Consulting Practicum: Healthcare Management, Design, and Strategy

About the Course

This course offers students the opportunity to 'learn while doing' about the unique challenges and opportunities in the healthcare sector by working on a set of company-sponsored projects. Interdisciplinary student teams hailing from Columbia Business School and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center will work hand-in-hand with the instructors and representatives of the sponsoring organizations to address strategic questions through the practical application of core business approaches.

This course is offered on an application-only basis. Students who are interested in taking the course must submit a resume and 250-word personal statement about why you want to take the course and what unique skills you would bring to your team. Please look out for communications from your school's office regarding the application timeline.

The course is taught by:

Carri W. Chan PhD, Johan A. Howard Professor of Business and Faculty Director of the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Program at Columbia Business School
Peter Tollman PhD MBA, Senior Partner Emeritus at Boston Consulting Group and Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School
Taylor Sewell MD MBA, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Project Sponsorship:

This course runs during the 12 weeks of the Fall Semester. Projects, addressing well-circumscribed challenges, require a combination of framing, research, data analysis, strategic logic, and synthesis. Organizations interested in sponsoring a project are encouraged to submit a summary of the strategic challenge and potential project topic via this short intake form.

Benefits to selected sponsors:

The opportunity for external review of a real-world challenge that your organization is facing
Exposure to a highly motivated group of MBA, MD, and other health professions students who have been accepted to this elective course
A deepened relationship with CBS and CUIMC for future endeavors
The opportunity to help educate future business and healthcare leaders

Student-Composed Project Summaries

Through this class, students have worked with a variety of organizations that are leaders in their sectors, including pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, providers, biotech, health tech, and others. Below are a few sample executive summaries of past projects written by student teams:

BV Investment Partners: Assess potential investment strategies into the space of synthetic biology
Blackstone Life Sciences: Confidential topic
Columbia Doctors -- Telehealth Strategy: Developing a telehealth strategy to increase practice revenues
Columbia Doctors -- Increasing Telehealth Use: Developing a telehealth model to increase telehealth usage
Columbia Doctors -- Mental Health: Understanding the financial viability of a collaborative care model for mental health
Diasome: Develop a positioning strategy for acquisition or licensing
Global Pharma and Biotech Company: Developing an understanding of corporate venture capital for a biopharma company
Global Pharmaceutical Company: Considering how a global pharmaceutical company should think about their involvement in AI drug discovery
Healthcare Industry Company: Develop a data productization strategy
Kallope: Positioning their Human Genetics Platform
New York City Health + Hospitals -- Telehealth experience: Improving telehealth patient experience and access at NYC Health + Hospitals
New York City Health + Hospitals -- e-consults: Optimizing the use of e-consults to reduce waiting times at NYC Health + Hospitals
nference: Adding value in the glioblastoma clinical journey
Quest Diagnostics -- physician consolodation: Understanding the impact of physician consolidation on Quest Diagnostics' business
Quest Diagnostics -- point of care: Understanding the point-of-care testing business and how Quest should act in response
Zoetis -- alternative proteins: Developing an understanding of the alternative protein market and its impact on the animal health industry
Zoetis -- loss of exclusivity: Develop a defense strategy in preparation for patent expiration on one of their products