During the semester, every third Thursday of the month, Club members get together for organized events ranging from small group dinners to drinks at local Cambridge bars and restaurants.  Students also interact with each other through the EC-RC (1st year-2nd year) mentor program where first year students are matched with second year students with common healthcare related interests. Members are also exposed to other networking events within the greater Harvard Graduate Community and with other Boston based student healthcare clubs.

The club creates opportunities for networking within the industry through interaction with alumni and other members of the local healthcare community. The Healthcare Initiative offers an Alumni Mentor Program, open to all students, where participating students are matched with an alumni executive who is available to coach them through there time at HBS and throughout their careers. Other events include the HBS Health West Alumni Conference, the HBS Health Industry Alumni Conference and the Healthcare Club Conference. Students are also exposed to networking events with executives in the Advanced Management Program and through a series of speaker and public events regularly scheduled throughout the year.

Examples of past club and HBS wide healthcare events can be found at the bottom of this page.

Selected HBS Alumni Include:

• George Byrd Abercrombie, President and CEO, Hoffman-LaRoche, Inc.
• Gordon M. Binder, former Chairman and CEO, Amgen Inc.
• James Burke, former Chairman & CEO, Johnson & Johnson, Inc.
• Alan Crane, Venture Partner, Polaris Venture Partners
• Bryan Crombie, Senior VP and CFO, Biovail Corporation
• Juan Enriquez-Cabot, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Biotechonomy
• Samuel Fleming, former Chairman and CEO, Decision Resources, Inc.; Managing Director of Briland LLC
• James Frates, Vice President and CFO, Alkermes, Inc.
• Raymond V. Gilmartin, former Chairman, President and CEO, Merck & Co., Inc.
• Kathy Giusti, CEO and founder, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
• Ginger Graham, former President and CEO, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
• Fred Hassan, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Schering-Plough
• Gail Maderis, former President, Genzyme Molecular Oncology; President and CEO, Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc.
• Richard Nanula, former Executive VP and CFO, Amgen Inc.
• Daniel Vasella, Chairman and CEO, Novartis AG

• Robert D. Walter, Chairman and CEO, Cardinal Health

HC Club Bio Book:
The club publishes a top-notch marketing tool that demonstrates to recruiters, alumni/student conference attendees, and prospective students that the HCC is comprised of diverse, experienced, and first-rate MBAs.

See the 2007-2008 Bio Book Here

Past Events:

First Annual Boston Student Healthcare Mixer

On Tuesday, March 4th, 2008, over forty graduate students from healthcare clubs across Boston (Harvard, MIT, Boston University and Boston College) braved the rain to meet at the First Annual Boston Student Healthcare Mixer at Middlesex Lounge in Central Square. In attendance among the diverse group were MD/MBAs, JDs, MBAs and PhDs with topics of discussion including the recent MIT entrepreneurial contest, summer internships and career destinations. The private event was sponsored by Dyax, a Cambridge-based biotechnology company expected to launch a novel biologic therapy for hereditary angioedema following successful completion of its EDEMA4 Phase III trial. See photos of the event below.

 

Other Past Events:

 

• Healthcare Club Small Group Dinners
  Come get to know ECs and RCs who share your interests within health sciences industry. We will host a number of small group dinners each focused on a different healthcare sector. For any questions, contact Julia Hoover. A poll will be posted for the event shortly.
  Open to all members of the HBS Healthcare Club.
• Speaker: Frankel Group
  The Frankel Group will provide an educational presentation of their view on key challenges facing Drugs and Vaccines companies today. See abstract below. This topic is top of mind for managers (and future managers) in the business, and would be a great way for career switchers to start thinking about issues in the healthcare industry. The talk should take no more than 45 minutes; and for those of you who are still concerned, the speakers are aware of the AstraZeneca event to follow. We have the room until 5 pm for those who want to talk some more, and it would be OK for people to leave at 4:45 even if you need to make the next meeting. Look forward to seeing you all there!
  
  A call to action
  This presentation represents, in part, a humble call to action. Pharmaceuticals and vaccines have, despite consistently representing only 10% of the US healthcare budget, provided us with extraordinary improvements in the quality of our lives and, much in the same vein as utilities; the industry represents an indirect economic generator of extraordinary importance. Unfortunately, this industry is now in the process of lurching from a 10 year period of wild growth into one of dormancy. If the social and economic gains of the past 10 - 20 years are to continue forward, it will require the application of some of the worlds most talented managers and investment professionals. While brilliance abounds in the life science sector, new ideas and new approaches are desperately needed. “The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.” - John Kenneth Galbraith The principles of change management are straightforward - only strong leadership commitment leads to sustainable success and growth planning is about identifying & supporting disruptive technologies at the bottom of the j-curve, while creating new markets and developing systems which are sources of sustainable competitive advantage. This is true in any industry, but particularly in those experiencing a technology driven business model crisis. Ironically this appears far more difficult when there is cash on the balance sheet.
• Speaker: AstraZeneca
  

CHALLENGES in the PHARMA INDUSTRY: PATIENT ADHERENCE
Healthcare Club Industry Learning Event Sponsored by AstraZeneca Monday, November 5, 5:00pm, Cumnock 103
Open to All Students
Speakers Include:
Philippa Rodriguez, President AZ Spain
Mark Fladrich, President AZ Germany
Christina Olsen, Director of Special Projects
Francisco Demesa, AZ Latin America (HBS Alumni)
Veronica Zhou, China Talent Director

• Coffee Chat with Bill Sibold, SVP, Oncology, Biogenidec
  
• Faculty Lunch Series with Professor Hamermesh
• Healthcare Club MD/MBA Happy Hour
  An opportunity not only to mingle with other students at HBS, but also to meet people from the broader Harvard healthcare community.
• Faculty Lunch Series with Professor Gilmartin
  Join Professor Gilmartin, former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Merck & Co.,Inc for lunch to learn more about his experiences leading a world class pharmaceutical company. The lunch will be limited to 8-10 students.
  Open to all members of the HBS Healthcare Club.
• Consulting in Healthcare
  
• Dr. Dan Schultz, director of FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health
  
• Speaker: Coffee with John Freund
  
• Faculty Lunch Series with Professor Edmondson

Join Professor Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management and Chair of the Doctoral Programs at Harvard Business School for lunch to learn more about healthcare at HBS and her research. Professor Edmondson’s research examines leadership influences on learning, collaboration and innovation in teams and organizations. The lunch will be limited to 8-10 students.

• Student/Alumni Networking Reception
  Want to meet the HBS healthcare alumni?  Join like-minded healthcare individuals for an evening of hors d’oeuvres and cocktails at the annual HBS Finale Healthcare Reception.  The event draws a diverse crowd of healthcare professionals and current students from the local community. The event is also great place to meet your alumni mentors.
  
• IDG Ventures Networking Function
  A Life Science and Medical Technology Networking Event in Collaboration with Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. Please RSVP mentioning your name, email, designation and school/hospital affiliation.

• Speaker: Dr. Jens W. Eckstein, General Partner, TVM Capital
  Dr. Eckstein joined TVM Capital in 2004, and is a General Partner in the firm’s life sciences practice where he focuses on earlier-stage investments. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Magen Biosciences and Ascent Therapeutics, served as an Advisor to Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, and is also actively involved in the firm’s investments in CoNCERT Pharmaceuticals and SelectX Pharmaceuticals.
• Welcome Back Happy Hour
  Mix and mingle with fellow healthcare club members over drinks at the Noir bar. Come to talk about internships/recruiting, to hear more about the Immersion, and to have a few drinks.  We will sponsor drinks for the first 30 who attend the event.  Look forward to seeing you there!
  
• Speaker: Ron Zwanziger, Chairman/CEO/President, Inverness Medical Innovations
  

The Healthcare Club Presents a Small Speaker Luncheon:  
RON ZWANZIGER (MBA ’81), CHAIRMAN / CEO / PRESIDENT, INVERNESS MEDICAL INNOVATIONS

About Inverness Medical Innovations
Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. is a major global developer, manufacturer and marketer of advanced, pioneering consumer and professional medical diagnostic products.  A leading supplier of consumer pregnancy and fertility/ovulation tests and rapid point-of-care diagnostics, Inverness Medical Innovations is committed to advancing health and creating shareholder value through a continuing flow of innovative new products brought about by our strong investment in R&D and intellectual property. Latest areas of focus are in the application of patented technologies to products in consumer and professional diagnostics, principally in the fields of Cardiology, Women’s Health, and Infectious Diseases. Inverness Medical Innovations also manufactures and markets a wide variety of vitamins and nutritional supplements.  With major Research & Development facilities based in the US, UK, Germany and Israel, and manufacturing sites in the UK, China, Japan and the US, Inverness Medical Innovations is truly global in scope.

About Ron Zwanziger
Ron Zwanziger has served as our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President since our inception on May 11, 2001. Mr. Zwanziger served as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of our predecessor company, Inverness Medical Technology, from its inception in 1992 through November 2001 when that company was acquired by Johnson & Johnson. From 1981 to 1991, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MediSense, a medical device company.  HBS MBA 1981.

• HBS Healthcare Trek
  We will visit industry-leading companies in: Venture Capital, Biotech, Pharma, Medical Devices, Commencing with a visit to a leading Boston hospital.
  
• Speaker: Jeff Leiden, Clarus Ventures
• “Learn from an EC Lunch Series”
  An opportunity for RCs to meet with and learn from ECs who have relevant functional and industry experience.

• MD & MBA Small Group Dinner
• Trevor Fetter, CEO Tenent
  Innovation in a difficult marketplace
  The turnaround of Tenet Healthcare
  Come hear Trevor Fetter, CEO of Tenet Healthcare, talk about improving quality, settling government litigation, and putting Tenet back on a growth track.   Tenet Healthcare is a Fortune 500 company and one of the three largest hospital chains in the United States.   In 2003, Trevor took over as CEO when the company came under investigation by the Justice Department for its billing practices and accusations of performing unnecessary cardiac surgeries.  Fetter is known for his integrity and honesty.  He had to address the investigation and the litigations, and at the same time continue to manage Tenet’s operations to deliver quality healthcare.  This is a great turnaround story and I am sure will hold important lessons for us all as we consider building our careers and tackling challenging corporate problems.  
• Speaker: Dr. Fred Aslan, VP, Venrock
  

• 1st Round Admit Reception
  An opportunity to meet the 1st admits who are interested in healthcare, and help them learn more about healthcare at HBS.
• Speaker: Chip Hance, President Abbott Diabetes Care
  
• Student Lunch Series: Professor Huckman
  
• First Annual Boston Healthcare Mixer Event
  For the first time, this year we will be hosting a Healthcare Mixer that will allow students from HBS, MIT, BU and Boston College who are interested in healthcare to meet each other in a social setting. This event is sponsored by the clubs; there will be free drinks and appetizers.

• Andrew Thompson, CEO, Proteus Biomedical
  About Mr. Thompson
  Mr. Thompson is a co-founder of Proteus. He is also a Managing Member of Spring Ridge Ventures, and has led the incubation of Proteus since inception. From 1994-1999, Mr. Thompson co-founded and served as a director and chief executive officer of FemRx until the company was acquired by Johnson & Johnson. Previously, Mr. Thompson co-founded and was chief financial officer for CardioRhythm through its acquisition by Medtronic. He holds an M.A. in engineering from Cambridge University, where he was a United Kingdom National Engineering Scholar, an M.A. in education from Stanford University and a M.B.A. from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

About Proteus Biomedical
Proteus, headquartered in Redwood City, California, was founded with a passion for improving the lives of people with chronic disease. The company is developing intelligent medicine products internally and in partnership with device, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. These products address therapeutic areas where disease management complexity, patient monitoring requirements, therapeutic efficacy, and poor patient adherence create large clinical and commercial opportunities. The company currently has three products in development that target cardiac disease and heart failure, including a program in Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in partnership with a world-leader in cardiovascular implantable devices.
Proteus is a privately-held company with investors including Adams Street Partners, Asset Management, The Carlyle Group, Essex Woodlands, Fletcher Spaght Ventures, L.P. (FSV), Kaiser Permanente Ventures, and Spring Ridge Ventures.

• Student Lunch Series: Professor Bohmer

Join Professor Bohmer, MBA Class of 1973 Senior Lecturer, for lunch and learn more about his research. Professor Bohmer is a MD, and his research is focused on improvements in healthcare operations. The topic for the lunch will be “Innovation in Service Delivery.”
Contact Julia Hoover for details.
Each lunch will be for up to 10 students and access restricted to those who signed up via poll.

• Speaker: Israel Makov, Former President and CEO of Teva Pharmaceuticals