Alexandra DraneFounder, Chief Visionary Officer and Chair of the Board at Eliza Corporation

Alexandra Drane has devoted her career to inspiring people to lead healthier, happier and more productive lives through the use of innovative technology, and her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for technology and design have led to the launch of several successful healthcare ventures over the past 20 years.  As a founder of  Eliza, the pioneer and recognized leader in Health Engagement Management, Alexandra has proven herself as a visionary, whose ideas on using technology to engage people in their health – and her belief in adding a touch of joy to the often staid world of healthcare communications – have been adopted by the nation’s top healthcare organizations, with resulting outcomes such as:

• Increasing the rate of childhood immunizations in underserved areas by 30 percent over a three-year period (This project was acknowledged at the Center for Disease Control’s 41st National Immunization Conference in March, 2007 for the Most Improved Award for Urban Areas)
• Saving health plan members $11 million over the course of 18 months through proactive outreach that notified members of less expensive prescription drug alternatives
• Increasing the number of hypertensive members “in control” of their blood pressure by 56 percent
• Increasing antidepressant medication adherence by 16 percent over a 90-day period
• Increasing colon cancer screening rates by 66 percent in a commercial population and by 137 percent in a Medicare population
• Increasing participation in on-line smoking cessation programs four-fold, and more than doubling  participation in on-line weight management and stress management programs

Alexandra also has channeled her passion for engaging people in potentially difficult health-related conversations into another cause she feels strongly about—communicating end-of-life wishes with loved ones. In October 2008, Alexandra co-founded Engage with Grace, a not-for-profit movement that has proven to be a safe place for individuals looking for information, support, and guidance about end-of-life discussions.  Since its launch, through only viral grassroots promotions, it’s estimated that over a million people have accessed the five questions that are at the heart of the Engage With Grace movement. Engage with Grace has been added to the healthcare lexicon as a top-ten phrase and is credited with establishing the first-ever Blog Rally to increase awareness and build community.  In 2010, Alexandra co-founded a non-profit, web-based movement called SeduceHealth that aims to reframe how the healthcare industry communicates with the people it serves by adding greater passion, joy, and inspiration.   Alexandra holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Tufts University, where she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.  She has been named to the Boston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” list and also appears on the Healthspottr Future Health 100 list, which includes some of the most creative and influential people working in healthcare today.  Alexandra sits on the Board of Eliza, the Board of Advisors of TEDMED, the Harvard Executive Sleep Council, and is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (a Harvard Teaching Hospital) in Boston, MA.  She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) and co-chairs C-TAC’s Public Engagement Workgroup. Alexandra is a member of the Health Executive Leadership Network, Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation, and is a trustee of several charitable trusts.