Adventure.

Many, many years ago I was traveling with some friends through the interior of what was then Yugoslavia. Looking at the map, it seemed we had two ways to get to Dubrovnik on the coast: a four-lane Tito-age highway and a winding path through the mountains. My British pal said, "let's take the hillier road. It should be a spot of adventure." It turned out to be treacherous; in fact, and this is no lie, we enlisted a donkey to haul our car up one dreadful slope. But we got there and the scenery along the way was breathtaking.

What does this have to do with the here and now?

After 16 months as the itinerant public relations gun for hire, or pharma-hand, I am taking a full-time position as U.S. managing director of Resolute Communications, a UK-based medical education and public relations that is expanding its footprint on this side of the Atlantic. Another spot of adventure.

Is this a great time for health care public relations agencies? No and yes.

No, in the context of clients now guarding every dime, demanding ironclad accountability while at the same time looking over their shoulders, wondering if their jobs are on the Grim Reaper’s to-do list. Many legacy agencies, the sort of organizations I’ve worked for most of my career, seem to be struggling to either redefine themselves, (sometimes with disastrous results), or to prove that their bag of tricks is still exactly what clients need. That bag is full of holes, as the challenges biopharm companies face are changing and the tried-and-true tactics are now tried and tired.

But it’s also a wonderful time for health care practices, IF they can demonstrate relevance, if they can show value for the bucks, Euros or yen invested and if they can convince clients that they can give them first-class thoughtful counsel at an affordable price.

Health reform—which President Obama et al. resuscitated like a contemporary Lazarus—will put a premium on disease awareness and health promotion activities; jobs exactly suited for public relations agencies.

The debate about what sort of agencies will flourish in the future—large companies with massive resources or small companies wedded to personalized attention is irrelevant. Big companies can thrive, as can small agencies; the key is their ability to continually adapt to the marketplace and convince clients that public relations strategies can influence consumer behavior in a way that will benefit their brands. Over the past year + I have had met many people who get this. Paul, Donna, Eve and Laura, to name a few (without really naming anyone). I have also met people who don’t get this.

I joined Resolute because I believe its founders understand the need for relevance in an environment where “show me” is essential. Resolute wants to make medical communications more than the sum of its parts and to me, that’s as it should be. This should be an exciting “spot of adventure” for me. Stay tuned.