NEW YORK: Paul Oestreicher has joined Hill & Knowlton as the new director of the US health and pharmaceutical practice.
Oestricher, who stepped into the position last Tuesday, most recently led the healthcare practice at DeVries, a position he assumed in July.
He was previously VP of communications for North America at drug company Sanofi-Synthelabo, and has also served as GM of Edelman's Chicago healthcare group.
In a statement, H&K described him as "one of the early architects of direct-to-patient communications."
Oestreicher said he was attracted to H&K because the agency offers "holistic solutions to their clients."
"There is a lot of sector and industry expertise as well as geographic reach," he said, citing collaboration between global offices and practices. "I think I can define healthcare very broadly here."
Oestreicher picks up some of the responsibilities of Paul McDade, who left the agency earlier this year.
