strategic communications case study
making expertise visible
How a mission-led social strategy grew a targeted professional audience more than sixfold in two years
Denver Health is a leading academic safety-net health system that publishes approximately 500 papers annually. Yet much of its expertise remained visible primarily within academic journals and professional circles.
I built the communications infrastructure to change that. From 2024 through 2026, I served as the sole strategist, writer, visual producer and publisher for the Office of Research LinkedIn channel, growing its audience from approximately 400 to 2,460 followers without paid promotion.
The governing principle was clear: consistently demonstrate the value of Denver Health’s research and the idea at the heart of its mission, which is that everyone deserves access to cutting-edge science.
THE STRATEGY
I treated LinkedIn as both an external positioning channel and an internal discovery tool. Rather than fill the feed with institutional announcements, I built the editorial strategy around four questions:
• What did our researchers learn?
• Why did it matter to patients, clinicians or communities?
• What did the work reveal about Denver Health’s distinctive capabilities?
• How could the story be made clear enough to understand and share?
THE CHALLENGE
Denver Health’s Office of Research supports a large, distributed enterprise spanning clinical specialties, operational teams, federally qualified health centers, centers of excellence and scores of community, regional and national partnerships. Yet much of that work—and many of the people behind it—remained difficult for colleagues, partners and the public to see.
The communications challenge was not a lack of expertise. It was a lack of visibility.
THE APPROACH
I combined research translation, human storytelling and disciplined editorial systems to make Denver Health’s expertise visible, relevant and easy to share through:
Research translation • Expert visibility • Community-centered storytelling
THE SYSTEM and its principles BEHIND THE WORK
Translate complex research. I created a custom prioritization index aligned with Denver Health’s institutional priorities, reviewed technical publications and translated their findings into accurate, accessible stories focused on what the work meant for patients, clinicians and communities.
Make experts visible and human. I introduced a short-form video interview format and guided researchers and community partners through three essential questions: Who are you? What do you do or study? Why does it matter to our patients?
Build for consistency at scale. As the channel’s sole editorial owner, I established the strategy, content-selection process, publishing cadence, visual system and performance measures. I sustained three to four Office of Research posts per week while directing social strategy across four Denver Health business lines and advancing a much broader communications portfolio.
Extend the strongest stories. I amplified high-value research through Denver Health’s primary social channels, internal newsletters, websites, YouTube, executive communications and media outreach—helping the institution’s science travel farther.
THE RESULTS
6.15x audience growth. Grew the Office of Research LinkedIn audience from approximately 400 to 2,460 followers between 2024 and 2026.
Entirely organic growth. Achieved this expansion with $0 in paid promotion by consistently publishing substantive, audience-centered content.
A sustained body of original work. Produced hundreds of LinkedIn posts and scores of short-form videos while establishing a recognizable editorial voice for Denver Health research.
Institutional trust and participation. Earned the confidence of researchers, clinicians, outreach workers and community partners, who increasingly saw the channel as a credible place for their expertise and impact to be represented.
A repeatable communications capability. Built the editorial strategy, production system, visual language and short-form video format required to sustain the work beyond any single campaign.
Impact within a much broader remit. Delivered these results while directing social strategy across four Denver Health business lines and advancing communications across websites, newsletters, video, executive communications, media outreach and institutional campaigns.
WHAT THIS WORK DEMONSTRATES
Channel management alone is tactical. Its strategic value comes from the institutional communications capability behind it.
I held full ownership of the strategy and execution that drove Denver Health’s audience growth: audience strategy, editorial planning, research translation, subject-matter-expert preparation, copywriting, graphic design, video production and editing, publishing, governance, measurement and cross-channel amplification.
By making research understandable and researchers recognizable, I transformed a specialized social channel into an authoritative, welcoming voice for Denver Health’s research enterprise. The channel became sustained evidence of the institution’s expertise, value and mission.