Health Economics Research Institute

Linn Weiss

Linn Weiss is a communications and public policy professional with global business experience assisting top executives in the corporate and association sectors - most recently at the American Medical Association where he was senior vice president of communications and core identity.

A native of Missouri with bachelor's and master's journalism degrees from the University of Missouri, and with brief newspaper experience, Linn worked for General Electric for 10 years as a copywriter, publicist, speechwriter, editor and managing editor of GE's corporate employee and shareowner publications, including the GE annual report. Joining Schering-Plough where he worked 16 years, Linn eventually was promoted to staff vice president of corporate communications and then staff vice president of corporate public policy, where he worked with top management on key industry topics, legislative/business communications and public affairs programs.

At the AMA for six years where he directed a 45-member department in all phases of association public relations and corporate identity work, Linn coordinated closely with top management, the Board of Trustees and House of Delegates. He created National House Call, the AMA's main advocacy outreach program - to focus public attention on the nation's medical liability crisis and campaign nationwide with AMA leaders and local physicians, leveraging contacts with media and other opinion leaders to achieve federal/state legislative action.

Linn's varied professional experience over three decades also includes directing the PR rollouts of innovator drugs, including a biopharmaceutical that gained No. 1 market share as a $1 billion-plus product; protecting a $100 million asthma product against trial-lawyer scare tactics directed at the parents of asthmatics; and forming a 23-company coalition and raising $4 million to champion pharmaceuticals' value during the 1990s health plan debate.

Among Linn's recognitions are two PRSA Silver Anvil awards shared with associates, for market-launch and editorial programs, and a 1st place national CIPRA Award for crisis management.

His board member positions have included Preference Solutions, an AMA-Acxiom e-commerce joint venture to help physicians manage their office e-mail; Helen Keller International's ChildSight® advisory board; and at Fairleigh Dickinson University the Corporate Communications Institute board of corporate advisors (Graduate School - Communications).