ABOUT THE COST OF LONELINESS PROJECT
We were never meant to go it alone. Connection is how we survive and how we thrive. The Cost of Loneliness was founded to address one of the defining challenges of our time: restoring connection as a foundation for individual and collective wellbeing.
OUR MISSION
The Cost of Loneliness exists to catalyze, cultivate, and convene in service of igniting a culture of connection.
We catalyze change by raising awareness of the human cost of loneliness.
We cultivate authentic connection by activating leaders, communities, and partners across health, education, business, and culture to turn awareness into shared responsibility.
We convene the changemakers driving systemic change that fosters belonging and inclusion.
OUR VISION
A world where no one feels invisible. Where authentic connection is woven into how we live, work, and lead. Where loneliness is understood, not hidden; prevented, not ignored. A world where belonging is a shared right, the thread that binds us all.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Connection is more than a feeling. It is a vital sign. It is the spark that fuels relational health, the foundation of belonging. When connection is consistent and safe, belonging follows. When people feel seen, supported, and connected in meaningful ways, they grow healthier, more creative, more resilient. Authentic connection does not just soothe loneliness. It restores vitality. Rebuilding human bonds is not just possible. It is essential.
MEET LUCY ROSE
FOUNDER + PRESIDENT
THE COST OF LONELINESS PROJECT
Interested in having Lucy speak at your organization? Submit a request here.
Lucy Rose has spent her career at the intersection of public health, medicine, and communications, bringing science to life in ways that change lives. A trained clinician and award-winning pharmaceutical health strategy and regulatory expert, she is known for bridging the worlds of government, industry, and public advocacy with uncommon clarity and conviction, with a particular focus on prevention and long-term health outcomes.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
She is the Founder and CEO of Lucy Rose & Associates, LLC, a global life sciences consulting firm, where for more than two decades she has advised boards, executive teams, and industry leaders across hundreds of organizations, from large global pharmaceutical companies to emerging biotech firms. Her work has shaped the development, communication, and responsible commercialization of prescription drugs and biotechnology products, while helping organizations navigate complex regulatory environments, strengthen compliance, and build high-performing leadership teams. Over the course of her career, she has trained more than 16,000 professionals, advised on more than 150 drug launches, and delivered hundreds of executive trainings and keynote addresses worldwide.
Before launching her firm, Lucy served as Director of the Office of Training and Communications at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), where she also led the Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications (now OPDP). In these roles, she was responsible for the regulatory oversight of prescription drug advertising and marketing in the United States and helped shape national policy, industry guidance, and communication standards that continue to influence how medicines are brought to market and understood today.
As the founder of The Cost of Loneliness Project, Lucy has made it her personal mission to shine a spotlight on what she calls “the silent public health crisis of our time.” Drawing on her own experiences with the profound isolation that often accompanies a life of business travel, she has turned personal insight into a national movement, advocating for awareness, education, and solutions to combat chronic loneliness and its impact on physical health, mental well-being, and economic stability.
Lucy’s work goes beyond intervention. She is determined to educate and align systems from medicine and education to city planning, architecture, and organizational design around the power of prevention. Her vision is to help society intentionally create cultures of connection, where communities, workplaces, and public spaces are designed to support belonging, resilience, and well-being before crises arise.
At the same time, Lucy is clear that systems alone will not solve this challenge. The way modern life is structured, how we work, communicate, and move through the world, has steadily weakened the everyday connections people rely on. Reversing that trend requires more than institutional change. It requires people to see their role in it. Her work equips individuals with the awareness and tools to show up differently, rebuilding connection in ways that are practical, repeatable, and within reach. Real change, in her view, happens when systems evolve and people do too.
What makes Lucy’s voice distinct is the perspective she brings across every level of the system. She has worked in the exam room, inside the federal government, and alongside some of the most influential companies in healthcare, giving her a rare, end-to-end view of how health is shaped, communicated, and experienced. Today, she is applying that same rigor, strategic insight, and leadership to a challenge that sits at the center of it all: human connection.
Lucy holds a B.S. in Biology from Salem College, an MBA from Averett University, and is a Physician Assistant trained at Wake Forest University. She has been recognized as a Top 40 Healthcare Transformer, inducted into multiple industry halls of fame, and awarded the FDA’s highest leadership honor twice. She has lectured at leading universities and is a sought-after national voice on the intersection of public health, wellness, and human connection.