My Career

I’m Laura Hegwer (formerly Laura Ramos), and I’ve been writing about health care for more than 30 years. After graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 1993, I became editor of a magazine for the pharmaceutical industry. A few years later, I joined the marketing and communications staff at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, where I developed print and online content for physicians, nurses, and patients.

In 1998, I started Vital Communications. Since then, I have developed targeted, easy-to-read content for academic medical centers, healthcare IT companies, associations, think tanks, market research firms, and pharma and device companies. Most of my clients have been with me from the very beginning.

My Mission

I’m passionate about helping healthcare organizations engage their audiences with relevant, thought-provoking content. I particularly enjoy interviewing sources, whether it’s Malcolm Gladwell, an internationally recognized orthopedic surgeon, a healthcare finance executive, or a cancer survivor.

When needed, I can coordinate other experts, such as graphic designers or web developers. But most of the time, I work on my own, one-on-one with clients.

My Story

A native of Cleveland, I was born into a medical family (my mother was a nurse, and my father was a general surgeon). For the past 30 years, I’ve lived in the Chicago area. My current office and home is in Lake Bluff, IL, about 35 miles north of Chicago, where I live with my husband (whom I met in 8th grade Ohio History) and a corgi.

Learn about the services and support I provide to clients