Dana Deighton
Director, Communications and Engagement
Dana Deighton is MRA’s Director of Communications and Engagement. In her role, Dana oversees all aspects of MRA’s integrated communications and engagement strategies and programming. She leads communication strategies across multiple channels, donor audiences, the scientific and patient community, and corporate partners to elevate and enhance MRA’s public profile.
Dana is an accomplished communications leader with over 25 years of experience in corporate marketing and communications, publishing, partner/project/program management, and patient advocacy. She began her distinguished career at National Geographic, where she led complex strategic initiatives, brand marketing campaigns, and global partnerships.
Dana made a significant pivot into the health space following her own medical journey. Her commitment to healthcare innovation is evident in her most recent role as Associate Director of Outreach & Strategic Partnerships at Scripps Research Institute, where she led recruitment and engagement activities for the National Institute of Health’s All of Us campaign which aims to accelerate research and improve health through precision medicine by gathering data from one million or more people in the United States. Dana's leadership and strategic vision were instrumental in driving participation and ensuring the inclusion of diverse populations in biomedical research.
Before her tenure at Scripps, Dana spent three years at Inspire, a leading social network for health, where she managed strategic enterprise initiatives and cultivated partnerships with clients, advocacy groups, investors, and vendors.
Dana is also deeply involved in the cancer advocacy space, mentoring other patients and serving as an Executive Board Member of the Esophageal Cancer Action Network (ECAN.org). She co-chairs the Patient and Family Advisory Council for the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center and participates in steering committees, task forces, and guidelines review panels for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
She holds a BA in political science from Loyola University Maryland and resides in Alexandria, VA with her family.
