Pharmacy Alumnus Honored with Healthcare Advertising Industry Award

Jay Carter, BSPharm’81, executive vice president and chief strategy officer of healthcare agency AbelsonTaylor, has been named Industry Person of the Year for 2022 by the editors of Med Ad News. He received the award on April 21 at the 33rd Annual Manny Awards in New York City.   

In April 2018, Mr. Carter received the Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award from the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. Established in 1976, this honor is given to alumni who have made significant lifetime contributions to their professions or society through practice, research, education, or public service. Mr. Carter is recognized for his professional achievements, expansion of career opportunities for pharmacists, and commitment to mentoring future leaders.

After graduating from the College of Pharmacy in 1981, Mr. Carter earned an MBA with honors from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza School of Business in 1983. He worked briefly as a pharmaceutical sales representative before beginning his career in medical advertising, first at William Douglas McAdams in New York, then at AbelsonTaylor in Chicago.

Mr. Carter joined AbelsonTaylor in 1988 as an account supervisor, quickly rising through the ranks and contributing significantly to the agency’s growth and reputation. He has worked on some of the most successful and iconic campaigns in medical advertising history, including the Hytrin “Balloon” campaign, Biaxin “Bix the Bulldog” campaign, and Prevacid “Tummy” launch. With a career spanning numerous advances in medicine and technology, Mr. Carter has provided senior counsel on a wide range of products, including several major biologics for cancer treatment. Building on his strong management skills, he progressively assumed lead responsibility for client services and strategy at AbelsonTaylor, becoming the agency’s director of business development in 2010.

Beyond his career achievements, Mr. Carter is a committed mentor to colleagues and students and a trusted adviser to members of organizations he supports. He is particularly invested in his work with the Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana-Michiana, whose board he joined in 2013. Additionally, Mr. Carter serves on the boards of the Medical Advertising Hall of Fame and the Coalition for Healthcare Communications.

When not traveling, Mr. Carter spends as much time as possible at his Michigan lake home with his wife, Rhonda, daughter, Billie, and the family dogs. He also adds to his extensive collection of wines, cheers for both the University of Michigan and Notre Dame, and maintains undying loyalty to the Detroit Tigers. Since 2014, he has served as a deacon at Lakeshore Christian Church in Stevensville, MI. Mr. Carter was born and raised in Berrien Springs, MI, which he still calls home.