I help healthcare organizations close the gap between access and use.
I’m Karren Hodge, a healthcare marketing and strategy leader based in Dallas. For more than 10 years I’ve worked across health plans, diagnostics, digital health and virtual care on go-to-market strategy, positioning, sales enablement and commercial growth.
I started out in journalism, and I still work like a reporter. I look for the real story and then make complex products and clinical science clear to the health plan executives, providers, employers and patients who have to act on them.
I started The Healthcare Growth Playbook because I kept seeing the same pattern. Organizations invest heavily in access, then stop. The benefit exists, the network is in place, the product is cleared, and people still don’t use it. What comes after access is what I care about.
From the newsroom to national health plans
Every role taught me something about one stage of the framework, and together they add up to the whole picture.
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2021 – Present
Quest Diagnostics Health Plans Marketing Manager Lead go-to-market strategy and integrated campaigns for national health plan accounts. Built the QForce (Seismic) sales enablement platform from scratch for 200+ commercial users. Directed the award-winning network access campaign that restored access for 2.8M members and generated $4M+ in revenue.
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2021
Doctor On Demand Marketing Operations Manager, Patient Marketing Led patient marketing for Medicare Part B and Military segments, with multi-channel campaigns that drove enrollment and virtual care adoption.
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2019 – 2021
Perspectum Diagnostics Clinical Marketing Manager Took an FDA-cleared, MRI-based diagnostic to market by translating complex biomarker science into provider messaging and clinical education, driving 50% growth in physician adoption.
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2018 – 2019
Ieso Digital Health Sales and Marketing Manager Led go-to-market and product marketing for a digital behavioral health platform entering the U.S. market, for both consumer and employer buyers.
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2015 – 2017
Teladoc Customer Marketing Manager Built member activation campaigns and a partner enablement toolkit for 6,000+ benefits managers, driving 40% utilization growth in six months.
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Foundation
University of North Texas BA, Journalism – Public Relations Where I learned to find the story and tell it clearly. I still use those skills every day.
Education, leadership & community
- Board Member · 2026–Present Abide Women’s Health Services Governance, strategic planning and health equity initiatives
- Board of Trustees · 2022–2025 Texans Can Academies Governance and strategic planning for a Dallas-area charter school network
- Fellowship in progress CAHME Fellowship Competitively selected; contributing to healthcare management education accreditation (Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education)
- Participant McKinsey Black Leadership Academy
- Resident Dana Juett Residency Program Social Venture Partners Dallas
- Participant Korn Ferry Leadership U for Humanity
- Fellow Leadership ISD Civic Voices Fellowship
- Graduate Engage Dallas, Class 11
- Mentor National Association of Health Services Executives (NAHSE)
- Mentee American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
- Scholar TWU Thought Leadership Mentor Program Texas Woman’s University
- Pro Bono Consultant Mike A. Myers Stroke Center at TWU
- Healthcare Contributor Southern Dallas Business and Living Magazine Published community health articles on healthcare access, population health and preventive care