As head of communications and public relations at Natera, a global leader in cell-free DNA testing, Kate Stabrawa (BA, communication, 2002) works to reshape media in the health care space. She also is in early stages of developing new software that would help organizations show the impact and value of their media coverage.
“I always wanted to raise my hand to try something new, and it allowed me to really grow in my career, take on new projects, new challenges and try hard things,” Stabrawa said.
At her previous role at DaVita Kidney Care, Stabrawa had the opportunity to communicate a presidential executive order about kidney disease, which put the company at the forefront of the media. She also managed messaging around the Affordable Care Act and changes to Medicare.
She began development of her Media Quality Index tool to improve the measurement of messaging.
“MQI has the ability to create objectivity with media coverage and creates a dataset that communications teams can use to compare or analyze against other data within their companies,” Stabrawa said.
Stabrawa is a member of the Ohio State Alumni Association Board and the School of Communication Advancement Board. She also mentors a current strategic communication student.
“The School of Communication gave me a really excellent degree,” she said. “This is my way of giving back.”
Stabrawa lives in Denver. In 2008, she was recognized by the Denver Business Journal as a 40 Under 40. She is not only a valued leader in her community, but at Natera as well. Stabrawa said building trust in an organization is crucial for success, and it helps her gain respect from her team.
“I try to create a space where my team cares for one another, is open and honest, feels like it's a safe place, feels like they are trusted and can do really good work,” Stabrawa said. “I always want to push the limits of what's possible in communications and for our team so that we are the trusted partners for what we do.”
Article by Student Gillian Friedman.
