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Healthcare Day Brings Thought-Provoking Dialogue
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On November 16th, the Healthcare Business Alliance hosted the 6th Annual Healthcare Day.
The event opened discussion about the state of the healthcare system, and was a great way for students to learn about careers in the field. The meeting was attended by professionals in the industry and drew students not only from MSB but also from other graduate schools within Georgetown.
“This year was different because we included masters degree candidates from public policy and healthcare administration, said Dan Fishman (MBA ‘08), co-President of the HBA. “We enjoyed hearing the different types of questions they had for the panelists, and I think the panelists were happy to get a more diverse cross-section of students to meet”.
The Day began with a presentation about the state of the healthcare system by Kevin McConnell of Gallup Organization. Using the data collected by Gallup, Mr. McConnell painted a provocative portrait of the often-controversial system.
According to Gallup polls, the majority of the public believes that the disadvantaged should have access to free healthcare and should not be responsible for behavior that may adversely affect their health. Mr. McConnell believes both these desires cannot be satis! ed, and thus until we change public attitudes, our healthcare system will never be satisfactory. Data from Gallup also described an industry suffering from profound employee disengagement in all levels of staffing, from hospitality to physicians.
The opening presentation was followed by panels discussing trends in the industry. The panelists included MSB alumni and a diverse range of companies from hedge funds such as CRT capital, to government providers like the Veterans Affairs Hospital system, to manufacturers of pharmaceuticals like Pfizer.
This broad panel had diverse opinions on industry trends and resulted in a number of lively discussions on topics such as government involvement in health care, the growing role of biotechnology in pharmaceuticals, and the prospect of consumer-directed” health care.
The level of thought-provoking discussion at Healthcare Day was very indictive of value created at the event.
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HBA’s mission is to develop future healthcare leaders who will provide innovative solutions in an industry that touches almost everyone on this planet,” said Ali Hasan (MBA ‘08), HBA member and event organizer. “The thought provoking dialogues at the 2007 Healthcare Day provided a forum for MSB students to further HBA’s mission. An overwhelming number of panelists called the event a huge success.”
Up next for HBA will be the end-of-Mod-2 party on Friday, December 7th... And elections for the new board will be held on Thursday, January 10th.
By Andrew Chen, MBA '09
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