Ascension Health hospitals marketing leader steps down
The longtime chief marketing and communications officer for Warren-based Ascension Michigan hospitals is leaving to begin a new chapter in her life effective July 1.
Janice Cosby accumulated many professional successes and personal achievements in support of the Catholic-based healthcare system and Michigan communities, hospital officials said in a news release.
In her role as chief marketing officer, Cosby provided leadership in marketing, branding, advertising, social media, public relations and community relations for all of Ascension Michigan and was a part of the executive leadership team for the statewide ministry, according to a news release.
“Thanks to Jan, I’ve been fortunate to learn and implement successful marketing strategies that benefit the patients we serve,” Lisbeth Murphy, senior director of Marketing and Communications for Ascension Michigan, said in a statement. “Jan has been an extraordinary mentor and friend and I’m thankful for her leadership.”
The Louisville, Ky. native is known for her “engaging style, focus on brand development as a business growth strategy, and thought leadership in direct-to-consumer marketing solutions,” hospital officials said in the release.
She was responsible for overseeing the renaming and rebranding of the Michigan-based Ascension hospitals to include the Ascension name and visual identity, helping build awareness and engagement with consumers.
Under her leadership, what was formerly Crittenton Hospital in Rochester, became the first hospital in the country to rename under the new Ascension brand.
In July 2019, Cosby took
She was responsible for overseeing the renaming and rebranding of the Michiganbased Ascension hospitals to include the Ascension name and visual identity, helping build awareness and engagement with consumers.
on a newly created national role within Ascension as Vice President, Foundation Marketing. In this post, she helped support the Foundations across Ascension in building internal and external marketing, identifying successful practices, and developing and implementing ways to share and spread those practices to best support each Foundation’s efforts.
She has been involved in community affairs and currently serves as a board member of Teen H.Y.P.E and Inforum.
Most recently, Cosby served as co-chair of the 2018 Classical Roots gala for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and was cochair of the Wright Gala for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. She was selected by the American Heart Association to serve in the high-profile role of chairperson of the Detroit Heart Ball in 2017. In the 30th year of the Detroit Heart Ball, she became the first woman to serve in this role.
Cosby, 63, has been active with the AHA Go Red for Women program in southeast Michigan, serving as chair of the Go Red
Campaign and Luncheon during multiple campaigns. She also recently served on the AHA Southeast Michigan board and the AHA Midwest Regional Board.
She has been featured in numerous magazine photo spreads and articles including HOUR Detroit, B.L.A.C., Essence, and MORE Magazine. She has received multiple recognitions for her work with young people and believes in mentoring youth and young women. She also has presented workshops on topics of personal branding and networking.
In 2018, Jan was keynote speaker at the Martin Luther King Jr. program in celebration of MLK Jr. Day at the Ascension Providence Southfield campus. She was also honored with the President’s Award from the Oakland County (Michigan) Chapter of the NAACP.
A graduate of Wayne State University with a degree in public relations and communications, Cosby has spent her entire career in the field of healthcare marketing. She has earned a portfolio of awards and recognitions for marketing campaigns she developed. She is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America.