From dental school, to health communication, to AlignedMD.
Before building AlignedMD, I trained and practiced as a dentist in Brazil. That experience shapes how I approach marketing for physicians. It taught me what the patient relationship actually feels like from the inside. What it costs to ask someone to trust you with their health. Why most marketing directed at healthcare audiences misses by a mile.
I left clinical practice to pursue an MSc in Health Communication at Boston University, followed by postgraduate training in neuromarketing. The goal was to understand not just how to communicate about health, but why people make the decisions they do when they choose a physician, trust a practice, and reach out for care.
That combination is what AlignedMD is built on. Clinical background, communication training, and the science of decision-making.
A model built on trust needs marketing built on the same.
Direct Primary Care is a model built on trust. Patients pay a monthly membership for direct access to a physician who actually knows them. That relationship is the product, and marketing for it requires a fundamentally different approach than anything built for volume-based medicine.
Most marketing advice available to DPC physicians was built for the wrong model. It optimizes for reach, frequency, and conversion rates that make sense when you need thousands of patients. DPC needs 300 to 600. The strategy has to match the model.
I started working in the DPC space through My DPC Story, the leading podcast in the Direct Primary Care community hosted by Dr. Maryal Concepcion. Being embedded in that community gave me a close view of where physicians actually get stuck. Not just marketing in general, but DPC marketing specifically. The identity tension between physician and marketer. The time constraints of running an independent practice. The particular way DPC patients make decisions.
"Her deep understanding of the U.S. healthcare system, both from a clinician's and a patient's perspective, sets her apart in this space."
Dr. Maryal Concepcion · Host, My DPC Story Podcast
Three ways to work together, one clear approach.
AlignedMD helps DPC physicians market their practice without feeling icky. Not a full-service agency. Not a done-for-you solution. A course, templates, and one-on-one sessions built around the trust-based model DPC is known for, at whatever pace fits your practice.
Marketing Without the Ick
The complete DPC marketing course. Seven modules covering positioning, content, platforms, conversion, and a 90-day implementation roadmap.
DPC Content Starter Pack
Done-for-you templates, caption frameworks, and a content calendar built specifically for DPC practices.
Strategy Sessions
90-minute sessions to build a positioning statement, platform plan, and 90-day roadmap tailored to your practice.
Not sure where you stand? Take the free quiz.
A ten-question self-assessment that tells you whether your current marketing is Ick-Free, Getting There, or in the Ick Zone. Takes three minutes. No email required to see your score.