Founder, Atria Public Relations 

I've spent 23 years leading Atria Public Relations, and from day one, my focus has been the  same: medical and healthcare communications. Not as a niche — as a calling. 

Over the course of my career, I've had the privilege of working across 22 specialty medical fields  — from cardiology and dermatology to organ transplantation, craniofacial surgery, blood  banking, and everything in between. I've helped physicians, medical centers, and device  companies find their voice, tell their story, and reach the patients and partners who need to hear  it most. 

That work has taken me to places I never expected as a PR professional — supporting clinical  trials with Stanford, UTSW, and Baylor College of Medicine; placing clients on the Today Show  and Good Morning America; landing coverage in the New York Times, AP, Shape, and Texas  Monthly; and even ringing the NASDAQ bell. Every one of those moments was made possible  because someone had a breakthrough worth communicating — and we helped them do it well. 

Mentoring with Health Wildcatters is, honestly, a dream opportunity. The founders here are  building solutions that could reshape how we prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. My role is to  help them find their voice, sharpen their message, and tell their story in a way that opens doors  — with investors, with partners, and ultimately with the patients they are here to serve. 

I bring honest counsel, genuine investment, and 23 years of healthcare communications  experience to every conversation. If I can help startups accelerate their path to market and  change even one patient's life along the way, then I am exactly where I am supposed to be. 

On a personal note — last year I became a patient myself, when breast cancer was caught at its  earliest stage through the kind of vigilant monitoring that comes with being a high-risk patient  with a family history. I had every option available to me, and I am deeply grateful. That  experience only deepened my conviction that early detection, innovative research, and clear  patient communication are not abstract goals — they are life-changing. If there are founders in  this cohort working to move that needle, I want to be in that room.