Who We Are

Relentlessly Curious

At LIFT Healthcare, empathy and curiosity drive everything we do. We dive deep into human experiences, beliefs, and behaviors to uncover and illuminate authentic moments that shape consumer and patient experiences.

We go beyond traditional market research, integrating quantitative and qualitative intelligence through an unparalleled suite of research solutions. This empowers us to partner with you to craft compelling stories, engaging content, and high-impact advertising that resonate.

Our curiosity keeps us at the forefront of digital marketing innovation. We harness advanced data analytics and propensity modeling to build targeted audiences – driving new patient volume and increasing service line revenue. By combining deep human understanding with unmatched reporting and measurement capabilities, we deliver patient encounters that can be quantified and attributed to marketing efforts.

Our diverse and dynamic team brings together decades of healthcare marketing experience: marketers, designers, artists, hospital executives, brand strategists, anthropologists, entrepreneurs, journalists, content developers, documentary filmmakers, data scientists, strategists, engineers, public health professionals, facilitators, developers, ethnographers, and design thinkers.

Together, we are LIFT Healthcare – helping hospitals and health systems optimize their marketing investments while making a lasting impact on the communities they serve.

LIFT was founded on the belief that human understanding is the driving force behind better healthcare experiences and healthier outcomes. Our foundation is rooted in empathy, collaboration, and design thinking—the core principles that define contemporary healthcare marketing expertise. Central to our philosophy is the Golden Thread of Human Understanding: deep insights that not only inform marketing strategies, but also strengthen strategic decision-making across the entire healthcare organization.

David McDonald, Founder & Chief Executive Officer

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.

Katie Clem

Insights Practice Director

Katie guides LIFT’s Insights team to help health-oriented organizations better understand their unique stakeholders to inform the development of tailored, strategic marketing and communications. Katie is also pursuing a master's degree in public health at Johns Hopkins University.

Alex Sydnor

VP of Marketing and Comm.

As a senior executive, Alex has led healthcare strategy, marketing, patient experience, and population health programs for 17 years. A Fellow of ACHE, he has a Master’s in Hospital Administration and is a trained facilitator. He enjoys hiking & making maple syrup and cider from his home in Maine.

Carrie Dierks

Creative Services Director

Carrie is a creative design professional with 20 years of experience blending innovation and problem-solving to deliver impactful visual solutions. Passionate about transforming ideas into compelling work. Outside the studio, she enjoys cooking, where creativity meets comfort, and spending time with her family.

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.

Doug Condra

Controller

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

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.

Gabriella Brown

Ethnographer

I use mixed-methods research to uncover insights that enhance the stakeholder experience and inform service line strategy. Being a mother and caregiver deepens my passion for making healthcare more inclusive. When I’m not working, I’m chasing my toddler or enjoying the outdoors with family!

Emily Evans

Project & Operations Manager

Emily manages, supports, and coordinates daily project activities and processes. She collaborates with the team to plan, organize, and execute projects. In her free time, Emily enjoys camping with her husband, spending time with her three cats, sewing, reading, and collecting vinyl records.

Erin Hotchkiss

Client Success Lead

Driven by curiosity and “why?” Erin blends brand strategy, consumer insights, and empathetic dialogue. Experience partnering with hospitals, healthcare organizations and non-profits nationwide, she revels in collaboratively solving challenges. Known to prose over vinyl, cats, and the Aurora Borealis.

Nickolas Nieves

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.

Micah Underwood

Product Strategist & Dev. 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.

Brandon Maddox

Consumer Experience Strategist

As a Consumer Experience Strategist, I bridge the gap between healthcare organizations and LIFT’s innovative teams, helping to transform insights into strategic, human-centered marketing solutions. With expertise in healthcare systems, psychology, and business development, I help clients optimize their marketing investments and elevate patient experiences.

Anthony Mundis

Marketing Strategist

Anthony holds a Master’s in Philosophical Psychology and began his marketing career in eCommerce. As a strategist at LIFT, he blends emotional insight with data analytics to strategically inform campaigns. Outside of work, he enjoys playing golf at his home in Jupiter Florida.

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.

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.

Join Lift

LIFT always seeks motivated, innovative professionals to join our growing team. We thrive on curiosity, creativity, and a passion for making an impact in healthcare marketing. If you’re driven, forward-thinking, and care about the humanity behind healthcare, we want to hear from you. Let’s grow together.

Submit Your Open Application

Even if you don’t find a suitable position above, please do not hesitate to drop us your resume and cover letter.

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