #1 strategic initiative. SVS engaged Springboard to determine the best use of funds and strategy to achieve its members’ goals.
- Approach: Springboard Conducted key stakeholder and referral source interviews and a member committee brand workshop to determine the best strategy for SVS was not to brand the society but to “brand” its members, vascular surgeons, with the following key goals:
- Increase knowledge of vascular surgeons and comprehensive vascular care/health.
- Differentiate and elevate the perception and value of the vascular specialty to healthcare leaders.
- Outcome: The development of a cohesive and aspirational-focused brand for vascular surgeons. Showcasing the commitment and value SVS provides its members and establishing a singular “rallying cry” for the profession.
BayMark Health Services
North America’s largest substance use disorder treatment provider. It expanded rapidly, acquiring opioid treatment programs, office-based opioid treatment programs, and residential addiction treatment facilities across the U.S. and Canada.
- Challenge: BayMark Health Services leadership asked Springboard to evaluate a unification strategy to accomplish the following:
- Align the existing and acquired service lines with the parent organization and each other.
- Inspire employees across the organization around a singular vision.
- Fuel organizational growth and utilization along the continuum.
- Approach: Springboard used its vast knowledge of brand architecture strategy to present several scenarios to leadership that would successfully shift the organization from a house of brands to a position-based unified brand –endorsed by the parent organization.
- Outcome: A 30% increase in brand recognition and patient engagement.
A Thoughtful, Strategic Approach to Today’s Challenges
The challenges facing healthcare organizations today are not marketing problems—they are business challenges with branding implications. Addressing them requires:
- Strategic thinking that aligns brand with business priorities.
- An approach that asks questions you’ve never been asked before.
- A straightforward, compelling recommendations that engage stakeholders.
- An adaptive approach to market and regulatory shifts.
- Expert-led guidance that connects strategy to execution.
Let’s solve these challenges together—not with quick-fix tactics, but with thoughtful, well-informed strategies that result in direction and measurable impact.
