About the Designer

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Hi! I'm Dr. Elaine Barretto, CEO and Founder of Healthcare Craft.

- Multiple Passions &  Plot Twist

My first academic love was actually journalism. Craving more structure, I pivoted to engineering (hello, equations and spreadsheets!). But that love for communication never went away - it just evolved.

After years of connecting dots between biomedical engineering, psychology, and health communication, I didn't just find answers for my own health journey - I found my mission.
With a passion for precision and detail, I bring together seemingly opposite worlds:
  • Engineering PhD with a journalist's eye for story
  • Psychology training with technical problem-solving
  • Board certification in Lifestyle Medicine with creative design thinking
  • Health Communication certification with behavior change techniques

- The Breakthrough

Armed with engineering problem-solving skills and a lifetime supply of Post-it notes (perks of growing up with a dad who owned a stationery shop!), I help health professionals communicate their valuable work in ways that actually reach people (no medical jargon obstacle course required).
Because everyone deserves to understand their health without needing a medical dictionary and three cups of coffee.
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- Founding and Leading Health Initiatives

Beyond my design work, my journey as a health professional runs deep. In 2022, after becoming a board-certified health and wellness coach and a board-certified lifestyle medicine professional, I established my own health consulting practice. This decision followed years of intensive study, during which I earned numerous certifications in psychology, nutrition, and mind-body medicine.

Working directly with clients as a practitioner gave me firsthand insight into the healthcare landscape in Singapore, where I noticed a significant gap: the absence of a lifestyle medicine society. Recognizing this need, I took action, gathered like-minded professionals, and founded the Singaporean Society of Lifestyle Medicine—an organization I built from concept to reality and where I served as the first Executive Director.
In creating this non-profit from scratch, I:
  • Navigated all legal and administrative requirements to establish the organization
  • Developed the society's governance structure and operational framework
  • Created the complete brand identity and communication system
  • Built all digital platforms, including website, blog, and member resources
  • Designed all visual materials for education, advocacy, and community building
  • Implemented and managed all technical infrastructure and digital systems
  • Oversaw all communications, from social media to newsletters and educational content
This dual perspective—as both a health practitioner and a design professional—provides me with unique insights into the challenges health professionals face when communicating their expertise. My work with clients and the society represents my commitment to improving health communication not just for individual practitioners, but for the broader community.

The practical knowledge gained from creating sustainable systems with limited resources, combined with my experience as a practitioner myself, directly benefits my client work, informing my approach to building solutions that are both effective and aligned with real clinical needs.

Founding Healthcare Craft

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"When health expertise meets engineering, design, and real-world experience..."

As you read above, my journey began in seemingly different worlds—pursuing a career in Biomedical Engineering while harboring a lifelong fascination with human psychology, health, and communication. This path led me through diverse professional environments—from rigorous academic research to fast-paced industry innovation, structured government settings, and eventually, the dynamic world of entrepreneurship.

Each of these environments taught me different languages: the precision of academia, the efficiency of industry, the policy considerations of government, and the agility needed as an entrepreneur. What consistently surprised me was how the same health information could be interpreted so differently across these contexts.
As I later navigated my own invisible health conditions, I found myself applying this multi-faceted perspective—using engineering problem-solving skills alongside my understanding of wellness approaches. I discovered two critical gaps: First, the lack of clear, accessible information that bridged technical knowledge with human experience. Second—and perhaps more frustrating—the challenge of finding health professionals who practiced in the way I needed, whose approach aligned with my situation. I realized that many incredible health practitioners with unique, effective approaches were nearly invisible online. Their digital presence didn't reflect their expertise or help patients like me find them when we needed them most.

 This realization inspired me to not only build my own coaching practice, but also to start Healthcare Craft, where I help other amazing professionals and companies address the challenges they face when communicating their expertise. Our mission is to help you communicate your unique approach clearly and authentically, making it easier for the right people to find you, while bridging the gap between complex expertise and meaningful human connection.

Why this matters to you

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This unique journey gives us a perspective few can offer:

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We understand both sides of the healthcare connection
— as both health professionals and patients ourselves, we recognize what makes a meaningful connection between expertise and need. This dual perspective shapes everything we create.

 

We know how to make your unique approach visible
—having struggled to find the right health practitioners myself, I understand exactly what patients are looking for and how to help them find you when they need your specific expertise.

 

We bridge different worlds
—technical and human, scientific and creative, professional and personal. This allows us to translate your complex knowledge into clear, compelling communication that resonates with the people who need your specific approach.

 

We bring multiple professional perspectives
—having worked in academia, industry, government, and as entrepreneurs, we understand the unique needs, constraints, and opportunities of various health settings and can tailor solutions accordingly.

 

We've built complete systems from scratch
—my experience founding and running a non-profit health organization provides practical insights into creating sustainable, effective communication systems that work even with limited resources.

 

We maintain deep connections to the health community
—our ongoing involvement with health organizations keeps us current with the evolving challenges and opportunities in health communication.

Ready to create impact?

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