For Victoria Summers, ZS principal in New York, the path to driving meaningful change across healthcare is guided by her passion for strategic thinking, data-driven insight and patient empathy.
Victoria’s career began in healthcare and life sciences marketing, where she gained broad experience across marketing agencies, health plans and medical supply companies. These roles sharpened her skills in everything from product promotion to patient research, all centered on understanding the consumer experience within the healthcare system.
As she approached a career crossroads, Victoria sought new challenges. “I came to ZS because I wanted to work on complex and meaningful projects that truly matter in people’s lives,” Victoria says. “Here, I’ve found the opportunity to work alongside brilliant teammates who care as much as I do.”
Where passion changes lives
At ZS, Victoria immersed herself in the heart of patient-focused marketing, using data and insights to drive smarter, more impactful campaigns. She led efforts to measure the effectiveness of direct-to-consumer promotions, applying sophisticated analytics to understand what messaging truly resonates with patients. Her work on those patient marketing projects went beyond the numbers—leading her to conduct in-depth patient segmentation research and qualitative interviews to uncover the real human emotions and motivations behind healthcare decisions. From message testing to media strategy, every insight she gathered helped shape campaigns that performed better by reaching the right patients in more meaningful ways.
“That work was incredibly fulfilling because it allowed me to blend both sides of my brain—the analytical and the empathetic,” Victoria says. “I loved digging into the data and stories to understand what was working. For those passionate about blending analytical rigor with human-centered design, this kind of work offers the chance to influence how healthcare is communicated.”
As ZS sharpened its focus on health equity, Victoria broadened her interest in helping life sciences companies think more expansively about the patients they serve. Through her work in marketing and patient engagement, she saw firsthand how people were left behind by traditional approaches. More inclusive marketing campaigns offered a way to rethink business growth by expanding access and addressing systemic barriers.
“Health equity is the right thing to do,” Victoria says. “When you help more people access care earlier, you’re not only improving lives—you’re expanding care in ways that benefit everyone.”
From campaign impact to patient impact
One of Victoria’s most significant projects was leading a collaboration with a major pharmaceutical client to improve dermatological diagnosis for patients with varying skin tones. Conditions like melanoma, eczema and psoriasis present differently on darker skin, yet Black and brown skin tones are often underrepresented in photo examples within medical textbooks and training materials. This knowledge gap may have contributed to worse health outcomes, including lower survival rates for skin cancers among Black patients. From 2011-2015, the five-year survival rate for melanoma for Black patients in the U.S. was 66%, compared with 90% for non-Hispanic white patients. Without more inclusive training and data, existing systems not only perpetuate bias but also deepen health inequities, putting millions at greater risk of misdiagnosis and delayed treatment.
ZS’s client had developed a robust set of patient- and physician-facing materials to address this knowledge gap but needed help making the business case for sustained investment. Combining patient-first thinking with strategic acumen, Victoria led her team as they modeled the initiative’s potential impact.
“We used public health data, industry benchmarks and patient journey insights to build a forecast that showed how many more people could get accurately diagnosed,” Victoria explains. “What made it so meaningful to me was knowing that this wasn’t just a model on a slide—it represented real people getting the care they deserve and doctors becoming more equipped to help them.”
Join a team that cares
Victoria loves the work she does because it sits at the intersection of purpose, creativity and impact. For her, it’s not just about delivering strategies or building models—it’s about knowing that every insight, every message and every decision has the potential to change someone’s healthcare experience for the better. “Every day, I get to use my skills to improve patients’ lives,” she says.
If you’re passionate about solving complex problems and creating meaningful change, ZS is the place for you.
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