Her journey, shaped by early experiences with illness in her family, has fueled Elaine’s commitment to advancing patient-centric technologies. At uMotif, her focus remains on enhancing the patient experience, making clinical trials more compassionate, efficient, and ultimately more effective in delivering hope to those in need.
Could you give us an overview of your work?
Over the last 20 years, I’ve served in a wide range of marketing, strategy and business development functions for technology companies focused on the life sciences industry.
Today, I’m applying that experience to my role as chief marketing officer at uMotif. We’re a growth company that provides a modern, cloud-based, patient-focused eCOA/ePRO (Electronic Clinical Outcome Assessment/Electronic Patient Reported Outcomes) platform and novel data capture app to power clinical trials and real-world studies.
As uMotif’s marketing leader, it has been exciting to help build and execute the go-to-market strategy for our growing organization from the ground up. I’m able to leverage my business experience alongside my understanding of the need for clinical trial transformation to raise awareness and expand the use of uMotif’s patient-centric software.
I’m really energized about our outcomes and progress—2023 was a year of record growth and important achievements for uMotif. Developments included the addition of several strategic partners, significant advances to uMotif’s eCOA/ePRO solutions, as well as awards for the company’s validated patient data capture app and leadership. And, we’re continuing to build on these achievements in 2024.
When did you realize you were interested in science – as a young child, teen, or older?
I’ve always had a keen interest and fascination with the life of medical professionals and doctors. I went to college as a pre-med student, and realized over time that my interest was gravitating more toward the business and economics of medicine vs. the science. But even though I chose the business side, my personal interest and curiosity about the science remains strong.
Could you describe your personal journey bringing us to where you are now?
At a young age I was humbled and motivated by the early deaths of close family members from illness. Through these experiences, I gained a strong understanding of what it’s like for the patient and their families as they manage the day-to-day realities of disease progression.
Years later, after my own family’s experiences, I’ve seen firsthand how various diseases are managed differently today, and in some cases no longer considered terminal. This speaks to the importance of clinical trials. I often hear that a clinical trial is a patient’s last hope. The operative word there is hope, and that’s incredibly powerful.
I’ve been in the clinical trial technology industry for over 20 years now, helping to introduce and promote cloud-based technologies that improve every aspect of clinical trials and real-world studies. Since I joined uMotif, I’ve been focused on making the patient journey easier, more efficient and more empathetic, which enables sponsors and sites to quantifiably improve clinical R&D programs.
My journey began in the business consulting domain, where I gained experience in framing market dynamics and trends. This experience helped me establish a strong foundation for my career. I embarked on my life science trajectory at the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, during the start of the burgeoning biotech era in Boston as Kendall Square began to attract pharmaceutical innovation in a significant way. It was an exciting time to be in the industry. I expanded my knowledge about what it takes—in terms of skill sets, financing, strategy, and more—for a business to progress from idea to early-round funding to large entity.
While at the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, I also had the opportunity to follow several innovative organizations that had the potential to transform the industry. One that captivated my attention was Phase Forward, where I would later lead marketing for the company during a period of tremendous growth for the organization and the broader Electronic Data Capture (EDC) market, in general.
It also was an era of considerable consolidation in the industry, characterized by frequent acquisition. I was on the frontlines of Phase Forward’s acquisition by Oracle and went on to serve as head of marketing for Oracle’s Health Sciences Global Business Unit for several years before moving into a cross-industry portfolio role at Oracle.
Three years ago, I joined uMotif. The move to uMotif, a growing startup at that time, was deeply personal for me and driven strongly by my belief in the company’s mission: enabling truly patient-centric research. I’m inspired by uMotif’s mission and team, and the progress we’re making toward placing the patient at the center of clinical trials.
What challenges did you face – as a woman or otherwise – along the way and what is the most valuable lesson you have learned?
I’ve learned two fundamental lessons that continue to guide my career. The first is, if you aspire to an elevated role in an organization, you need to develop a deep understanding of that organization and the broader industry landscape in which it operates. Work to learn as much as possible about different aspects of the business, not just your own functional area.
The second lesson is to expect constant change, and be ready to welcome it. While sometimes challenging, change is a powerful catalyst for professional and personal growth. During my time at Phase Forward and Oracle, I worked on and experienced 10+ acquisitions, many in life sciences. I’ve seen that the companies—and professionals—that are the most successful are the ones that embrace change.
What ignites your passion in your current role?
I love the tremendous opportunity I have at uMotif to help transform the clinical trial experience and the industry that supports clinical research. We all owe so much to clinical trial participants and we need to honor the sacrifices they make to advance science and treatments.
Historically, however, trial protocols and the tools used to support them have been designed primarily from the perspective of sponsors and investigators—not participants. Specifically, many eCOA/ePRO systems simply digitized paper-based questionnaires for mobile devices with little consideration for patient usability and the new digital medium. The result has been a poor patient experience that leads to low compliance and attrition and increased site burden, which in turn delays trials and go-to-market for new treatments.
With uMotif’s platform, we are bringing clinical trial patients an experience that is akin to apps that they use in their everyday lives—technology that is intuitive and gratifying, and makes it easier to participate in critical research.
In addition to improving the patient experience, I’m excited for the impact that uMotif’s solution has on helping to accelerate clinical trials by improving engagement and compliance and supporting stronger retention. Replacing a participant who drops out of a clinical trial is expensive and time-consuming. I am proud of the role that we have in helping life sciences companies to maximize their most precious asset in research—the patient.
What is your current work ethos/style?
I bring a blend of strategic vision and focused, collaborative execution to my work. Strategic vision and directional imperative are important in all companies, and they’re especially critical for growth companies.
At the same time, however, a vision is only an idea until it’s executed. When it comes to executing in growth companies, creativity and collaboration are critical, and my focus is on developing strong teams that are both empowered and equipped to deliver results.
I’m also practical and pragmatic. In the world of marketing, it’s easy to lose focus by chasing the latest trend or buzz. I work to stay focused on the ideas, programs and initiatives that support business priorities and will have the greatest impact on improving the patient experience.
Could you share some advice for young women starting to develop an interest in science or wanting to pursue a career like yours?
As I mentioned before, be curious and stay curious. This means being willing to learn about all aspects of the life sciences and/or technology market that you’re interested in joining. As you continue to grow in your career, venture beyond your own functional area and seek to continually broaden your understanding of the market, its dynamics, key customer pain points, service delivery, and emerging technologies.
Building strong relationships that span diverse perspectives is also key. In the technology market, for example, this might include seeking out colleagues who have different educational and cultural backgrounds or might be younger or older than you. These diverse networks can provide valuable insight into unique experiences that can shape emerging technology and its application.
