Redesigning Healthcare from the Inside Out: Stephanie Trunzo on AI, Consumer Strategy & the Future of MERGE
I had the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie Trunzo, CEO of MERGE, a company at the forefront of digital transformation, bringing consumer-centric strategies to regulated industries like healthcare and financial services. With an extensive background in AI, digital strategy, and business transformation, Stephanie leads MERGE in bridging the gap between healthcare technology, patient experience, and brand engagement.
What is the opportunity in the healthcare space?
We know that healthcare technology has been fundamentally misaligned with patient and practitioner needs. EMR and EHR systems were built as transactional systems rather than health-focused, user-centric platforms. Many companies are attempting to close gaps in these outdated systems, but those bridge solutions will likely become obsolete in the next five years as the systems of record evolve to true extensible platforms. Instead of serializing after a complete tech overhaul, we saw an opportunity to apply consumer-driven strategies — ones that have transformed retail and lifestyle industries — to healthcare and make impact in parallel. Our goal is to make healthcare more intuitive, accessible, and empowering.
What excites you most about what you’re building?
The intersection of healthcare and consumerization is where real transformation happens. Healthcare marketing has sometimes been viewed as a touchy topic, yet the U.S. spends more on it than any other country. We see an opportunity to redefine this space around consumer empowerment — ensuring the right audiences receive personalized, actionable information at the moments they need it most. Good marketing isn’t telling people what to do or manipulating them into an action, it is helping people make more informed decisions; in health or in any industry where concepts can be complex or intimidating, creating accessible and consumable engagement is fundamental to shifting the landscape.
What do you see as a challenge in health marketing?
One of the biggest challenges is navigating AI’s role in healthcare marketing. AI has the power to scale human capabilities, reduce administrative burdens, and improve efficiency, but it also creates challenges. AI-driven platforms can disintermediate brands from their audiences, leading to discrepancies between approved content and what users actually see. That means we have to rethink omnichannel marketing — not as a set of fixed channels, but as a fluid, dynamic spectrum where AI plays an increasing role in content delivery and decision-making. Frankly, our clients shouldn’t need to understand AI anymore than they need to understand HTML, Java, or Swift — they need to understand the new value that can be created. Our job is to frame the technology as solutions to things like translating messages to personalized and consumable experiences efficiently at scale.
What are your future plans for MERGE?
We’re reimagining what an agency should be in the face of macroeconomic shifts, technological evolution, and industry transformation. The traditional agency model is changing; the future lies in specialized creativity, consultative partnerships, and leveraging human expertise where AI and technology are the accelerators. We think about this as storytelling through technology, a marriage of science and soul. We’ll continue to support brands across a spectrum of wellness and lifestyle themes, which also crosses both consumer and regulated industries, helping them integrate AI, data, and engagement strategies in ways that add value.
If you had to share “words of wisdom” with a Founder who’s about to start their own company, what would they be?
Don’t wait for the perfect market conditions or technology landscape — build for the future that’s coming, not the one that exists today. Surround yourself with people who bring different perspectives and challenge your thinking. Most importantly, frame your thinking so that your only competition is the problem you are solving, and don’t be overly distracted by other similar companies. You will ensure you are focused on creating real value — whether it’s for patients, consumers, or businesses. And, while the work will be hard, make the space to have fun and be kind.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
You can follow me on LinkedIn for insights on healthcare transformation, AI, and digital strategy.
