Cynthia Floyd Manley
Heather L. Hall
Tremendous growth in the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center has led to key changes in the team that communicates its work to patients, public, news media, potential donors and the community at large.
Cynthia Floyd Manley, senior public affairs officer for cancer-related activities since 1999, has been promoted to the newly created position of associate director for public affairs and marketing for Vanderbilt-Ingram.
In that role, she is responsible for building and overseeing a comprehensive communications program for Vanderbilt-Ingram and Vanderbilt's cancer clinical enterprise that brings together publications, marketing and advertising, media relations, public relations, development communications and related areas.
Heather L. Hall, information officer for the School of Nursing since 2002, succeeds Manley as information officer for Vanderbilt-Ingram and the cancer clinical enterprise. She will be responsible for cancer-related media relations and coverage for the VUMC Reporter and other publications.
“A major strength of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center has been our success in bringing together multi-disciplinary teams to work in collaboration,” said Raymond DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., director of Vanderbilt-Ingram.
“That collaboration is no less important in our communications initiatives than in our science or clinical care. A clear, consistent and coordinated message will be critical to our success in helping patients and families, securing philanthropy and recruiting the most talented faculty and staff. ”
These appointments reflect Vanderbilt-Ingram's rapid growth as well as the importance of the cancer enterprise to patients in the region, said Joel Lee, associate vice chancellor for Medical Center Communications.
“In the clinical arena, cancer is a strong area of expertise for Vanderbilt,” Lee said. “Our consumer research demonstrates that oncology is a specialty that can give 'lift' to the entire Medical Center. And given our level of expertise, it is a specialty that should be one of our strongest drawing cards for patients, families and referring physicians.
Manley, a former reporter and editor with The Tennessean, has been a member of VUMC's Office of News and Public Affairs since 1993 and also spent a year doing media relations for Saint Thomas Hospital. Currently, she serves as chair of the American Association of Cancer Institutes' public relations committee, and vice chair of the National Cancer Institute Public Affairs & Marketing Network.
Hall's background is in broadcast news, where she spent several years as producer and reporter for news outlets around the country including NBC affiliates in Fort Wayne, Ind., and Lancaster, Pa., an independent TV station in Allentown, Pa., and the FOX affiliate in Philadelphia.
Before coming to Vanderbilt she worked for Medstar Television Inc., where she produced weekly, syndicated medical reports for news stations around the country and TV shows focused on the work of hospitals and health-related agencies.