Who We Are

Relentlessly Curious

LIFT is a healthcare research and strategy firm serving marketing, communications, patient support, community engagement, and research executives across four distinct domains of healthcare—hospitals and health systems; life sciences (Pharma and device); academic medical centers; and, public health.

Our mission is grounded in human understanding and curiosity and helping healthcare organizations navigate complexity, uncover clarity, and build strategies that fuel outcomes financially, strategically, and economically. We operate on a single belief—that the best strategies begin with truly knowing people: what they believe, what they need, what they hope for, and what gets in the way.

Our team works side-by-side with our clients to navigate real and often competing pressures—clarity of direction, financial constraints, complex stakeholder dynamics, evolving expectations, and the need to earn and sustain trust. Whether launching a therapy, strengthening service lines, advancing research, or deepening community engagement, LIFT begins with deep listening and disciplined understanding—bringing focus, coherence, and direction to complexity.

LIFT was built on a pretty simple, market-driven belief: the most effective healthcare strategies start with a deep understanding of people—how they think, what they need, and the forces that shape behavior and choice. Over time, that belief became a proprietary research and strategy approach that blends empathy with rigor, connecting human insight to real-world financial, strategic, and economic outcomes.

At the heart of how we work is what we call the Three Rails—the Financial Imperative, the Strategic Imperative, and the Economic Imperative. It’s the lens we use to help healthcare organizations balance revenue performance and growth with strategic transformation, patient and stakeholder support, and community impact. Powered by our own research tools and deep qualitative and quantitative insight, LIFT helps leaders see reality clearly, make better decisions, and align their organizations around strategies that actually endure.

David McDonald, Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Our work follows a disciplined progression grounded in research, insight, and strategy.

We begin with deep qualitative and quantitative research to understand human experience, market dynamics, and organizational realities. From there, we help healthcare leaders make better decisions by synthesizing insight into clear, market-driven strategy. Finally, we support organizations as they align and act—translating strategy into shared understanding, focused messaging, coordinated teams, and purposeful execution.

This progression—understanding, deciding, aligning, and acting—is how research becomes strategy, strategy becomes momentum, and momentum becomes meaningful impact.

Healthcare, life sciences, research, and public health organizations come to LIFT at different moments in their journey—seeking clarity, direction, or activation. Some need deeper understanding of patients, stakeholders, markets, or communities and the forces shaping behavior, trust, and choice. Others turn to LIFT to translate insight into strategy, set priorities, and align teams. Some are ready to activate, looking for a partner to bring strategy to life through clear communication, meaningful engagement, and disciplined execution. Wherever you are, LIFT meets you there—and helps you move forward with confidence and purpose.

Think of LIFT as a partner in progress—working alongside your team to amplify insight, sharpen strategy, and accelerate meaningful impact.

When you work with LIFT, you gain a healthcare research and strategy team known for deep curiosity and disciplined thinking. We help leaders see reality more clearly, make better decisions, and lead with confidence in a complex and evolving healthcare landscape.

Our Team

David McDonald

Co-founder & CEO

As CEO of LIFT and a trained anthropologist, David brings a deep passion for human understanding to every facet of leadership. Blending empathy with innovation and data, he drives empathic, people-centered solutions that elevate the healthcare marketing profession and successful client outcomes.

Anna Riehm

Vice President of Operations

Anna's experience leading healthcare marketing & operations teams and serving as an executive in a digital marketing agency gives her insight into how healthcare systems need and want to fulfill their promise to care for communities. She is a servant leader who also happens to love camping.

Diane McDonald

Chief People Officer / Partner

Diane aligns talent strategy with business goals to cultivate a thriving, high performance culture. As a behavioral psychologist and Birkman expert, she drives leadership, growth, and collaboration through empathy and intentional culture design.

Nickolas Nieves

Lead Design Strategist & Developer

With a double bachelors in Computer Science as well as Graphic design, Nickolas is able to utilize all of his abilities fully at LIFT. From web development, to data representations, to illustrations, he enjoys to bridge the gap form and function. In his free time he enjoys the outdoors, ultimate frisbee, drawing, and reading.

Matt Bradley

Healthcare Anthropologist

Matt brings 20 years of ethnographic research expertise to LIFT, supporting the insights team through fieldwork, analysis, and strategic guidance. Trained in Social Anthropology at Harvard, Matt is deeply committed to understanding the complex forces that shape human behavior.

Kinsley Kilgore-Fuller

Ethnographer

With a background in Anthropology and Archaeology, I am driven to understand why people do what they do, and the context that surrounds those actions. In my free time, I enjoy contributing to archaeological research and camping on the weekends with my husband and our dog, Darby.

Vallery Nehvatal

Design Strategist

Vallery is a detail-oriented creative who blends design and strategic thinking to support impactful client solutions. She works closely with the design team, contributing to daily projects and initiatives. Outside of work, she enjoys singing, playing pickleball, and spending time with family and friends.

Lucile Luttrell

Office Manager

Loved working as a part time Bookkeeper for Nine years. My passion is hiking with friends. and meeting other people. My interest is volunteer with meals on wheels and other organization.

Doug Condra

Controller

I oversee and manage the finances of the business. Outside of work I enjoy working on my cattle farm where we raise registered Charolais cattle.

Micah Underwood

Product Strategist & Development Lead

Micah brings deep experience in development, marketing, and data science across healthcare, education, and SaaS. Driven by curiosity and compassion, he loves translating complex data into practical, impactful solutions. Outside of work, he enjoys time with his family, running, and playing music.

Victoria Carlson

Creative Director Emeritus

Victoria is an award-winning design professional with over 20 years of strategic marketing experience. She has a unique passion for innovation and has developed global marketing and branding programs and custom publications. She is an adjunct professor of design at Southern Adventist University.

Jason Provonsha

Strategic Advisor

Jason Provonsha is an accomplished entrepreneur with deep experience in healthcare strategy, business development, and marketing. He serves as a strategic advisor to LIFT’s CEO and leadership team, bringing insight and perspective that strengthen the company’s growth and impact.

Tom Pecht

Strategic Advisor

Tom Pecht is an entrepreneur and growth strategist with deep expertise in scaling businesses and capital market access. In his role as advisor to the CEO, he helps LIFT navigate opportunities and challenges as the company accelerates its growth.

Audrianne Schneider, FACHE

Marketing Strategist

Audrianne supports LIFT clients in navigating complex strategic conversations and initiatives that strengthen marketing performance and drive organizational alignment toward market-driven excellence. A seasoned healthcare marketing executive, she brings over 20 years of hospital and health system leadership experience.