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The Medical Advertising Hall of Fame's three new members have each made lasting contributions. Kevin McCaffrey and Larry Dobrow take a look at their achievements and find that, years later, digital media, healthcare advertising and promotional analysis still bear their imprint
Peter Frishauf
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
1960s While a student at NYU, switched major to journalism, becoming editor of Washington Square Journal
1970s Started F&F Publications, bought Hospital Physician from Medical Economics and launched Physician Assistant. F&F was sold in 1977 and Frishauf served as editorial director for new owners, PW Communications
1980s Raised venture capital through Alan Patricof Associates to start SCP Communications, a paper-free electronic community
1990s LeftSCP and formed Medscape, amidst growing popularity of the internet
1998-1999 Stepped down as CEO to assume role of chairman of the executive committee; Medscape completed its IPO and reached 600,000 registrants
2002 Medscape was sold to WebMD, ending Frishauf's formal relationship with the company
Today the physician's media mix teems with health and medical information sites, social networks and other resources. Not so the World Wide Web of the mid-1990s. Medscape set the industry standard with some of the first medical, peer-reviewed and CME content. It featured targeted advertising before most pharma companies even had websites. And nearly two decades after its launch, Medscape continues to be a major online clinical destination. Much of the credit goes to co-founder Peter Frishauf.
When were the seeds for these achievements planted? A turning point was Frishauf's decision to switch his major to journalism while at NYU, during a time when the Vietnam War was top of mind for the country, and especially its students. Frishauf, much like his peers, wanted his voice to be heard and sought a larger audience.
"I started out as pre-med," he says, "but I was bored with basic science studies during this era of great social upheaval. I was much more interested in addressing broader issues."
In 1968, Frishauf started out as a copy boy ("before there were copygirls," he quips) at the New York Daily News. "I was the low person on the staff, but you got to see every piece of the operation. They were using very slow technology, but still worked quickly with an efficient and engineered workflow. I...