New KNBeing spotlight: meet Josh Birch, Media Relations Manager

New KNBeing spotlight: meet Josh Birch, Media Relations Manager

We’re so excited to welcome Josh Birch to KNB Communications as our newest Media Relations Manager. With a background in broadcast journalism and a deep passion for healthcare storytelling, Josh brings a unique perspective to the KNB team. We caught up with Josh to talk about his journey from the newsroom to media relations, his perspective on healthcare communications, and what he’s most excited to work on next—keep reading to get to know him.

What’s one personal experience that shaped how you view healthcare today?

This is a loaded question! I think my view of healthcare started to shift on December 26, 2012, the day I was told I might have skin cancer at the age of 22, and hasn’t really stopped since. It really taught me how fast things could change and how fragile health can be, even for a young person. It was also my first glimpse into how far cancer treatments have come, and how outcomes and experiences can vary widely based on access to research, innovation, and high quality treatment. 

I was lucky enough to be referred to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, where I was treated by a surgeon in the specialized field of oculoplastic surgery reconstruction. Since the diagnosis, I’ve undergone four surgeries to remove the cancer on my eyelid and rebuild a new bottom eyelid that could function as the original one had before the cancer. Unless I point it out, people typically don’t notice anything odd about my eye - which I know isn’t the case for everyone. 

At the time of my diagnosis and treatment, I was halfway through graduate school for journalism. Understandably, my cancer journey impacted my career as a television journalist. I was naturally drawn to health-related stories, particularly those that dealt with cancer and research. Since leaving television in 2021, my media relations work has also focused on the healthcare industry. My personal experience not only impacted my desire to work in and around healthcare but, more importantly, taught me to approach patients with a different level of empathy and appreciate the skilled men and women who are actively pushing our healthcare system to new heights every day.

If you aren’t passionate about what you’re doing, it likely will show in the results.

Which of KNB’s values (openness, passion, teamwork, innovation) resonates most with you—and why?

I think they all resonate, of course, but if I had to pick one, I would say passion resonates with me the most. It is how I live my life and what drives me every day. If you aren’t passionate about what you’re doing, it likely will show in the results. I am always striving to go above and beyond expectations. In my current role at KNB, this means looking for new and innovative ways to generate media coverage for our amazing clients who all strive to improve our healthcare system.

What are you most excited about as a KNBeing?

I’m most excited about working in a truly collaborative team environment to help our clients make a positive difference in our healthcare system. Knowing you have a team you can depend on is so important in this line of work. I’m also excited about meeting new people and new clients who are doing work in healthcare that I may not have even heard of before. Innovation at its finest!  

I believe that hearing someone learned something important through my work is the greatest compliment I could be given.

What does “making an impact” mean to you in your work?

I’ve always found the biggest impact you can make while working in and with the media is sharing knowledge and raising awareness about important topics. I believe that hearing someone learned something important through my work is the greatest compliment I could be given.

In 2018, I won the best television health story in the Carolinas for perhaps the most personal story I ever did on television. It covered the rise of skin cancer among young people – a topic I know quite well after my 2012 diagnosis and treatment. The story showed my own routine dermatological checkup, which found precancerous cells on my face, all the way through to the in-office removal procedure. I also spoke to other young skin cancer survivors about their experiences.

A few weeks after the story aired, someone came up to me in a restaurant and asked if I was the one who did the skin cancer story. When I said yes, they shared that their family member had watched the story and decided to get a spot on her face checked that she had been putting off. That spot ended up being melanoma. To this day, that interaction was one of the most profound in my career.

What’s your go-to coffee (or tea) order and why?

Easy – black cold brew with no ice. I’m not big on adding milk or sugar to my coffee, or having it watered down. Black, strong cold brew does the trick every time.

What’s a fun or unexpected fact about you that most people don’t know?

Most people who know me now don’t know that I’m a singer. I was in an a cappella group in college that competed nationally and was ranked in the top 25 groups in the country. I also won the American Idol Experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Finish this sentence: “The future of health and life sciences marketing is __________.”

The future of health and life sciences marketing is limitless. What is the next technological breakthrough that will impact how society operates? How will AI influence how the industry shares stories? In a world of constant changes, no one truly knows what may come next. What I do know is that there aren’t limitations on what the future of health and life sciences marketing looks like. While on some level it can be intimidating to think about, I am also excited about what’s to come.

We're glad you're here, Josh

Josh’s commitment to telling stories that matter, finding solutions in a complex healthcare landscape, and building strong relationships with journalists is exactly what KNB is all about. We’re excited to have him on the team and even more excited for the impact he’ll help our clients make. Welcome to KNB, Josh—we’re so glad you’re here.