CSG Health Group is a healthcare communications group started by Luigi Cardone, Alissa Sklaver, and Ruben Gutierrez with over 70 years of combined experience. We are committed to bringing our customers precise strategy with unique and innovative solutions. We do things differently and engage HCPs globally with communications that are fresh, smart and impactful. We bring value to our clients through our passion for excellence, high-level customer service and in-depth knowledge.
We bring our extensive knowledge of the industry to help create successful market differentiation and impact through:
Strategic Planning
Launch Readiness
Scientific Narrative
KOL Engagements & Mapping
Global Marketing Insights
Content Development
Digital Deployment
Diversity and Multicultural Education
Life-Cycle Management and Execution of Innovative Tactics
Cost-Effective Marketing Material Production
Alissa has extensive medical communications experience, having been an executive and strategic leader at IntraMed Educational group for nearly 20 years. While at IntraMed she launched an incremental business unit called Command Central that was one of the largest providers of speaker bureau services. In addition, she has extensive product launch experience and has delivered strategic and comprehensive medical education plans spanning prelaunch to postlaunch. She has worked across therapeutic areas with both US and global brand teams and agency partners creating direct-to-physician content and strategies including KOL engagement, speaker training, advisory board meetings, and scientific messaging platforms. Alissa has her MBA from University of Miami, and is also a certified public accountant. She earned her bachelor of science degree at Tulane University.
Ruben has been in the field of medical communications for the past 28 years, as a leader of a large agency he was responsible for partnering with a team of strategic, scientific, and education experts, who, together, were the visionaries for the evolution and overall strategic direction, design, and development of medical education programs. These programs span a wide range of educational media, including live and virtual programs. His extensive experience encompasses the management and development of numerous medical education initiatives, designed to strategically maximize opinion-leader support, and market development, both nationally and internationally.
Ruben has been responsible for the development and coordination of all types of educational initiatives, throughout all phases of a product’s life cycle. These initiatives have included advocacy development and market expansion programs for new products as well as mature brands, whether in the form of advisory board meetings, speakers bureau training, publications, or symposia. Ruben has established partnerships with the thought leader community in the area of CNS, especially epilepsy, psychiatry, diabetes, infectious diseases, antivirals, cardiovascular disease, women’s health and vaccines. In addition, on behalf of his clients, he has partnered closely with many associations, including the American Epilepsy Society, the Epilepsy Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Academy of Neurology, the Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives, and the Latino Commission on AIDS. He is also responsible for the placement of teams to monitor changes in the industry, especially regulatory guidance.
A native of Mexico with more than a decade of marketing experience, Luigi has extensive experience in leading and coordinating global opportunities in Latin America and ensuring appropriate resources are secured to develop and execute assigned initiatives in each market. Luigi has 20+ years of regional marketing experience, and 10 years in healthcare communications. Luigi’s prior experience includes responsibility for coordinating and supervising commercial marketing strategies throughout Latin America for worldwide corporations. His responsibilities included branding, marketing strategies, campaigns, and expansion plans. For the last 15 years Luigi has worked extensively in the areas of diabetes, cardiology, CNS, and vaccines, by developing product launch strategies, medical education initiatives, regional and global initiatives, patient education, guidelines planning, etc. As such, Luigi has long term relationships with in several regions as well as relationship with most of the endocrinology and cardiology KOLs around the world.
His current experience includes Strategy Development, Professional Communication, Patient Communication, Medical Education, Life Cycle Management, Compliance Programs, Digital Communications, etc. He has been a pioneer in developing novel educational tactics that involve CME global standards; partnerships with leading US universities, medical societies, and health organizations.
Alissa has extensive medical communications experience, having been an executive and strategic leader at IntraMed Educational group for nearly 20 years. While at IntraMed she launched an incremental business unit called Command Central that was one of the largest providers of speaker bureau services. In addition, she has extensive product launch experience and has delivered strategic and comprehensive medical education plans spanning prelaunch to postlaunch. She has worked across therapeutic areas with both US and global brand teams and agency partners creating direct-to-physician content and strategies including KOL engagement, speaker training, advisory board meetings, and scientific messaging platforms. Alissa has her MBA from University of Miami, and is also a certified public accountant. She earned her bachelor of science degree at Tulane University.
Ruben has been in the field of medical communications for the past 28 years, as a leader of a large agency he was responsible for partnering with a team of strategic, scientific, and education experts, who, together, were the visionaries for the evolution and overall strategic direction, design, and development of medical education programs. These programs span a wide range of educational media, including live and virtual programs. His extensive experience encompasses the management and development of numerous medical education initiatives, designed to strategically maximize opinion-leader support, and market development, both nationally and internationally.
Ruben has been responsible for the development and coordination of all types of educational initiatives, throughout all phases of a product’s life cycle. These initiatives have included advocacy development and market expansion programs for new products as well as mature brands, whether in the form of advisory board meetings, speakers bureau training, publications, or symposia. Ruben has established partnerships with the thought leader community in the area of CNS, especially epilepsy, psychiatry, diabetes, infectious diseases, antivirals, cardiovascular disease, women’s health and vaccines. In addition, on behalf of his clients, he has partnered closely with many associations, including the American Epilepsy Society, the Epilepsy Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Academy of Neurology, the Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives, and the Latino Commission on AIDS. He is also responsible for the placement of teams to monitor changes in the industry, especially regulatory guidance.
A native of Mexico with more than a decade of marketing experience, Luigi has extensive experience in leading and coordinating global opportunities in Latin America and ensuring appropriate resources are secured to develop and execute assigned initiatives in each market. Luigi has 20+ years of regional marketing experience, and 10 years in healthcare communications. Luigi’s prior experience includes responsibility for coordinating and supervising commercial marketing strategies throughout Latin America for worldwide corporations. His responsibilities included branding, marketing strategies, campaigns, and expansion plans. For the last 15 years Luigi has worked extensively in the areas of diabetes, cardiology, CNS, and vaccines, by developing product launch strategies, medical education initiatives, regional and global initiatives, patient education, guidelines planning, etc. As such, Luigi has long term relationships with in several regions as well as relationship with most of the endocrinology and cardiology KOLs around the world.
His current experience includes Strategy Development, Professional Communication, Patient Communication, Medical Education, Life Cycle Management, Compliance Programs, Digital Communications, etc. He has been a pioneer in developing novel educational tactics that involve CME global standards; partnerships with leading US universities, medical societies, and health organizations.
Todd McNiff started a solo primary care practice 10 years ago that has grown to include a family practice physician, a gynecologist, and two physician assistants. He is affiliated with NYU Medical Center and has an academic appointment to the medical school. He has worked as a hospitalist at NYU Langone Hospital and done locums work at hospitals in New York and Florida.
Prior to starting his medical practice, he was a regional medical director for Pfizer working in HIV and HCV therapeutics and rheumatology. He came to Pfizer from the medical communications group Sudler and Hennesey/IntraMed where he worked with clients like AstraZenca, Forest Labs, Pfizer, Cubist, and Boehringer Ingelheim.
He started his career in medicine working with one of the largest HIV medicine practices in the US in Miami Beach where he was also an investigator on several clinical trials.
He completed his residency in internal medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach and is currently board-certified and licensed to practice in New York, Florida, and California. He holds an MD from Ross University, MSPH from Tulane University, and a BA in molecular biology and biochemistry from Wesleyan University.
With over a decade of medical education experience, Sara has demonstrated her ability to serve as a trusted partner to clients’ medical education teams, both as a resource and as a content collaborator. She has worked closely with clients and key opinion leaders to develop and disseminate evidence-based messages in a variety of platforms, both live and virtual. She has been involved in content development and provided strategic insight for a variety of peer to peer promotional programs and digital media, including product theaters, advisory board meetings, webcasts, speaker programs and training meetings, branded and unbranded websites, mechanism of action videos, and training materials. Sara has been the medical director for accounts specializing in vaccines, neurology and neurorehabilitation, HIV, urology, Hepatitis C, facial aesthetics, pain management, diagnostic testing, epilepsy, and diabetes in both the US and global markets.
Prior to entering the medical education field, Sara received her MS and PhD from the Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with a focus in virology, cellular and molecular biology. She then worked as a research scientist in the biotechnology industry, overseeing and performing safety testing and lot release studies for vaccines and other therapies, aiding in assay development, and contributing to the foundation of the “Virology Experts” division of the company.
Lene Godat has dedicated her career to improving the health of patients through her work in the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare communication services. She brings in-depth knowledge of strategic planning, commercialization, life cycle management, thought leader development, advocacy, sales management, and medical education. While working at Pfizer/Parke-Davis, Lene progressed from sales representative to Regional Vice-president in 10 years, launching blockbuster brands such as Lipitor, Neurontin, and Celexa. She managed the epilepsy portfolio of brands and launched the first drug to treat Alzheimer’s Disease. While at Young and Rubicam, Lene created the strategic services department for the medical education division. She led the medical writing team, provided strategic direction on 20+ accounts and played a pivotal role in new business development. Key clients included Allergan, Eisai, GSK, Galderma, and Pfizer. In her most recent position at Cardinal Health, Lene served as VP, Multi-function Operations for a healthcare analytics and marketing communication business unit focused on oncology. In this role, she oversaw project execution for over 50+ pharmaceutical clients including large scale oncology summits, market research, and HEOR initiatives. Lene obtained her Masters of Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and her B.S. degree in Biology from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Todd McNiff started a solo primary care practice 10 years ago that has grown to include a family practice physician, a gynecologist, and two physician assistants. He is affiliated with NYU Medical Center and has an academic appointment to the medical school. He has worked as a hospitalist at NYU Langone Hospital and done locums work at hospitals in New York and Florida.
Prior to starting his medical practice, he was a regional medical director for Pfizer working in HIV and HCV therapeutics and rheumatology. He came to Pfizer from the medical communications group Sudler and Hennesey/IntraMed where he worked with clients like AstraZenca, Forest Labs, Pfizer, Cubist, and Boehringer Ingelheim.
He started his career in medicine working with one of the largest HIV medicine practices in the US in Miami Beach where he was also an investigator on several clinical trials.
He completed his residency in internal medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach and is currently board-certified and licensed to practice in New York, Florida, and California. He holds an MD from Ross University, MSPH from Tulane University, and a BA in molecular biology and biochemistry from Wesleyan University.
With over a decade of medical education experience, Sara has demonstrated her ability to serve as a trusted partner to clients’ medical education teams, both as a resource and as a content collaborator. She has worked closely with clients and key opinion leaders to develop and disseminate evidence-based messages in a variety of platforms, both live and virtual. She has been involved in content development and provided strategic insight for a variety of peer to peer promotional programs and digital media, including product theaters, advisory board meetings, webcasts, speaker programs and training meetings, branded and unbranded websites, mechanism of action videos, and training materials. Sara has been the medical director for accounts specializing in vaccines, neurology and neurorehabilitation, HIV, urology, Hepatitis C, facial aesthetics, pain management, diagnostic testing, epilepsy, and diabetes in both the US and global markets.
Prior to entering the medical education field, Sara received her MS and PhD from the Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with a focus in virology, cellular and molecular biology. She then worked as a research scientist in the biotechnology industry, overseeing and performing safety testing and lot release studies for vaccines and other therapies, aiding in assay development, and contributing to the foundation of the “Virology Experts” division of the company.
Lene Godat has dedicated her career to improving the health of patients through her work in the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare communication services. She brings in-depth knowledge of strategic planning, commercialization, life cycle management, thought leader development, advocacy, sales management, and medical education. While working at Pfizer/Parke-Davis, Lene progressed from sales representative to Regional Vice-president in 10 years, launching blockbuster brands such as Lipitor, Neurontin, and Celexa. She managed the epilepsy portfolio of brands and launched the first drug to treat Alzheimer’s Disease. While at Young and Rubicam, Lene created the strategic services department for the medical education division. She led the medical writing team, provided strategic direction on 20+ accounts and played a pivotal role in new business development. Key clients included Allergan, Eisai, GSK, Galderma, and Pfizer. In her most recent position at Cardinal Health, Lene served as VP, Multi-function Operations for a healthcare analytics and marketing communication business unit focused on oncology. In this role, she oversaw project execution for over 50+ pharmaceutical clients including large scale oncology summits, market research, and HEOR initiatives. Lene obtained her Masters of Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and her B.S. degree in Biology from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Our principals have extensive experience in medical communications. Managing and leading the growth of a well-established global medical communications agency, developing innovative program ideas, providing global market insights, building enduring client and KOL partnerships, and growing strong talent.
Our lead medical director is a practicing physician, who has held important positions in the medical education and the pharmaceutical industry. He possesses strong medical and scientific acumen, exceptional strategic skills and inside knowledge of the industry.
Our lead strategist has a diverse background in the pharmaceutical industry with strategic and leadership roles held at both biopharma and healthcare communications companies. With significant product launch experience and roles in marketing, sales leadership, operations and strategic planning, she brings a deep understanding of what is required to achieve commercial success for a product and the broader portfolio.
Our lead advisors are each experts in their field of care. We have a dedicated group of specialty physicians, who advise and support our program development.
We look forward to partnering with you.