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, as well as Rising Star Awardees right from the show floor. I'm your host, Bill Klaproth. And with me is Nick Hanson, Communications Strategist, Media and Public Affairs at Gillette Children's in St. Paul, Minnesota. And we're going to talk to Nick about being a SHSMD Rising Star awardee. Nick, welcome.

Nick Hanson: Hey, it's great to be here, Bill. I really appreciate it.

Host: Yeah. Thanks for stopping by and congrats on being named a Rising Star Awardee.

Nick Hanson: Well, there's a lot of people who could probably be rising stars. I feel lucky to be selected as one. There was quite a nice ceremony yesterday.

Host: Yeah, I love that. Well, congratulations. So, what does it mean to you to be a Rising Star Awardee?

Nick Hanson: It's quite an honor. And, you know, I've had an interesting career. I started out as a journalist and then, I ended up going into public relations in healthcare. And I thought it would be something, "Ah, I'm not sure if I like this or I can do this, you know, as a reporter." But I just found that as I started working for hospital and hospital systems, like working with patients and doctors and getting the norm and the stories and the research, and just like helping patients achieve things, working and telling those stories, you're just really helping people by letting them know about it and the care that we provide and the research that we do. So, it's been a great journey and it's a real honor. I mean, I've been at three main institutions. I've been at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Mayo Clinic and Gillette Children's now in St. Paul's. So, I have grown over my career. And yeah, to be named a rising star is just a real honor. And I hope to inspire maybe some other people.

Host: Absolutely. Did your journalism background help you with this, in telling those stories?

Nick Hanson: Yeah, a hundred percent. I mean, going into the hospital, it's like making relationships with doctors. It's like making relationships with sources and getting to know the families and doing interviews and being able to take notes really quickly. Just being able to adapt to work quickly under deadline and whether it was just writing stories for internal communications or doing media relations. I started at the advent of social media, so I had the original Facebook and Twitter accounts and all that stuff. So, it really helped that reporters kind of have that hunger and they want to tell the story and they want to get those relationships and go above and beyond. And I think it totally helped me in my healthcare comms career.

Host: Absolutely. I love that. So, the theme for SHSMD Week coming up in November is Shaping The Future. So, let me ask you a few shaping the future questions. How are you shaping the future within your own career?

Nick Hanson: Well, I am trying to be innovative and do stay up-to-date with the different things that are going on. I think the biggest thing is just being nimble and being able to work on your feet and try different approaches in different things and be it things like SHSMD, right? I was just at a session on thought leadership. And there were some great ideas there. And I think I've just always been really open to new ideas and new ways of thinking. I mean, I just mentioned, like I created the original University of Minnesota Twitter and Facebook accounts. Now as social media has progressed, we don't do quite as much Twitter anymore. And maybe that's the key in my career anyways that's helped me become successful, is "Maybe I should be trying this," or "I did this and it didn't work and that's okay." You learn from it and you move on to the next thing.

Host: Yeah. Absolutely. So, I love that you said you're being nimble, thinking on your feet, all those types of things are great. So then, how are you helping to shape your organization up there in St. Paul?

Nick Hanson: Well, what's really cool about Gillette Children's. We're small, but we're kind of the best of what we do. We attract from all different states. We attract internationally. We help kids who have conflicts, mental conditions and disabilities. So really, what we're trying to do now, one of the main conditions that we treat is cerebral palsy. We think at MD Anderson, you think of cancer. We want it to be when you think of cerebral palsy, you think of Gillette Children's. And wherever you are in the United States or even internationally, if you want to get help with cerebral palsy or a rare disease, this is where you're going to go.

You know, we talk about one of the other things is like rare diseases aren't rare at Gillette. Because people come and like there may only be a handful of cases, but they come to Gillette, they get to know each other. It's a community. So for me as a communicator and working in like marketing, it's how can I get that message across? What stories can I tell? Like what patient stories do I have? What service lines do we have? How can I promote our doctors? What can I do for thought leadership? Really trying to cement and work on that brand and get it out there and let people know who need to know about us. Their kids missing a milestone; if they think something might not be right or they need a serious procedure, we're there to help them. So, that's what we're trying to do as a team and individually.

Host: And you're helping to tell those stories, especially for potential cerebral palsy patients.

Nick Hanson: Yeah. Yeah. For anybody who has--

Host: Oh, rare diseases too, you were mentioning.

Nick Hanson: Rare diseases. It's bone, movement conditions and muscle disorders.

Host: Yeah. Great. So then, how are you helping to shape SHSMD?

Nick Hanson: Well, I'm the President of this SHSMD Affiliation Minnesota. It's called the Minnesota Health Care Strategy Communications Network. So, it's been fantastic working with them. I've been on the board for about four years. Like I said, I'm president this year. Done a ton of great events. And during the pandemic, we had to do a lot of stuff virtually. And then, when we started doing conferences in person, we had a hybrid option, so we streamed it live and you can do it that way. And then when you join the Minnesota network, you get access to all the SHSMD Materials and education and that kind of stuff. So, trying to let the people in Minnesota, we have a really robust healthcare system. I mean, Mayo Clinic and Fairview, Allina Health, HealthPartners, ton of great places. Letting them know, like join our organization to get access to SHSMD, and you can learn more about that. And personally, I'm want to to get more involved as I joined their connection. And it was really intentional to make it a SHSMD-affiliated organization. I want to become more involved in the national chapter.

Host: Okay. So, what has SHSMD meant to you in your career?

Nick Hanson: Well, it's been great just being here and connecting. I had no idea who was going to be here. And I've seen at least a dozen people I've met through the years. And I've also networked and met a ton of different people. I think it's kind of like swapping stories, right? Sometimes it's hard to explain to somebody what your job is. But when I'm here, I'm like with like-minded individuals. And we can talk, we can strategize, we can tell horror stories, we can learn from each other. I think it's really important to do that. And we were talking about before, you never want to stop learning. You never are going to be perfect. And it's a chance to really connect, learn, share your stories and help others. Yeah, it's a fantastic organization. I'm really enjoying it. This is my first time.

Host: Wow. Okay. Yeah, it's a great place to network and meet people where you will make friends and confidants that you can have throughout your whole career.

Nick Hanson: Because sometimes you go to these things, it's really stuffy and stiff. And everybody here is-- because they just want to connect and chat.

Host: Marketers are fun people.

Nick Hanson: We are. We are, yeah.

Host: Right. I love it. So, what is your advice then? I know you already gave us some cool things. Never stop learning, et cetera. What is your advice for up and coming rising stars then?

Nick Hanson: Be open to anything. So, you start your job and maybe you are a writer or you do media relations or you do social media. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try doing video or you shouldn't try interviewing doctors or you shouldn't try writing some stories or volunteering to do some graphics. I mean, don't limit yourself. Do as many things as you possibly can, so you don't pigeonhole yourself into one little area. And that'll give you a robust set of skills to really grow your career. Because of the thing that you get hired for a job you have now, it might switch a little bit down the line. And it'll also add a ton of value if you're on the team and you're a real team player, and you do all kinds of different things, your team members are going to value, you can earn the trust of the leadership and the trust of the doctors and the physicians, and whoever you work with. So, just be open to anything and be a real team player.

Host: It sounds like diversify. Then, you mentioned now be open to anything, video editing, interviewing, writing graphics. The more skills you can acquire, well, you'll be more value to the organization and you just might hit on something. You're like, "Well, I really liked this video editing." It could be a little creative area that you can Excel in as well, in addition to what you do now, or maybe move into that down the road.

Nick Hanson: I mean, if you get hired as an internal comms person, don't just be like, "Okay, all I do is write the internal newsletter." Be like, "What other things can I do? Can I help some social media? Or can I come up with a new idea, something that we've never done before?" And don't be afraid to come up with those new ideas and share them with your team.

Host: Yeah. Well, you sound like a self-starter, Nick. I like that. You're having initiative. You want to go out and try new things.

Nick Hanson: I don't know if I'd say that, but I try.

Host: I love it. That's so great. Nick, thank you so much for stopping by. We appreciate it.

Nick Hanson: I really appreciate it.

Host: Yeah, for sure. That is Nick Hanson 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 plus all new live sessions. Just go to shsmd.org/annual to learn more and to get registered. And please join us at SHSMD Connections 2024. Big announcement, it's next October in Denver. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels. And to access our full podcast library for other topics of interest to you, visit shsmd.org/podcast. And as always, thanks for listening.