Healthcare Comms Firm Jarrard Hires for New MR Unit

In Brentwood, TN, USA, healthcare communications consulting firm Jarrard is launching a new Market Research and Insights unit, and has hired former Edelman exec Jed Lam to lead it.

Founded in 2006, Jarrard is itself a division of healthcare advisory firm Chartis, and provides strategic guidance in issues and advocacy, change management and strategic positioning to a wide range of healthcare clients. This has included the conduct of surveys and focus groups, but the new 'MRI' unit will tap ongoing national surveys of consumers, physicians and nurses to expand the offering with services based around insights and storytelling.

Lam (pictured) worked most recently at Edelman Data and Intelligence (DXI) where he was EVP and head of the US Central region. He left Edelman after six years in December as a result of a workforce restructuring that eliminated 330 positions. Before joining Edelman he worked for almost two decades at Chicago-based MR and consulting firm Aeffect, as a Research Director, VP and SVP.

In his new role, he reports to Jarrard partner Isaac Squyres.

Web site: www.jarrardinc.com .