Instructor Q&A: Mary Nash
Medical Device Marketing Instructor
Spring 2020
Mary has over 20 years of medical device marketing leadership, product
management, and product launch experience. She has worked for large
global companies such as Medtronic and Covidien. She was most recently
Sr. Vice President, Marketing for DenMat Holdings, a dental products
manufacturer. Mary recently launched her own marketing consulting
business to assist medical device businesses in reaching their goals.
Her employment and engagement in the industry enables her to provide
guidance, advice, and resources to those interested in learning more
about medical device marketing.
“I encourage and
facilitate dialogue
between students
because that is where
some of the best
learning takes place.”
Q. Why did you decide to become
an instructor?
A. I had a wonderful experience
obtaining both my B.A. in Psychology
and my MBA from UCI. I have always
had an interest in sharing the knowledge
that I've gained through my years of
experience in the business world and
have greatly enjoyed the mentoring and
development opportunities I've had as a
manager. The opportunity to teach what
I've learned to interested students at
UCI is the perfect opportunity to bring
together all of these things.
Q. What's unique about your
teaching style?
A. In continuing education, students
have a variety of differing objectives. I try
to understand these up front and teach
with the perspective in mind of what
each student is trying to achieve in his
or her career. I speak to the class as a
whole, but also customize discussion
responses to the individual student. We
typically have such a varied group and
everyone brings different strengths to
the course. I encourage and facilitate
dialogue between students because that
is where some of the best learning takes
place.
Q. What's your favorite lesson to
teach and why?
A. I really enjoy teaching the core of
marketing, which is positioning and
messaging. It is much more difficult than
most people think to develop a strong,
unique position in the customer's mind.
If you get this right, every other strategy
and tactic falls into place.
Q. What do you find most
rewarding about being an
instructor?
A. It's very rewarding when I'm able
to help a student to understand a
new concept and I see their growth
throughout the course.