LEADERSHIP by Vanessa Labi
Janelle
Meyers Ullrich
Vice president of marketing Adventist Health
Janelle Meyers Ullrich , in reflecting on the dedication of frontline health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic , says she had “ never felt more connected to the meaning and purpose of my work that I ’ m supporting behind the scenes . … I was literally supporting heroes .”
Meyers Ullrich , 34 , is the vice president of marketing at Adventist Health , a faith-based nonprofit health care provider with a corporate office in Roseville . Throughout the early pandemic months , Adventist Health faced the great responsibility of being a provider of information as well as health care . The uncertainty of that time had people looking to hospitals for recommendations in navigating the scary , then-new world of COVID-19 . Disseminating the right information at the right time , and reaching both current and prospective customers by exclusively digital means became paramount objectives for the marketing department .
As vice president of the 30-person team , she leads marketing strategies that enhance patient experience and promote the visibility of the brand “ so the organization can thrive
HEALTH CARE and grow .” Meyers Ullrich ’ s days are spent building campaigns to reach potential customers within Adventist Health ’ s markets , which include 22 hospitals and 300 clinics
Vanessa Walker
throughout California , Oregon and Hawaii . “ A lot of our markets are really rural , and we ’ re serving the underserved , so it ’ s really meaningful work ,” she says . Meyers Ullrich works from both the corporate office in Roseville and from her home in Lodi .
Throughout the pandemic , Meyers Ullrich
MEDICAL DIRECTOR • Sutter Health Valley Area electronic ICU helped develop crucial messaging , like : “ Don ’ t delay your care .” With the stay-at-home order , she says they noticed that many patients were struggling at home with conditions that required treatment . “ It came to a point where heart attacks aren ’ t stopping , strokes aren ’ t stopping , appendicitis isn ’ t stopping ,” she says . “ But we ’ re not seeing them in the emergency department .” Her team responded by creating messaging to urge people to visit a hospital or clinic for urgent health concerns , and educated the population around virtual visits for non-urgent care . As Adventist markets have opened back up , she says the message has shifted back to the importance of screenings and prevention .
Her current role is her fifth position within the Roseville-based company . Before landing her “ dream job ” at Adventist Health , Meyers Ullrich grew up in Lodi , earned her bachelor ’ s in communications studies from Azusa Pacific University in 2008 and then earned her MBA from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School in 2018 .
Meyers Ullrich says she likes being part of a changing company , which has grown considerably since she started in 2016 . The health system is currently expanding , building programs in communities that address social determinants of health , homelessness and poverty . It also recently acquired Blue Zones , the project that seeks to transform communities by modeling itself after the original Blue Zones — rare longevity hotspots around the world where people are thriving into their 100s .
With each ever-shifting demand of marketing , Meyers Ullrich says she follows the principle of authentic leadership . “ To me , that means showing up as my whole , authentic self and leading others in that way . And most of the time , that means being vulnerable , which can be really hard .” Whether it ’ s speaking her truth to senior leaders and peers with an unpopular opinion , or acknowledging that a situation is not ideal , she says she values the bravery that authenticity requires and seeks to pass on the same leadership style to the people she mentors . “ I really believe that the greatest investment of time and energy we can make is in growing others .”
MURAL BY SHAUN BURNER AND FRANCESKA GAMEZ
42 comstocksmag . com | July 2021