Senior Communications Advisor
Debra McCarron
Dmccarron@healthsperien.com
Debra McCarron (she/her) has extensive experience in strategic communications & marketing, stakeholder engagement, and project management. Previously, she served as the Deputy Director of the Communication and Outreach Division at Ripple Effect, a government consulting firm. There she led healthcare policy projects for federal agencies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Office for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). As the Project Director of the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network (LAN), she managed an over $1M per year budget, leading a multifaceted communications team to fully support LAN communications, events, and stakeholder engagement.
Additionally, she utilized her marketing and branding expertise to grow a small community business from one location to three. She assisted in the day-to-day operations of the three facility sites, including budget management, human resources, support, facilities management, and internal and external communications. She co-owned Quality Design Solutions, a full-service company specializing in web design, marketing, and database development for non-profit and small businesses.
Early in her career, she supported NIH medical research grants at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She also has over four years of clinical research experience at the University of Maryland, Department of Cardiology, where she worked with interventionists developing glycoprotein IIb/IIIa platelet inhibitors.
Debbie grew up in Maryland, received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Virginia Tech, and has completed coursework at the University of Maryland at Baltimore in Instructional Systems Design. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, the Association for Talent Development, and the Society for Health Communication. She is passionate about community service. She serves as a committee member for the American Cancer Society Making Strides Breast Cancer Walk of Central Maryland and volunteers her time for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Smithsonian’s National Zoo, and the Carroll County Arts Center.
