Allison Hoffman

Previous Experience 

• Wheel, Head of Communications
• Nurx, Head of Brand & Communications
• Meta, Consumer & Product Communications
• Glassdoor, Consumer & Product Communications
• UC Santa Barbara, BA Political Science 

What does defining healthcare mean to you?

In many ways, working in healthcare was an inevitable path for me because of my family history. My grandmother decided to become a nurse after having four children. This was such an unusual decision at the time that she made the front page of the local paper after graduating from nursing school. This experience later inspired my mom to study public health, and after receiving her MPH, she kickstarted her career in behavioral health programs focused on smoking cessation and obesity/weight management. 

Building my own career in Silicon Valley, I was drawn to digital health because of the opportunity to drive meaningful change and impact. I believe it's unparalleled compared to any other industry. Now I have conversations with my mom about digital health companies that are scaling what she achieved in a small classroom to thousands of people across the country. And how virtual care is transforming the clinician career path — in particular, creating more flexibility for those who are also parents and caregivers, just like my grandmother. While it’s easy to complain about how broken and slow-moving our healthcare system can be, I’m incredibly motivated by how far we’ve come, even in the last few years, and where our industry is headed.

What does defining partnership mean to you?

When I joined an early-stage digital health startup as one of the first marketing hires, I was brimming with ideas. But those ideas would have only gone so far without the tremendous support and collaboration from our investors and their platform teams. They provided me with the guidance and gut checks I needed along the way to help bring our company’s vision to life. At Define, I welcome the opportunity to pay it forward with the next generations of digital health innovators. 

What does defining leadership mean to you?

The best leaders I’ve worked with are able to break down their vision and empower their team to move as quickly and efficiently towards that vision. That often requires being honest and even vulnerable about what they don’t know or where they need help. This is an especially important attribute when building in our complex healthcare system, as well as in today’s climate. Great leaders often stand out from the crowd — they're surrounded by a productive and engaged workforce, uphold clear and transparent communication, and embrace decision-making rooted in authenticity, integrity, and empathy. Our team is motivated to work with like-minded founders that not only have a compelling vision but also have the leadership qualities necessary to march towards their vision.