Andrea Eliscu

President, Medical Marketing Inc.  Founder, Dueling Dragons of Orlando

A nurse and healthcare consultant by trade, Andrea Eliscu, BS, RN, is a community-builder, volunteer, mentor, philanthropist and social entrepreneur by passion. She serves as President of Medical Marketing Inc., a healthcare marketing and public relations firm she co-founded in 1984 to help physicians position their practices for success in the ever-changing healthcare marketplace. In this role, she provides leadership and guidance to clients throughout the country and also serves as a respected resource to local and national industry trade organizations and media. Throughout her career, Eliscu has authored four books – It’s Personal: The Art of Building your Practice, A+ Marketing: Proven Tactics for Success, Ready – Set – Market! and Position for Success! Strategic Marketing for Group Practices, all published by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA).

A fearless visionary and vocal advocate for health and wellness, Andrea has devoted her leadership, creativity, and countless hours to a number of community organizations, including the University of Central Florida College of Nursing, OneBlood, Orlando Ballet, Cornerstone Hospice, Orlando Health Foundation, A Gift for Teaching and the Orlando Rowing Club to name a few. However, she is perhaps best known for her tireless work with a program called Dueling Dragons of Orlando. 

In 2010, Eliscu brought the sport of dragon boating to Orlando and in 2011, formed an unlikely team — police officers and inner-city kids — to change how both saw and interacted with each other. She worked with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and then Orlando Police Chief Val Demings to create Dueling Dragons, the first program of its kind in the country. 

Devoting more than 8,500 hours of her own time to lead and operate Dueling Dragons over the past 10 years, Eliscu has drawn national media attention and made new headlines — stories about cops and kids working together, not on the streets, but in the water, away from any distractions, learning something new together, and seeing each other in fresh ways. In 2016, she was invited to give a TEDx talk about her work with the program, and it has also been featured on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, the Today Show, and an Amazon Prime Video documentary released in 2017 and re-released in 2021. 

In 2018, Eliscu was recognized with the “Social Entrepreneur & Innovation Award” at Central Florida’s National Philanthropy Day breakfast. Her volunteer work has also been honored with a “Good Citizenship Award” from the Orlando Police Department and the 2017 “BOLDY Spirit of Collaboration Award” from Growing Bolder. Described as a “force of nature,” Andrea Eliscu’s passion is contagious, her energy endless and her commitment to her community unwavering.