HDMA names new VP communications

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Healthcare Distribution Management Association on Monday named John Parker VP communications, where he will serve as the association’s lead communications strategist.

Prior to his new role at HDMA, Parker most recently served as the senior director for external affairs at UnitedHealth Group, where he led the company’s communications efforts during the healthcare-reform debate. Prior to UHG, Parker oversaw external communications for the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. While at the Association of American Medical Colleges, Parker served as the primary spokesman with the media on key issues in academic medicine, and managed the association's external publications.

Parker’s initial exposure to health care was as an editor and reporter for FDC Reports (now Elsevier Business Intelligence). He holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.