Getting to Know: Theo Smith, Marketing & Communications Associate
Following is a Q&A to get to know Theo Smith, Marketing & Communications Associate, who began working at the National Health Council (NHC) in May 2020.
Putting Patients First (PPF) Blog: Why did you want to work for the NHC?
I started interning for the NHC my junior year of college, and I was immediately interested in the way the NHC gave a voice to patients. I decided to continue interning and eventually work full-time for this organization because I felt that my work and the work of the organization was truly having an impact on people’s lives. The NHC works to make the world a better place and that was something I wanted to be a part of.
PPF Blog: You work with the NHC’s social media platforms frequently; what important lesson have you learned from engaging with others in the health ecosystem?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned about social media through the NHC is the importance of being proactive. Social media has become an increasingly more important part of our everyday lives, and it can be a great resource for education. Working on the NHC’s social media taught me that information is power, and it is important to have accurate and reliable information.
PPF Blog: You have worked on several campaigns here at the NHC. Tell us about your favorite campaign so far?
My favorite campaign I’ve worked on so far has been the 2019-2020 Open Enrollment materials. For this campaign, we created a video series explaining open enrollment and the importance of having health insurance. This has been my favorite campaign to work on because of the way the open enrollment period works. Also, I had the opportunity to develop and design video messages to share with the public. It was an exciting campaign to work on.
PPF Blog: What’s your favorite part about working for the NHC?
My favorite part about working for the NHC is seeing the impact of our work on patients with chronic diseases and disabilities. The NHC is unique because of its diverse membership and ability to bring together different parts of the health care ecosystem to forge consensus on pressing issues. Everyone who works for the NHC is so passionate about advocating for patients, and it’s truly inspiring to be around my co-workers and learn from them. I love being involved in the process of marketing and communicating about the NHC’s ground-breaking research and policy proposals.
PPF Blog: Tell us something about you personally. What do you do outside of work?
I recently started collecting vinyl records. I’ve always really loved music and have attempted to learn to play various instruments, but I was never good at any of them. However, I love listening to music, so when I graduated from college, I got a record player and began to collect vintage records.
