Kristina Schiller-Chaki

Kristina Schiller-Chaki is one of 13 SHSMD Rising Star Awardees. The SHSMD Rising Star recognizes health care strategy professionals under the age of 40 who have demonstrated outstanding promise in their respective fields. This recognition shines a spotlight on SHSMD members who have made or are on their way to making significant contributions to their profession and the SHSMD membership.

Featured Speaker:

Kristina Schiller Chaki, is the Director of Digital Marketing and Engagement at Sheppard Pratt, the nation’s largest private, nonprofit provider of behavioral health services. In her role, she is responsible for the organization’s digital engagement tools, consumer and clinician content, and sponsorships. In her 8+ years at Sheppard Pratt, Kristina has led the build and implementations of a new consumer website, CRM and ORM platforms, consumer and clinician publications, and comprehensive service line campaigns. With over a decade of experience in healthcare and nonprofit marketing, Kristina excels in digital and social media, content marketing, and marketing strategy. Prior to her role at Sheppard Pratt, Kristina held roles in account management at global advertising firms Havas and Weber Shandwick.

Here’s what Kristina’s nominators had to say:

“A valued and respected leader within her organization and community, she leverages her connections to understand the changing programmatic needs of each department as she translates those needs into projects that satisfy their goals and objectives.”

“Kristina ensures the continuation of her can-do philosophy through her efforts to recruit, mentor, and motivate her team of likeminded, passionate staff.”

Transcription:
Kristina Schiller-Chaki | SHSMD Rising Star Awardee

Bill Klaproth (Host): This is a special podcast produced onsite at SHSMD Connections 2023 Annual Conference in Chicago as we talk with keynote speakers and session leaders direct from the show floor. I'm your host, Bill Klaproth. And with me is Kristina Schiller-Chaki. We're going to talk to her about being a SHSMD Rising Star Awardee. Kristina, welcome.

Kristina Schiller-Chaki: Thank you so much for having me today. I appreciate it.

Host: Yeah. And congratulations.

Kristina Schiller-Chaki: Thank you very much.

Host: What a great honor. So, what does it mean to you to be a Rising Star Awardee?

Kristina Schiller-Chaki: Yeah. I mean, it's incredibly humbling. It is such an honor to be named one of the 2023 class of Rising Stars. So, you know, to me, it really means that I've had just a really incredible opportunity to help my organization, Sheppard Pratt, really make strides within digital marketing especially, which is the area that I focus on. It really means I have leadership who's empowered and entrusted me to do that work. They really enabled me to grow my team in a way that's really allowed us to do that work as well. And I've just been so lucky and blessed to be a part of SHSMD itself, and I'm able to continuously learn and grow and apply new skills. You don't get that opportunity very often. So, I'm just very lucky.

Host: Yeah. I'm glad you brought that up. So, SHSMD really can be instrumental in helping you grow your career. Is that right?

Kristina Schiller-Chaki: Absolutely. Yeah. And I so value being a part of SHSMD. And I love coming to the conference every year. I think this is my third or my fourth year coming. You know, I take part in every continuing education opportunity that they offer. Probably my favorite part is the SHSMD Community Board, which might sound a little bit goofy. But it's a great place to give advice, get advice, share resources. It's just a really great way to connect with other members of the community. I mean, we're all in this weird healthcare marketing world together. We got to work together.

Host: That is so true. Absolutely. Well, SHSMD Week, the theme is shaping the future and SHSMD week is coming up November 12th through the 18th, 2023. So, our theme is shaping the future. So, let me ask you this. How are you shaping the future within your career?

Kristina Schiller-Chaki: Definitely. Like I said, I work in behavioral health care, which is a very unique facet of healthcare. So, what I'm really focused on is continuously growing and shifting what marketing looks and feels like. For behavioral health care, you know, it's historically been a very, very underfunded field. It's still incredibly stigmatized even within the context of general health care. And what I'm focused on is really trying to set that standard for what effective, groundbreaking and compassionate marketing looks like. Marketing needs to feel human and real and creative. And in behavioral healthcare, we really want people to see how life-changing it can be to get help. So, my hope for my career at the end of the day is that I'm helping to make getting care more accessible, easier for people, acceptable. So, at the end of the day, the goal is to save lives.

Host: I love that. That is a great answer to how you are shaping the future within your career. That's a great, great answer. And I think that's very admirable, especially in the behavioral health space. So, let's talk about your organization. How are you helping shape your organization?

Kristina Schiller-Chaki: Yeah, definitely. So, I've been at Sheppard Pratt, which is the nation's largest private nonprofit provider of behavioral health care services. I just had my eighth year anniversary. And since I've joined the organization eight years ago, I have been so lucky to be able to really shape what digital marketing looks like for Sheppard Pratt. So, been able to spearhead a new website launch. We implemented our very first CRM, which was super exciting. I have developed email and social media marketing programs, content marketing programs across both consumer and physician audiences. So, I'd like to think that I've helped catapult our marketing efforts into the 21st Century. But I've just been really very, very lucky to have an energetic and a forward thinking leadership team who has supported this vision along the way.

Host: Absolutely. You've been busy.

Kristina Schiller-Chaki: A little bit, a little bit.

Host: That's why you're a Rising Star Awardee. All this great stuff you're doing for sure. We love it. Okay. So, we mentioned SHSMD a little bit. How do you think you are helping to shape SHSMD? And how do you help to shape it in the years to come?

Kristina Schiller-Chaki: Yeah. So, I'm looking forward to getting even more involved in SHSMD in the years to come, you know, hopefully joining some committees. I've got some really great footsteps to follow. My aunt is actually a past president at SHSMD. And my boss is also a past president of SHSMD. So, really fantastic mentors in this space. But you know, I think continuing that focus on digital marketing as our generations are continuously more and more and more online. I think that that's really critical for SHSMD to be on the cutting edge of that front.

Host: That is so cool. So then what is your advice for up and coming rising stars?

Kristina Schiller-Chaki: One of my biggest pieces of advice would be that relationships are so, so, so important. Form those relationships outside of your department. You know, leave your desk, go talk to other folks and be a proactive and positive partner to other people. You're not going to get a ton accomplished if you're just staying in your own silo. And I've heard it said before that you attract more flies with honey than vinegar. And that it's such, such a true statement. And finally, I would just say, you know, treat everything as a learning opportunity. There's something to glean from every single situation you're in, whether it's good or bad. You just need to look for those insights.

Host: Absolutely. Well, that is great advice. And I love how you said relationships are so, so, so three so's important. So, really pay attention to those relationships. And obviously, you do that and you live by that, and that's why you are a Rising Star Awardee. So Kristina, thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

Kristina Schiller-Chaki: Thank you, Bill. Now once again, that's Kristina Schiller-Chaki. And sign up for the SHSMD Connections Virtual Conference, October 20th, 2023 plus on demand through the end of the year. The virtual conference will feature access to 50 plus sessions recorded from the September in-person conference where we're recording this right now, plus all new live sessions. Just go to shsmd.org/annual to learn more and to get registered. And join us for next year's SHSMD Connections 2024. I'm going to let you in on it right now. It's next October in Denver. And if you've found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels. And to access our full podcast library of over 100 podcasts of great topics, please visit shsmd.org/podcasts. And thank you for listening.