Cary, N.C., June 22, 2010 - Connie Mester, a healthcare and behavioral marketing specialist, has returned to the fold, rejoining MicroMass Communications, Inc., a leader in behavioral marketing in the healthcare industry, after a hiaitus of four years. She will serve as vice president, director of business development and will report to Jeff Burkel, chief operating officer.

A life sciences industry veteran with a background in behavioral change and social marketing, her career has focused on establishing relationships with healthcare professionals and improving health outcomes for patients. "We're delighted to welcome Connie back," said Burkel. "Her firsthand knowledge of behavioral change and improving patient outcomes, combined with her years of experience will be major assets to our clients' marketing challenges."

Mester rejoins MicroMass from CIGNA Corp. (NYSE:CI), a global health service company with 46 million customers nationwide, where she held the position of national marketing communications director, based in Bloomfield, Conn. During her four-year tenure she created models to build  partnerships with physicians, hospitals and healthcare professionals. Following a major acquisition, she also led the integration of marketing and communications for the professional segment.

She first joined MicroMass in 2005 as vice president, healthcare solutions, where she expanded the agency's healthcare business. While she was there, she worked with both pharmaceutical and managed care clients, creating consumer-focused marketing programs built on the agency's behavioral and social marketing strategies.

From 2003-2005, she worked at Aetna (NYSE:AET), one of the nation's leading diversified health care benefits companies, most recently as communication, promotion and education (CPE), national account executive. Working in the company's Middletown, Conn. offices, she directed the northeast region's CPE department, monitored and evaluated healthcare trends and competitive intelligence and developed strategic campaigns to support both Aetna and its business partners.

Previously, Mester worked as the director of education and communication for VHA Georgia, a nationwide network of community-owned health care systems and their physicians and for Phoenix Healthcare Management Services, a hospital and health services consulting company in Atlanta, Ga. She also worked as a research fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Ga.

Mester held hospital and teaching positions at universities that include the University of South Florida, University of North Carolina Medical Center, University of Florida Shands Teaching Hospital and University of Florida College of Education.

With an interest in gardening, she's also an avid runner and occasional triathlon participant. She recently took part in the "Girls on the Run" triathlon, a fund raiser aimed at keeping young girls healthy and active.

She holds a Master of Public Health in health education and social marketing from the University of South Florida, College of Public Health in Tampa, Fla., and a Bachelor of Science in health education from the University of Florida, College of Health and Human Performance in Gainesville, Fla. A certified health education specialist, she lives in Raleigh, N.C.            

About MicroMass Communications, Inc.

Founded in 1994, MicroMass offers unrivalled capabilities in the application of behavioral science to marketing challenges. The company's approach is founded on the belief that understanding the critical factors that influence individual behavior is the best way of creating a dialogue and building enduring relationships between customers and brands. 

Unlike traditional agencies that are "siloed" or structured by discipline, MicroMass brings together under one roof the expertise and services for building sophisticated, multi-channel programs that span the full marketing continuum.

Headquartered in Cary, N.C., with a second office in Morristown, N.J., MicroMass is one of the fastest growing agencies in its field. With experience in more than 30 therapeutic categories, the company has a roster of clients that includes some of the most respected names in the life sciences industry. For more information, visit http://www.micromass.com/.