WASHINGTON — The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) announced that Katie Payne has been appointed Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications. In her role, Ms. Payne will be responsible for leading PCMA’s communications function and will oversee the development of the association’s communications and public affairs strategy aimed at increasing understanding of the ways pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) work to improve health outcomes for millions of Americans.

“I am delighted to welcome Katie to PCMA’s management team as our new head of communications,” said PCMA President and CEO JC Scott. “Katie is a proven communications leader who comes to us with an extensive portfolio of success across the healthcare spectrum in the areas of corporate communications, brand and reputation building, and public affairs. She has the skill and acumen we need to evolve our communications efforts as we continue our unrelenting commitment to providing prescription drug access and affordability to millions of patients nationwide.”

Ms. Payne has more than two decades of experience in corporate and brand communications, investor relations, issues and crisis management, media relations, and executive positioning. She has a deep understanding of the pharmaceutical and healthcare markets and has led communications and public affairs activities for a number of global life sciences and healthcare companies.

“I am excited to be joining a team and industry that is so deeply committed to ensuring millions of Americans have access to life-saving medicines,” said Ms. Payne. “The opportunity to advance understanding of the value of pharmacy benefit managers and their role in advocating on behalf of patients and payers to reduce prescription drug costs, expand access, and improve patient outcomes compelled me to join PCMA’s dedicated employees in this important mission.”

Most recently, Ms. Payne was a vice president at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, where she led the company’s internal and external communications, digital presence, corporate brand, and reputation-related issues management.
In addition to her in-house corporate affairs leadership roles, Katie also spent a decade at a D.C.-based global communications and public affairs firm where she developed and implemented U.S. and global communications programs for a wide variety of healthcare companies and organizations. Earlier in her career, she served as a communications associate at The World Bank and as a healthcare research associate for Forrester Research. She started her work in communications as a newspaper reporter in Massachusetts.