DAVID DEAN MENZIES

In late 2024 Cencora's UX/UI design team needed help with user guide instructions for a new online portal. They were working on developing Cencora Connect as a one stop shop for customers to find all of their Cencora solutions in one place, rather than having to bookmark multiple independent websites requiring individual logins, etc.  Over a three-month period I collaborated with multiple UX/UI stakeholders individually as well as in ongoing weekly group meetings, translating technical jargon into easy-to-understand language to engage the user in a conversation. We used Figma to work our way through hundreds of pop-up instructions and individual pages, sharing thoughtful back-and-forth conversations and feedback until we reached consensus.  During this project I was working on a parallel track to develop strategic messaging about Cencora Connect, revolving around what it is, what it does, and what benefits it provides users. I worked closely with designers on our Brand and Cre...

In the fall of 2023, Cencora's U.S. Pharmaceuticals & Animal Health (USPAH) division launched a campaign to promote its medication tray solution (MedTray) with health system pharmacies. The solution is comprised of medicine with Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, a hand-held scanner, and dedicated mobile application accessed via a smartphone, iPad, or computer. It's geared toward helping busy health system pharmacies better mange inventory and track products in trays of medicine as they are distributed throughout the hospital. Pharmacy staffers are able to receive alerts about soon-to-expire medications, and once a medication is distributed it is flagged within an automatic inventory system to keep supplies fresh. The entire solution saves time and money and helps to cut down on errors. I was tasked with building a case study on the successful implementation of MedTray by CHRISTUS Health, a large Texas-based health system. After performing research and interviews w...

Cencora's 2026 Pharmacy Outlook highlights benchmarking data on specialty, 340B, infusion, and more from 100+ health system pharmacy leaders. At over 60 pages, this flagship thought leadership asset -- distributed in print and electronic form -- is key to how the company positions itself as a strategic health systems partner. The project behind this publication began with an extraordinarily short four-month timeline that involved creating a multi-question survey emailed to leaders at regional health systems, community hospitals, integrated delivery networks, ambulatory centers, and critical access hospitals across the U.S. with an average pharmacy spend of $144.8M.  In addition to helping craft and proof survey questions, my role involved developing an outline of the entire report; coordinating review of survey results with six different teams representing areas reflected in the results; interviewing dozens of team members about what the results represent; and then writing and edit...

The 2022 Annual Impact Report is a comprehensive, 21-page document that answers who CastleBranch is, why the company does what it does, and what makes it special.  The publication shines a spotlight on the work CastleBranch is doing to help millions of individuals transition from education to and through professional life -- with a special focus on improving the pathways from healthcare education to healthcare employment, to reduce the nationwide nursing shortage, and to improve the healthcare experience for all. The Report was a multi-month project requiring work from initial concept to final publication, utilizing skills such as research, interviewing, writing, editing and proofing. Click here to view a copy on the CastleBranch website, or click here for a version hosted on Google Docs .

Press Release: Duke to Give Apple iPods to First-Year Students for Educational Use (Click for original Duke University press release by David Menzies)    — Duke University will distribute Apple iPods to its incoming freshmen, as part of an initiative to encourage creative uses of technology in education and campus life. The pocket-sized digital devices, which can download and make use of both audio and text material, will be preloaded with Duke-related content, such as information for freshman orientation and the academic calendar. ( Click for resulting Inside Higher Ed coverage )

Heather Bell Adams, Nina de Gramont, J.G. Hetherton, Donna Everhart, Leah Weiss Complete Lineup at Sold-Out Event HAMPSTEAD, N.C. – Local Author David Dean joined five fellow southern writers Saturday, March 11 at the 2023 Feast of Authors Luncheon sponsored by Quarter Moon Bookstore of Topsail Beach. The sold-out event held at Nineteen Restaurant featured presentations, Q&A, and book signings by Dean and Leah Weiss, Donna Everhart, J.G. Hetherton, Heather Bell Adams, and Nina de Gramont. "The camaraderie and networking with such a great group of authors was amazing, as were the many conversations with the wonderful readers who we got the opportunity to visit with," Dean said. During his presentation, Dean discussed the genesis behind writing OBX, his action-packed murder/mystery novel set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and the inspiration behind the strong female lead character Michael Francis. The State Bureau of Investigation agent and mother of three navigates ...