Timothy Brown, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Stony Brook Medicine

Summary

Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: In-Depth Summary of Episode with Timothy Brown, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Stony Brook Medicine

Release Date: July 1, 2025

In the July 1, 2025 episode of Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, host Laura Dearda engages in a comprehensive conversation with Timothy Brown, the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Stony Brook Medicine. The discussion delves into the evolving landscape of healthcare marketing, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), the shift towards digital platforms for health information dissemination, and leadership insights for emerging professionals in the field.

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Introduction to Timothy Brown and Stony Brook Medicine

The episode opens with Laura Dearda welcoming Timothy Brown to the podcast. Brown shares his professional journey, highlighting his tenure at Stony Brook Medicine, where he has served as the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for over two years. Prior to joining Stony Brook, Brown held significant roles at University of Chicago Medicine and Via Christi Health, gaining extensive experience in both academic and community medicine sectors.

“I worked in both academic medicine and community medicine. It’s just a fascinating field to be in, and I really enjoy it.”
— Timothy Brown [00:32]

Brown emphasizes the dynamic environment at Stony Brook Medicine, underscoring the exciting initiatives and projects that the team is spearheading to advance the organization’s mission.

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Current Trends in Healthcare Marketing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare

One of the primary topics Brown addresses is the burgeoning role of AI in healthcare. He observes that many health systems are exploring ways to harness AI responsibly to enhance patient care and operational efficiency.

“AI is not coming for your job. It’s just a tool. It’s another tool to use.”
— Timothy Brown [01:24]

Brown recounts insights from a recent conference where the fear of AI replacing jobs was discussed. He counters this notion by advocating for AI as a supportive tool that can alleviate workloads, especially in environments where budgets and resources are constrained. However, he also stresses the importance of deploying AI safely and responsibly to ensure it benefits patients effectively.

Zero Click Searches and Social Media Integration

Another significant trend Brown highlights is the rise of zero click searches, particularly among younger demographics. Unlike traditional search engines like Google, younger users are increasingly turning to platforms such as ChatGPT and social media channels like Instagram for health information.

“Particularly younger people are not using Google as a search engine or a search tool anymore, but they’re jumping right into ChatGPT, using ChatGPT for searches, using social media for searches.”
— Timothy Brown [02:59]

This shift necessitates that health systems maintain a robust presence across these digital platforms to ensure accurate and reliable health information reaches their audience. Brown emphasizes the strategic importance of being active on platforms like Instagram to provide correct information and engage with the community effectively.

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Developing an Effective Instagram Strategy

When discussing Instagram strategy, Brown outlines the critical role of content creation in establishing Stony Brook Medicine as a content engine. Over the past two years, the marketing communications team has focused on producing high-quality, informative content to engage their audience.

“We’re working hard to become a content engine from a marketing communication standpoint.”
— Timothy Brown [03:54]

Brown references discussions with peers from institutions like Cleveland Clinic, renowned for their content marketing in healthcare. He underscores the importance of being perceived as an expert in the field, a vital aspect for academic medical centers aiming to build trust and authority.

“It’s smart marketing. You’re out there and you’re seen as an expert in the area and you need to be.”
— Timothy Brown [04:46]

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Transitioning to a Content-First and Agile Marketing Team

Brown elaborates on the transformation of Stony Brook Medicine’s marketing and communications team from a traditional structure to a content-first and agile framework. This transition aims to enhance the team’s responsiveness to market changes and improve overall efficiency.

“We’re evolving as a marketing and communications team from a kind of traditional team to a more content first team and an agile team.”
— Timothy Brown [05:00]

Implementing Agile methodologies, traditionally used in software development, has allowed the team to become more nimble and adaptive. This approach has yielded positive results, particularly in social media performance, where Stony Brook Medicine now leads the market in social metrics within the highly competitive New York region.

“Our social metrics are right up there with the big guys in the market... we actually lead the market in social media.”
— Timothy Brown [06:29]

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Leadership Insights and Advice for Emerging Professionals

In the concluding segment, Brown shares valuable advice for aspiring leaders in the healthcare marketing domain. He emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and the value of diverse teams.

“You’ve got to continually learn... have a diverse team and you have to listen to diverse voices.”
— Timothy Brown [07:01]

Brown recounts wisdom from a former boss about the significance of embracing multiple viewpoints to foster innovation and comprehensive understanding. He advocates for surrounding oneself with competent individuals and being open to new ideas, which is especially crucial in the rapidly evolving field of marketing.

“If you don’t listen to other people, you’re not going to get those other viewpoints and ideas.”
— Timothy Brown [07:45]

This inclusive and adaptive leadership style, according to Brown, is essential for navigating the challenges of modern healthcare marketing and ensuring that health systems remain relevant and effective in their communication strategies.

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Conclusion

The conversation between Laura Dearda and Timothy Brown offers a detailed exploration of the intersection between healthcare and modern marketing strategies. Brown’s insights into AI integration, the shift towards digital and social media platforms, and the adoption of agile methodologies provide a comprehensive understanding of the current and future state of healthcare marketing. Additionally, his leadership advice underscores the importance of adaptability, diversity, and continuous learning in building successful teams and advancing careers in this dynamic field.

For healthcare professionals and marketers seeking to stay abreast of industry trends and effective strategies, this episode of Becker’s Healthcare Podcast serves as a valuable resource.

Transcript

[A]

This is Laura Dearda with the Beckers Healthcare podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Timothy Brown, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Stony Brook Medicine. Tim, it's a pleasure to have you on the podcast today.

[B]

Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here.

[A]

Now I'm really excited for our conversation. I know you have a lot going on there at Stony Brook, and so it'll be great to spotlight some of the initiatives and things that have really driven your success over the last few years and then look ahead as well. But before we dive into that discussion, can you tell me a little bit more about yourself and Stony Brook medicine?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. I've been here for a little over two years now, and I'm the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer here. As you. You stated just a moment ago, it's a. It's a great team that we have here, and it's an exciting time to be part of Stony Brook Medicine. We're doing a lot of fun things and, and interesting things. And, and prior to my time at Stony Brook, I was at University of Chicago Medicine, and prior to that, I was at Via Christi Health, and so I worked in both academic medicine and, and community medicine. And it's just a fascinating, I think, a fascinating field to be in, and I really enjoy it.

[A]

That's great to hear and truly a great journey into multiple institutions. And then now where you're at at Stony Brook. So what are some of the big trends that you're watching currently? What's top of mind for you?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I think the big one that everyone's talking about is AI. And I think most health systems are really trying to figure out, you know, how to use AI in a responsible and positive manner and, and in a. In a way that can actually be beneficial to. To patients. And that's. We're right there, too. We're experimenting in a few areas, not only in the marketing communications department, but, but otherwise. And, and it's been pretty fascinating to see how AI can be used as a. As a tool. And I was at a conference not too long ago, and there was a comment that was made that a lot of people are worried that AI is coming for their jobs, but the reality is AI is not coming for your job. It's just a tool. It's another tool to use. And particularly in this time, as budgets are getting maybe a little tighter and resources a little bit scarcer, it's great to have another tool that can. Can help out and lighten the load. And of course, the Challenge is you have to use it in a very safe and responsible manner. And so that's what we're working towards. The other thing that from a marketing communication standpoint that is kind of big right now is zero click searches. And it's funny in this business and just things change so quickly. And I remember in my younger days, you know, it was marketing was, was kind of, you could either do the newspaper, you could do TV and billboards out of home, and there wasn't a lot more to it. And. And it's of course changed rather dramatically. And now the big thing is zero click searches. And we're seeing that, you know, particularly younger people are not using Google as a search engine or a search tool anymore, but they're jumping right into Chat GPT, using Chat GPT for searches, using social media for searches. Instagram is a big one for health searches. So that tells us is we really have to be on these various platforms, Instagram, et cetera, and we have to be there providing correct and accurate information so when people are searching for these different health issues, that they actually get the correct information. So we're working hard in that area.

[A]

Absolutely. That's fascinating. I didn't realize Instagram was such a big hub for health information. How do you develop an Instagram strategy as a health system?

[B]

Well, it's content about content. And that's something that we've been working on really, really hard for the past two years here at Stony Brook is really to become a content engine from a marketing communication standpoint. And you know, that's nothing new for, for marketing in general and for health systems. You know, I was fortunate enough to be at a conference just this last week and talked with several of my peers about exactly that. And got to talk with the folks from Cleveland Clinic and they're kind of well known for starting a lot of content marketing from a healthcare standpoint. And it's smart marketing. I mean, you're out there and you're seen as an expert in the area and you need to be. And particularly as an academic medical center, I think that's critical.

[A]

Absolutely. That's a great insight and I appreciate the extra information there. Now I wanted to ask you as well, what are you most focused on and excited about, you know, and then what are you proud of from the last six to 18 months or so?

[B]

Yeah, I mean, I think what we're doing here at Stony Brook is really evolving as a marketing and communications team from kind of a traditional team to a more content first team and an agile team. And that's another area where we're working is implementing Agile in the, in the marketing communications team or for the marketing communications team. And Agile has been used primarily for software development for several years now. And, but a lot of the same, same principles hold true from a communication standpoint. And really the key is you have to be nimble, you have to be able to respond to the marketplace and that's what we're trying to do. So we're implementing that slowly but surely. It's been exciting so far to really drive a content first team. And so I'm pretty proud of the work that the team has done in that area. And we, we already see the results of that, particularly on our social side. Our social metrics are right up there with the, the, the big guys in the market. And you know, we are in New York and this is, I, I personally believe the most competitive market in the country. And so it's, it's pretty gratifying to see that, you know, with our, our audits that we've had recently that we actually lead the market in, in social media. So, so that's an. And we're going to continue to work in that area.

[A]

That's fascinating to hear and truly just the technology is changing so much about hospitals and health systems and I can imagine marketing is no different, but it's just really cool to hear the capabilities and what you're able to do now because of the technology and because of the way that the patients interact with information is changing so quickly. So that's amazing to hear. Before we wrap up, I'm curious, what advice would you give evolving leaders today? What's important for them to know and think about as they're trying to build their own careers?

[B]

Yeah, I think the biggest thing is you've got to continually learn and I'm near the back end. I've got a few years left in me, but I'm certainly not a young person starting out. And it's exciting to see the young people on my team, for example, as they bring new ideas. And that's key to it too. You've got to have a diverse team and you have to listen to diverse voices because there's no way that I'm going to know everything. And I know that, you know, I'm smart enough to know that I'm not that smart and, you know, surround yourself with really, really competent, good people, listen to their ideas and be open to their ideas. That's, to me, that's probably the most important thing and have a diverse team again. You want to listen to diverse voices. You want to hear what other people's viewpoints are. And I learned a long time ago, I had a boss years and years ago, told me, you know, you can't look at everything just through your own glasses because there are different viewpoints out there, there are different ideas and thoughts, and if you don't listen to other people, you're not going to get those other viewpoints and ideas. And that's particularly important in marketing, you know, because you. You have to. It's a. It's a very different field than it was 10 years ago or 20 years ago, and. And you really have to be able to meet people where they are, and it's. It's challenging.

[A]

Absolutely. You know, that's such a great point. And certainly in thinking about how you can lead teams and how you're able to really understand what's going to be needed in the future. Tim, thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. This has been a really fantastic conversation. I look forward to connecting with you again soon.

[B]

Sounds good. Thank you so much for asking me. Sat.