Clio Health Champions: Beth Preston, Senior Director - Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease

Beth Preston is the senior director for pipeline and portfolio communications at Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease. She has more than 20 years of experience developing and executing strategic programs for biopharmaceutical companies larger and small.

How do you bring creativity and innovation to your work?

Creativity and innovation come from seeking new perspectives and challenging conventional approaches. Helping people find their voices and amplifying their perspectives and lived experiences is a powerful and often very emotional experience. The stories and experiences of people impacted by rare diseases are often lost or even dismissed due to a lack of awareness and understanding. Creativity and innovation also play an important role in identifying opportunities for story amplification, especially as the social and digital spaces continue to evolve.

Tell us about a recent project you’re proud of.

Our work on “Rare Connections,” a series of short films for Alexion over the past two years. The first film focuses on neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, a rare neurological disease affecting the central nervous system. The next will focus on generalized myasthenia gravis, premiering later this year. There is a real need to raise awareness of rare diseases and the unique challenges faced by these communities. We try to help elevate patients’ voices to encourage discussion and action. Our goal is to help reduce the time to diagnosis and ultimately improve outcomes.   

What are you most excited about right now in the health space?

It’s an amazing time to work in the healthcare ecosystem and seeing science and technology advancing at what seems to be warp speed. I’m excited to see how these advances evolve. I’m hopeful for a future where highly-targeted therapies are a reality, offering new hope to millions of people living with rare diseases.

What does it mean to you to be selected as a Clio Health Champion?

The true champions are the rare disease patients and caregivers who trusted us to share their stories and bring to life their unique journeys. Being a Clio Health Champion motivates me to continue pushing boundaries, exploring new ways to connect with audiences and advocating for those whose voices deserve to be heard. 

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