sophie beauvais

My background in health care and corporate communications spans from landing a first position ten years ago in a leading European Cancer Institute to developing the first French Web site dedicated to the health care media: Santepress, and managing Public Relations accounts at a Paris-based PR firm. I currently serve as Web Content Manager for the Global Health Delivery Project at Harvard Medical School.

Born and raised in France, I graduated from La Sorbonne Nouvelle University with a Master in Communications in 1999. I passed my thesis, The Representation of Women in Politics in French Daily Newspapers, cum laude under the direction of distinguished author Professor Michael Palmer.

As part of the thesis, I met with Ms. Anne Lauvergeon, former aide to late French President Francois Mitterrand, for an exclusive interview. She shared her experiences as a woman in politics and Senior Executive Vice President of Alcatel Telecom (now Alcatel-Lucent). In 2006, Ms. Lauvergeon ranked #8 in Forbes "100 Most Powerful Women" List as Chief Executive Officer of AREVA.

Soon after graduating, I joined the Communications Department of one of the leading European Cancer Institute, the Institut Gustave Roussy. There, I collaborated on the development of the new corporate Web site by auditing sites of competing cancer institutes and carrying out employee opinion polls. I also wrote pieces for the newsletter and marketing brochures.

In June 2000 I became Project Manager at Capital Image, a Paris-based health care and corporate PR agency, in charge of developing the first French medical news Web site dedicated to the media, Santepress.com.

Working in close collaboration with Stephanie Chevrel, Associate Director and co-Founder of Capital Image, and trade organizations, SantePress.com was successfully released in 2002. Prior to that, previews were organized and full access was granted to several members of the French media generating buzz in the industry and a strong buy-in as soon as the site was unveiled. The Web site improved the relationship between PR agencies and the media and gave a leading edge to Capital Image among healthcare agencies.

During my tenure at Capital Image, I also worked on a wide range of accounts. I handled media relations for companies such as Biogen Idec, Sanofi-Aventis, Medisite, Sea-Band Ltd and Omega Pharma. I successfully organized medical symposiums with more than 1,500 attendees (2001 ‘Tour de France de la Vaccination’ for Sanofi Pasteur MSD) and corporate events such as the advance-screening of Bandits at the Grand Rex Theater in Paris for 800+ guests. I also worked with the Colorado Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization, a leading international peer networking organization for Presidents and CEOs, and acted as liaison for a Chandler Chicco workshop in Paris.

After several fruitful years at Capital Image, I decided to put a global emphasis on my career with an international experience. Over the years I was fortunate to go abroad many times. My first transatlantic flight took me to San Francisco but it’s Boston that seduced me in the end. Several visits to friends and family in the area and a French-American husband easily convinced me to move to Boston in April 2004.

I was also determined to expand the scope of my career by joining a nonprofit organization which is why I volunteered for the New England American Red Cross as soon as I arrived. I also freelanced for Swapbooks.com providing PR counsel to the co-Founders.

In November 2004, I joined Vinfen, a private nonprofit human services organization and the leading mental health provider in Massachusetts. As Senior Communications Specialist, I managed the organization's Web site, media relations (Comfort food for the Soul, Boston Sunday Globe), and marketing and employee communications with the Director of Communications and Public Affairs. In addition, I served as the editor for the external publication The Vinfen Voice, and spearheaded its revamping in fall 2007.