Healthcare Industry Thought Leadership

Health Union’s data-driven industry conversations help pharma make smarter, more effective decisions. Check out our latest thought leadership pieces below.

The Year of Reconnection: Shared Experiences Drive Connection through Social Health

February 9, 2022

Health Union president and COO, Lauren Lawhon, explores the progress made throughout 2021 for patients in online communities and the healthcare industry.

What Healthcare Marketers Should Know About Connecting With Women

November 22, 2021

It's vital that healthcare marketers connect with women. Women make up 50.8% of the US population and make 80% of the healthcare decisions.

5 Unique Terms Patients Use to Describe Health Experiences

October 5, 2021

Here are five (of many) unique terms used by people with chronic conditions to increase understanding about what they represent to patients.

[Infographic] Social Health: The New Patient Journey

September 17, 2021

Patients are seeking dynamic, ever-changing social health connections online that have reinvented the patient journey - and pharma's role in it.

The health union bubble creates a funnel of people emerging.

The “Buy Now” Era of Pharma: Navigating Pharma’s Direct-to-Patient Revolution

March 24, 2026

Learn how the shift to Direct-to-Patient (DTP) models is transforming online health communities into “digital front doors” that turn trusted community engagement into high-intent care.

The Authority Gap: Why Trust is Pharma’s Only Real Currency in 2026

March 18, 2026

By bridging the gap between DTC and HCP silos and prioritizing medically validated “safe spaces,” brands can move beyond the vanity metrics of reach to secure the high-value trust that drives patient action and clinical validation.

Two hands holding a comment bubble with a heart, surrounded by comment bubbles

Debunking the 5 Biggest Myths About Community-Based Advertising

March 2, 2026

This article explores the 2026 shift in pharma marketing, debunking five common misconceptions to position online health communities as essential strategic powerhouses.

A person reaches through a cloud of random numbers and symbols into a portal revealing a health care provider reaching back at them.

Bridging the Gap: Tailoring Research for Hard-to-Engage Patient Populations

February 24, 2026

Explore strategic ways to engage hard-to-reach patient populations by prioritizing humility, empathetic design, and flexible research methodologies over standard demographic data

Healthcare Industry Thought Leadership

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