MBA Students 2027

HCM CLASS OF 2027 STATISTICS

Male:  54%
Female:  46%

Years Out of Undergraduate School

< 2: 0
2-4:  37 %
5-7:   56 %
8 <: 7 %

Undergraduate Majors

Medicine 1 %
Liberal Arts and Social Sciences  28%
Sciences  17 %
Engineering  15 %
Business and Economics  36 %
Nursing  3 %

Graduate Degrees Held

MD: 1
Joint MD/MBA Program: 8

HCM CLASS OF 2027 PROFILES

72 students

Sydney Adams

I graduated from Loyola Marymount University, where I studied Biochemistry with an initial intention to attend medical school. However, during my studies, I discovered other ways I could contribute to improving health outcomes beyond the clinical setting. This realization led me to pursue a Master of Translational Medicine (MTM) at UC Berkeley and UCSF. The MTM program taught me the extensive process by which therapeutics are brought to market and gave me the opportunity to work with a start-up team on developing a commercialization plan for their medical device designed to reduce ear infections in pediatric patients.

Roshan Ahmed

I grew up in San Diego and attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, where I worked on a variety of genomics research projects. I began my career in corporate development at Gain Therapeutics as one of the company’s first employees. During my time there, I helped scale operations across the U.S. and European offices in Lugano, Switzerland, and Barcelona, Spain. I supported the execution of multiple financings and strategic partnerships, including the company’s IPO on the Nasdaq, which enabled the advancement of early-stage neuroscience programs into clinical trials.

Ibrahim Albaba

Served as Director of Growth at a physician-owned healthcare system in Houston, leading business development, marketing, and analytics efforts. Previously founded a healthcare analytics startup focused on giving physician groups greater access and control over their revenue, billing, and operational data.

Brad Allen

I grew up in New Jersey and graduated from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University with a double major in supply chain management and information systems. Following graduation in 2020, I worked at Guidehouse leading commercial / pipeline strategy, market access strategy, and due diligence engagements for a variety of biopharmaceutical clients ranging from large multinational pharma companies to small-size biotech companies. After Guidehouse, I joined Deloitte where I worked for 3 years leading drug development, commercial operations, and commercial strategy engagements within the Life Sciences sector. At Deloitte, I spent most of my time working with advanced therapy companies (e.g., cell & gene therapy manufacturers) to address key barriers for global commercialization and patient access.

Eric Anderson

I grew up in Greenwich, CT and attended Harvard College, where I majored in Economics and walked onto the men’s rowing team.

After graduating, I began my career as an investor at Oak Hill Advisors, a large credit fund based in NYC, where I invested in high-yield, stressed, and distressed debt in the Energy sector. After a couple of years, I wanted to broaden out my industry exposure, so I decided to go back to investment banking, joining Centerview Partners as a 3rd-year analyst.

While there, I learned about Patricia Industries (PI). PI is a Swedish private equity firm that focuses on building a portfolio of excellent companies in healthcare and technology, partnering with our companies for decades. I joined PI in late 2021, primarily focusing on add-ons for our existing healthcare and industrial technology businesses, as well as prospecting for a new software platform investment.

John Armstrong

I grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and attended the University of Pennsylvania where I majored in Biology. Following graduation in 2018, I worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator on ~10 industry sponsored orthopedic clinical trials for hip and knee joint replacements at the Rothman Institute, Jefferson Hospital in center city Philadelphia. My first job working in clinical trials sparked my interest in the pharmaceutical industry, but I realized I preferred the corporate strategy side of the industry over academia.

Next I began my 5 year stint in New York City, attending Columbia University for my Masters of Science to transition into healthcare strategy consulting. Following my MS, I joined ClearView Healthcare Partners, a boutique life sciences consulting firm. My work at ClearView primarily focused on landscape assessments and launch strategy for pre-market clinical assets. After my analyst years, I was offered a position at Guidehouse, a recent spin-off of PWC’s government consulting arm, to build out their commercial life sciences group. During my time at Guidehouse, I spent the majority of my tenure launching a new patient services platform for enrollment and adherence at a large pharmaceutical company.

Jada Baijnath

I began my career as a life sciences consultant, gaining broad exposure to diverse business functions and therapeutic areas across the healthcare industry. This foundation prepared me to transition into the biotech industry, where I now serve as Chief of Staff to the CEO and Director of Strategic Planning at an oncology-focused biotech company. In this role, I lead initiatives spanning business development, corporate strategy, and portfolio and organizational planning. Through this work, I’ve developed a deep passion for advancing new medicines in oncology and helping bring innovative therapies to patients.

Olivia Brody-Bizar

I grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and studied Quantitative Social Science at Dartmouth, where I developed a strong foundation in data analysis. After graduating, I began my career as a consultant at Health Advances, a boutique life sciences strategy firm based in Boston. There, I gained broad exposure to the Biopharma, Medical Device, Diagnostics, and Digital Health sectors, specializing in commercial assessments and due diligence for manufacturers and investors.

Over time, I became increasingly interested in the role of payers and how they influence access, affordability, and outcomes for patients. That curiosity led me to Point32Health, a regional health plan, where I then worked as a data analyst. In that role, I supported cross-functional initiatives at the intersection of analytics, operations, and patient impact —from developing KPIs for a new Behavioral Health Service Navigation program to using data to identify and prioritize members for care management outreach.

Emma Burns

I grew up in Briarcliff, NY and attended Duke University where I majored in Biology and minored in History & Chemistry. Since graduating in 2020, I’ve worked at ClearView Healthcare Partners, a life science strategy consulting firm. I’ve had the chance to work with large pharma and small to mid-cap biotech companies across therapeutic areas, with experience in corporate strategy, portfolio planning, and commercial due diligence. I’ve also served as a leader for my company’s learning & development initiative, designing trainings and programming for employees of all tenures to support professional growth and increase company connectivity.

Jake Carrion

I grew up in Long Island, NY and graduated from Columbia University in 2020 with a degree in Economics and a concentration in public health. Afterwards, I worked in healthcare consulting at Strategy&, where I gained exposure to the inner workings of the healthcare industry and the complex relationship between payors, providers, and pharmaceutical companies. While I enjoyed the ability to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders and tackle sizable business problems, I ultimately decided that I wanted to work with patients more directly and decided to pursue a postbacc program with the goal of applying to medical school. I matriculated into the Perelman School of Medicine at UPenn in 2022, after which most of my work has focused on clinical oncology research and global health work in rural Rwanda. I am now taking a year out to pursue my MBA at Wharton, with the ultimate goal of becoming an effective physician-leader capable of bridging clinical care with hospital administration and healthcare policy.

Ananya Chandra

I grew up in Delhi, India, and moved to Bangalore after graduation to work at Flipkart (an Indian e-commerce giant). Flipkart is where I truly learnt how technology can be built in innovative ways and be applied to largescale real world use cases. I used this experience in volunteering for the Indian Government’s Ministry of Health, where during the pandemic I helped design and build CoWIN – India’s COVID vaccination platform. CoWIN’s impact, which helped over a billion Indians, made me want to continue to contribute to Health Ministry initiatives.
Over the years, I helped build eSanjeevani (Indian Government’s telemedicine platform), U-Win (a vaccination platform for providing free of cost vaccines to over 60 million mothers and children), among numerous other initiatives. I continue to work on several healthcare platforms across India, including building the Indian Government’s PHR and health services app, integrating AI agent workflows with the National Health Observatory, and helping Myna Mahila Foundation upgrade their LLM chatbot focused on empowering thousands of women in urban slums of Mumbai.

Nathan Chang

As a son of two doctors, I was surrounded by health care growing up. After spending many hours in doctors’ offices and hospital break rooms, I became interested in how providers can improve patients’ lives. During the first few years of college, I realized that, although I didn’t want to become a physician like my parents, I had always enjoyed the problem-solving aspects of my science and math classes. This led me to conduct biostatistics research on autism and sparked an interest in understanding how analytical tools and AI can be used in health care.

After undergrad, I joined Bain & Company as a consultant, where I worked on health care projects across medtech, the payer and provider space, and private equity due diligence in areas such as fertility benefits and PBMs. I also had the opportunity to do a six-month externship at Panoramic Health, a PE-backed company that manages nephrology practices, where I helped develop the growth strategy for their ambulatory surgical centers and data monetization efforts. These experiences deepened my understanding of the US health care system and reinforced my interest in working with providers to improve quality of care for patients.

Olivia Coyle

I was born in London but mostly grew up in Connecticut, and studied Finance and Spanish at the University of Notre Dame. I began my career in investment banking in the Healthcare M&A group at Goldman Sachs, where I advised large pharma, biotech, life sciences, and med tech companies on strategic M&A and financing decisions. After two years at GS, I joined Arsenal Capital Partners, a middle market private equity firm, as a member of the healthcare investing team. At Arsenal, I worked closely with the management teams of several portfolio companies across both pharma services and HCIT, helping them pursue add-on M&A, define their strategies, and establish long-range plans. I also evaluated new investment opportunities and helped execute an investment in a data science services business for pharma.

Manan Dadhania

Born and raised in India. Came to the U.S. for undergraduate studies at Northwestern University, where I studied Applied Mathematics and Economics. Recruited to join the investment banking division of BofA in New York, where I spent two years in the M&A group. Pivoted to private equity post-BofA, joining Consonance Capital Partners, a 20-person, New York-based healthcare-focused PE firm, as an investment associate. While at Consonance, I led the effort to build out medtech expertise within the firm and conducted investment deep dives into the healthcare services space, including provider services and government outsourcing. I also gained operational experience by working closely with the management team of Priority OnDemand, an ambulance provider and a portfolio company of Consonance Capital Partners.

Maggie Doyle

I was born in South Africa and grew up in Illinois and Ohio. During my undergrad at Dartmouth College, I studied Economics and Government. I joined McKinsey’s Washington D.C. office after graduation, where I focused on federal government and philanthropy work. Most recently, I did a year long rotation as a fellow with McKinsey Global Institute, our economics think tank, where I researched fertility trends and global food systems.

Through my work with philanthropy clients, research on demographic and fertility trends, and personal experiences, I’ve become passionate about the complexities of caregiving. As people live longer, fertility rates decline, and female labor force participation rises, I’m interested in finding ways to better enable care beyond the hospital system.

Steven Du

I became interested in medical technology during an undergraduate internship at an accelerator at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
During my gap year before medical school, I worked as a line cook at RH Rooftop in NYC to explore my passion for food.
I am now a medical student at Penn continuing to learn more about medicine and the healthcare industry.

Menelik Epee-Bounya

I grew up in Cambridge, MA and attended Harvard University, where I studied Economics. After graduating, I joined L.E.K. Consulting in New York as part of the MedTech practice. There, I advised leading healthcare and MedTech companies on growth strategy, commercial planning, and market assessments, and conducted due diligence on innovative healthcare companies for private equity clients.

Ken Evans

I studied Public Health and Public Policy at UC Berkeley. After college, I began my career with four years of healthcare consulting working at Triage Consulting Group and Guidehouse Consulting. I led revenue analytics teams to identify and implement strategic and operational solutions for health systems and medical groups.

After consulting, I joined Envision Healthcare’s Corporate Strategy Team, partnering across departments to lead initiatives in payor strategy, litigation due diligence, No Surprises Act planning, and the Envision–Amsurg separation during bankruptcy.

Sara Febbo

I grew up as a military dependent, moving every 2–4 years following my dad’s Army career. Most of my family is from the Philadelphia suburbs, and I graduated high school in Northern Virginia.

At Clemson University, I studied biological sciences, was a Cadet in ROTC, and played club lacrosse. I initially planned to attend medical school after graduation, but a summer studying global health and public health policy in London and Amsterdam opened my eyes to the broader impact of healthcare systems and policy. That experience led me to pivot from pre-med and instead commission as a Medical Service Corps Officer in the U.S. Army.

Over the next seven years, I served alongside providers and medics in airborne and special operations units. I began my career in Italy in 2018, where I collaborated with NATO allies to develop medical plans supporting airborne missions across Europe. In 2021, I became the 65th woman to graduate from U.S. Army Ranger School and the 6th woman selected to serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment. While in special operations, I saw firsthand how innovative healthcare technologies could improve soldier survivability in combat. That experience motivated me to attend the Army’s medical logistics course and serve as a medical logistics officer, specializing in medical supply chain management and medical device maintenance supporting. I culminated my career as a medical company commander, leading 80 healthcare professionals.

Nate Gallatin

I grew up in Mercer Island, Washington, and graduated from Pomona College with a degree in Economics and a minor in Mathematics. In 2019, I joined Goldman Sachs in Seattle, supporting senior executives in Private Wealth Management across investment planning and portfolio strategy. During the early days of COVID, conversations with entrepreneurial clients navigating business challenges sparked my interest in solving problems at the organizational level and inspired me to pivot into consulting. In 2022, I joined the Boston Consulting Group, where I became a Project Leader in the Health Care practice based in the Brooklyn office.

My interest in health care is rooted in early exposure through my parents, an oncologist and an immunologist, as well as firsthand familiarity with the complexity of the patient experience. At BCG, I have focused on projects across biopharma, medtech, and emerging biotech, with experience spanning go-to-market strategy, commercial forecasting, operations, and due diligence.

Khushi Gandhi

I began my career at BCG after graduating from Rutgers Business School and moving to New York City, spending the past 3.5 years working across a range of practice areas, including Private Equity, Health Care, and Social Impact. As I gained experience and was inspired by mentors along the way, I found my place in BCG’s Health Care practice. Since then, I’ve partnered with BioPharma and MedTech clients on a variety of strategic initiatives—from clinical trial strategy and enterprise transformation to post-merger integration and the redesign of Commercial, HR, Legal, and R&D functions at global companies. Before BCG, I interned at Novo Nordisk on the Commercial Insights & Analytics team, where I analyzed competitive dynamics in the obesity market and contributed to strategy for their Saxenda brand. I’m passionate about driving innovation in healthcare and helping organizations evolve to better serve patients through improved outcomes and access.

Hannah Gao

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in Economics and Operations & Supply Chain Management. After graduation, I consulted for health systems across the US, focusing on hospital supply chain management, perioperative optimization, and financial turnaround projects.

During my time in consulting, I developed an interest in the policy that guides hospital operations and patient care, and decided to pivot to healthcare policy at the CMS innovation center. There, I worked on a Value-Based Care model and led the Hospital Global Budget methodology part of the model.

Lindsay Getz

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and made my way to the East Coast to attend Georgetown University, where I played on the field hockey team. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and launched my nursing career in the Pediatric ICU during the COVID pandemic.

Over my three years at the bedside, I became increasingly interested in the operational side of healthcare and the potential for technology to improve access and delivery. This led me to explore the broader healthcare ecosystem through roles in medical device sales and operations at an early-stage health tech startup.

Vincent Guo

I was born in Oklahoma City and grew up in California before moving out to NYC to study Biomedical Engineering at Columbia. After graduating, I deferred med school to work at Rover Diagnostics/Rover Labs as the ~3rd employee, eventually running most of the healthcare operations where we ran COVID-19 testing for around 30% of New Jersey’s schools. I also oversaw product development for our medical device nearing clinical trials now.

I’m currently a 4th year medical student at Penn Med, likely planning to apply into internal medicine. My medical interests are applying AI and technology to the bedside and bridging the gap between industry & research with clinical practice. I also had a brief stint working in the Penn Medicine executive office on value-based care plans.

Shubham Gupta

I grew up in San Diego, California before moving to Los Angeles to attend UCLA and study Public Affairs and Global Studies. During this time, my exploration of my LGBTQ+ identity, personal challenges with HIV / PrEP, and volunteering with the LA LGBTQ+ Center inspired me to focus on patient access and advocacy for marginalized communities. After graduating, I spent time working at ZS Associates, where I have had the privilege to build expertise in HIV / PrEP, breast cancer, and rare disease. I worked across a multitude of functions across large pharmaceutical clients, particularly Market Access & Pricing, Portfolio Strategy, and Public Affairs / Patient Advocacy. Currently, I’m also in the LGBTQ+ Investor Track (Prism) with Dorm Room Fund, where I am building fundamentals in VC as it relates to (bio)tech-enabled innovations.

Marie Harwell

I started at Bain LA right after graduating from UChicago in 2021. I have spent the majority of my time at Bain in the private equity practice, performing commercial diligence on a variety of assets. During that time, I spent an extended stint on a healthcare diligence team, which focused on digital health and pharmaceutical services targets. I also did a 6-month externship at the Gates Foundation in the Biotech Accelerator, where I performed commercial and financial diligence on potential investment recipients in biotech and medtech.

Gustavo Hirt

I was born and raised in Horizontina, a super small city in south Brazil. Moved out at 14yo to try on becoming a professional volleyball player, but ended up becoming a Medical Doctor at University of Passo Fundo.

I worked for almost a year as an emergency doctor helping COVID19 patients during the pandemic and afterwards joined Amil, the third largest health insurance company from Brazil (+3MM members), part of UnitedHealth Group back then.

At Amil I worked as a population health management/technical after sales Analyst to help corporate clients analyze MLR data and opportunities for improvement; later became a Health Care Programs Specialist to contribute in a large super utilizers / high complex care patients program (~25k patients cared for) and finally ended up becoming Manager at the same area and lead the development of cancer screening programs, and implementation of lines of care for acute (eg. stroke) and chronic conditions (ASD, breast cancer and others).

Finally, joined a small Edtech startup focused on training healthcare professionals as a part-time consultant while at Amil, and a couple months later (March 2023) became their General Director to better structure the company and expand it national and internationally.

Emma Howley

I grew up in Newtown Square, PA (about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia) and attended Wake Forest University for undergrad. At Wake Forest, I majored in Business Enterprise Management with a concentration in Business Advisory through the undergraduate business school.

After graduation, I joined EY as a consultant in their Business Transformation practice, where I focused on organizational restructuring, operating model design and portfolio management for pharmaceutical clients. This work involved collaborating with teams across the pharmaceutical value chain – including digital manufacturing, finance, procurement, facilities, and central IT functions.

In addition to my primary role supporting pharmaceuticals, I served as Chief of Staff to the US-East Consulting Lead for the Private Equity sector. In this capacity, I supported the development of net-new consulting solutions for mid-market PE funds and their portfolio companies, gaining cross-industry experience and expanding my exposure to the broader healthcare space, including hospital networks and physical therapy providers.

During my time at EY, I was based first in the Washington, D.C., office before transferring to New York City.

Joanna Hu

I was born in London and grew up in the Bay Area. At Penn, I was in the Nursing & Healthcare Management Dual Degree Program and later joined JPMorgan’s Healthcare Payments team upon graduation. My role involved helping Fortune 500 healthcare clients (pharma, med device, payers, etc.) manage cash flow and liquidity by optimizing payables, receivables, and balances. My most meaningful project involved helping a large pharmaceutical company design financial solutions to improve patient affordability, including a drug assistance program for thousands of patients. Prior to JPMorgan, I interned at Emory University Hospital and Aetna.

Tina Huang

I was born in China and moved to the US when I was 5 years old. I grew up in Maryland, then attended the University of Pennsylvania for undergrad, as part of the Life Sciences and Management dual degree program. Since graduating, I’ve worked in healthcare finance, across investment banking and investing. More recently, I’ve had experience on the operating side on the business strategy team of a genome engineering start-up, deepening my understanding of how innovative science is translated into impactful therapies.

Stephen Karol

I am from Boston, Massachusetts and a proud member of the Tuscarora Band of Six Nations Indians. I grew up around healthcare professionals dedicating their careers to improving healthcare access across tribal communities and have been profoundly influenced by this mission.

At Dartmouth College, I pursued this interest with academic focuses in Government and Native American Studies, investigating the intersection of health policy and health outcomes on Native and Indigenous people. Since graduating, I have spent the last four years evaluating and supporting investments in early- and growth-stage healthcare businesses expanding access to care, first at Bain & Company and then at Gilmartin Capital.

During my time at Bain, I spent most of my time in the Private Equity Group (PEG), primarily focused on diligences across the healthcare sector. Looking to take a more active role in the investment process, I joined Gilmartin Capital, a venture capital firm investing in MedTech companies with a specific focus on businesses that expand healthcare accessibility and improve upon current care options.

Anika Khetrapal

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and later attended UC Berkeley, where I earned my degree in Public Health. During my undergraduate studies, I developed a passion for healthcare economics and policy, especially in emerging areas that raise novel policy questions, such as gene therapies and value-based care.
After graduation, I spent five years at ClearView Healthcare Partners, a life sciences strategy consulting firm. At ClearView, I supported both emerging biotech firms and global pharmaceutical companies across the full spectrum of therapeutic development, including portfolio strategy, new product planning, and lifecycle management. Most specifically, my projects often centered on global payer and provider strategy, allowing me to develop a nuanced understanding on how reimbursement dynamics, delivery models, and government policies shape therapeutic access and uptake. I have helped develop market access strategy and support launches for a broad range of therapies (novel drug delivery platforms, gene therapies) and disease areas (rare disease, widespread chronic conditions).

Daniel Konstantino

I was born in Haifa, Israel and moved to the Bay Area when I was little. I studied Econ and Journalism at Northwestern University before completing a master’s in Media Innovation and Content Strategy. I started my career as a product management consultant at West Monroe, where I primarily focused on UX research for healthcare clients. I transitioned into the medtech world as a BD and marketing manager at Expanse Medical, a cardiovascular device incubator. We develop novel devices, bring them through FDA approval, and then spin them out into separate commercial entities. I develop our clinical workflows, train physicians and sales teams, run marketing campaigns and help with everything non-engineering. It’s been extremely rewarding to connect the business strategy side with the tangible impact of helping physicians use the devices on patients.

Bridget Leighton

I graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Chemical Engineering with a concentration in biotechnology. After multiple engineering internships I realized my true strength (and fulfillment) was in  my people and collaboration skills and decided to pivot from process engineering.  In order to influence a larger section of a company day-to-day, I leaned into a career in commercial procurement.  I worked for the pharmaceutical company GSK in Philadelphia for 5 years in 3 different roles across procurement, learning as much as I could about the workings of a large healthcare organization.  Most recently I supported our marketing teams globally as they navigated working with GSK’s advertising partners, specifically in prepping for new launches and new indications. I gained experience in negotiation, business partnering and relationship management all in support of bringing best-in-class medicine to patients.

Austin Lessin

I was born in Providence, RI, spent my early years in the Greater Boston area, moved between Atlanta and Raleigh through middle school, and returned to the Boston area for high school. I graduated from Brown University with dual concentrations in Health & Human Biology and Economics. During my studies, I learned that tens of millions of Americans live with a serious health condition that remains undiagnosed, sparking a lifelong drive to improve the U.S. healthcare system.

I began my career in healthcare consulting at Accenture Strategy before joining McKinsey & Company, where I most recently served as an Engagement Manager advising organizations across the healthcare ecosystem on pharmaceutical marketing and sales, market access, pipeline optimization, provider networks, and distribution.

One of my most meaningful projects was leading the launch strategy for a portfolio of multi-billion-dollar cardiovascular drugs at one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. Partnering with cross-functional teams, I developed market entry plans, patient access pathways, and competitive positioning strategies that broadened treatment availability and strengthened commercial performance.

At Wharton, I aim to translate these experiences into system-level advances in early diagnosis, equitable access, and the development and delivery of new medicines that enhance outcomes, reach more patients, and transform the healthcare landscape.

Brett Libowitz

I grew up in Baltimore and studied Systems Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at UVA. I began my career as a consultant in Oliver Wyman’s healthcare and digital practices, where I clarified my interest in building new products. This led me to transition into Product Management. Pre-MBA, I was a Senior PM at Teladoc Health leading the 0-to-1 development of Teladoc’s GLP-1 weight care product. My work included building more intuitive prior authorization experiences for members and forging partnerships with Eli Lilly, Express Scripts, and health insurers.

Michael Lichtenstein

Originally from the Chicago suburbs, I have always had an interest in the science and delivery of healthcare. I stayed in the Chicago area for school, studying Biomedical Engineering and Global Health Studies at Northwestern University. While there, I immersed myself in biomedical research and the healthcare innovation ecosystem, quickly learning of the wealth of advancements in healthcare and the difficult path to bring these to patients. I also helped spin out a digital health venture in the fertility space that arose through coursework.

After graduation, I joined ZS Associates, a life sciences-focused consultancy. At ZS, I partnered with clients on a range of topics across development and commercialization of healthcare technology, with a focus on therapeutics. As part of the Emerging Biopharma practice, most of my clients were clinical or early-stage biotech companies seeking support on portfolio, business development, and commercial strategy as they develop and launch novel therapies. I’ve been fortunate to play a small role in the commercialization and successful launch of several novel drugs for high unmet need patients, and hope to continue to do so.

Sai Mannam

Sai Mannam is pursuing a career in neurosurgery with intersecting interests in innovation, entrepreneurship, and health systems optimization. Sai has conducted research in neurovascular surgery and policy at Penn Medicine, co-founded educational and consulting ventures, and mentors students interested in medicine and tech. He is passionate about building scalable solutions that improve access to advanced care globally, especially in emerging markets. Long-term, he hopes to lead ventures at the intersection of clinical care, business strategy, and technology.

Benjamin Martin

I was born and raised in Southern California before attending Princeton University, where I studied at the School of Public and International Affairs, played Division I soccer, and deepened my interest in healthcare through coursework and international experiences, including a semester abroad in Milan.

Upon graduation, I joined Ionetix, a startup focused on producing and distributing novel radiopharmaceuticals for cardiac imaging purposes. I started in a commercial role and quickly transitioned to Ionetix Alpha, a newly launched subsidiary focused on targeted alpha therapy for oncologic purposes. As a founding member of the business development team, I helped shape the company’s go-to-market strategy, supported the scale-up of manufacturing and distribution operations, and played a central role in establishing its commercial and logistical foundation.

This experience gave me a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities in bringing complex healthcare innovations to market. It also deepened my interest in the intersection of science, operations, and strategy in healthcare.

Carlos Mercado-Lara

Born and raised in West Palm Beach, FL, I moved to the frigid Northeast to study Biological Engineering and Management at MIT. As an undergraduate researcher on infectious diseases at the Ragon Institute, I developed an interest in understanding the financial, operational, and regulatory roadblocks at the intersection of life sciences development and commercialization. This curiosity led me to kickstart my professional career at Oliver Wyman, where I’ve focused on serving biotech, life sciences, and private equity investor clients for three years.

Outside of work, I’ve remained committed to advancing educational equity through SciTeens, a nonprofit I co-founded in college that has delivered online STEM curricula and research opportunities to unrepresented high school students in the United States. I also serve as a college application mentor for students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Alexandra Mulconnery

I started in healthcare as a volunteer first responder and have worked on a wide range of projects for providers, payers, and life science clients ever since. I began on the founding team at Dell Medical School’s clinical enterprise and then spent six years in consulting across two firms. I have a wide-range of functional experience including operating model assessment, strategy development, transformation management, and human-centered design, with a special passion for patient access and experience, behavioral health and primary care, and the supporting the healthcare workforce.

Kristina Mullen

Originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia, I moved to Princeton, NJ and subsequently Cleveland, OH before returning to Philadelphia to attend Penn undergrad. While at Penn, I double majored in Economics and Health and Societies with a minor in French and Francophone Studies. Interested in exploring the intersection of Economics and Healthcare, I interned at PwC in 2020 before returning to work full time in PwC’s Health Transformation Consulting practice in New York after graduating from Penn in 2021. Throughout my time at PwC, I have focused my client work within the Provider Operations space, specifically Revenue Cycle Management, supporting clients through large-scale operational and technological transformation initiatives.

Julie Nguyen

I grew up in Durham, North Carolina and developed an interest in healthcare at an early age after a family experience with acute care. I majored in Health Policy and Management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After supporting the launch of a social venture aiming to address food insecurity through locally-sourced, shelf-stable meals, I discovered my passion for innovative approaches to improve care at the intersection of business, public health, and communities.

To learn more about the healthcare industry, I joined Guidehouse as part of the Healthcare Strategy team, advising provider and government clients on projects ranging from medical group operations optimization to Medicaid rate setting. I then joined EY’s Health Sciences and Wellness sector, where I advised provider, life sciences and federal health clients. I also served as the Research and Operations Lead within the EY Center for Health Equity and worked to develop EY’s equity-focused thought leadership and client solutions. Throughout my career, I have seen how technology can enhance access and transform patient care, and I am excited to explore ways to leverage technology to deliver better care.

Phong Nguyen

I was born and raised in Carrollton, TX, a suburb of Dallas and always wanted to grow up to be a doctor — classic Vietnamese immigrant child dream, right? I went to Harvard and studied Neurobiology and History to be the most well-rounded medical school candidate I could be, but after a year in healthcare strategy consulting, I realized that wasn’t what really drove me. I loved working with clients and helping them think through business strategy that helped to grow their organizations, and so I stayed in consulting for a couple more years before moving to in-house corporate strategy at Optum / UnitedHealth Group. It’s been a rollercoaster over the past few years, but I’ve really learned what I love (and love less…) about working at huge corporations.

Eileen Norris

I was born and raised in Rochester, New York, and graduated from Yale University in 2020, double majoring in Biomedical Engineering and History of Science, Medicine, & Public Health. Like many others, I thought I wanted to be a doctor, but eventually pivoted, with the goal of driving near-term impact at a population scale by translating ideas from the lab to the market and ultimately to patients.

I have spent the past five years at BCG in our Healthcare practice, partnering with global clients that not only provide care at scale but also shape next-gen MedTech and BioPharma strategies. Specifically, my work has focused on improvement of operational efficiency (e.g., across Mfg., Product Distribution, Network Strategy, Field Sales), short- & long-term remediation of failures in product quality (many of which had severe patient impact), as well as identification of growth strategies and/or investment targets in the MedTech & Digital Health spaces.

Parker Novakovic

Following graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 2018, I served as a Nuclear Submarine Officer on board a Ballistic Missile Submarine out of Washington State for 3.5 years, carrying out the Department of Defense’s #1 Mission: Strategic Deterrence. I transitioned to a management role in Washington, D.C., at Strategic Systems Programs, our nation’s nuclear weapons system headquarters.

At first, I thought I would make the Navy a career for life. In recent years, however, my career aspirations have evolved due to an unexpected turn of events: my father’s dementia diagnosis and eventual passing. Seeing my father’s suffering, the premature death from cancer of my uncle, along with the trauma these afflictions have placed on my loved ones, I realized that healthcare is the new battleground of our time. This realization changed the vision of my post-Navy future. At one point, I considered becoming a doctor and shadowed physicians at hospitals in the DMV area. Over time, I’ve seen that I could have a far greater impact in healthcare management and decided to make this career aspiration my new service.

Ally Ostrow

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area in a medical family, which sparked an early interest in healthcare and its impact on people’s lives. I moved to the East Coast to attend Williams College, where I majored in Economics and minored in Public Health and Spanish, drawn to the broader systems and structures that shape how care is delivered and accessed.

After graduating, I joined Health Advances as a strategy consultant, working in both the Boston and San Francisco offices over the last six years. I gained broad exposure across the life sciences sector, with a particular focus on medical devices, digital health, and healthcare information technology. My projects have spanned growth strategy, commercialization strategy, market access and reimbursement planning, as well as buy- and sell-side due diligence.

Aneri Patel

I grew up near Sacramento, California, fully planning to become a doctor. But during my junior year of high school, an undiagnosed breathing condition exposed me to the full complexity of the American healthcare system. It sparked a deeper lifelong interest in how innovation and technology could drive broader change in patient care. At UCLA, I studied Business Economics and minored in Entrepreneurship, interning at VC firms and UCSF Digital Health Hub during the summers.

I graduated early to found Empower Health, a platform enabling women and minorities to find the best physicians for their needs, report on implicit bias in care, and provide a closed feedback loop to physicians. After iterating on multiple business models but struggling with monetization, I shifted to work in digital strategy consulting & sales, with a focus on technology-enabled personalization.

Over the past three years, I’ve worked at Adobe, consulting Fortune 500 CMOs and SVPs on how to use customer data to drive 1:1 engagement to improve acquisition and loyalty. As a Pre-MBA internship, I joined DocVita (a Y Combinator-backed teletherapy startup in India) as a Growth PM to strengthen my product management skills and learn how to scale mental health solutions in emerging markets.

Saawan Patel

I began my academic journey at Baylor University as a Biology major. However, after navigating the healthcare system firsthand as a patient, I became acutely aware of the systemic barriers patients often face. This experience shifted my focus and motivated me to pivot toward Business Fellows and Management, with the goal of driving patient-centered change within the healthcare system.

I chose to attend the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn because of its uniquely integrated campus and the opportunity to pursue an MD/MBA. During my time at Penn, I have been actively engaged in research efforts, PennHealthX, and the United Community Clinic. These experiences have allowed me to collaborate with mission-aligned peers and make meaningful contributions, most notably in improving healthcare delivery through the implementation of electronic medical records.

At Wharton, I hope to deepen my understanding of healthcare systems and operations, broaden my perspective through exposure to new disciplines, and learn from a diverse and accomplished peer network. I am excited to continue building the skills necessary to lead transformative initiatives that enhance both the efficiency and equity of care delivery.

Sydney Phillips

After interning at various healthcare non-profits in college, I knew that I wanted to work in a healthcare adjacent field. I began my career in communications and marketing at Real Chemistry, an advertising and communications agency serving pharmaceutical and healthcare provider clients.

After gaining experience in communications and corporate strategy for an early-stage pharma start-up, as well as working “in-house” on building Real Chemistry’s brand, I knew I wanted to go to the “client” side and work directly for a healthcare brand. Growing up and still living in NYC, it was exciting to start a job in brand management and sponsorships at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where I could see the impact of my work locally. I worked at NewYork-Presbyterian for 3 years, where I created our brand campaigns, planned events with sponsors like the New York Mets and Lincoln Center, and worked internally to build up our marketing analytics capabilities.

Hannah Posner

I was born and raised in New York City. I attended Harvard University, where I studied the History of Science with a Secondary in Global Health and Public Health Policy. After graduating, I moved to Washington, D.C. and joined Aledade, a healthcare startup helping independent primary care practices succeed in value-based care models. As an analyst on the clinical innovations team, I worked on programs related to behavioral health integration, advanced care planning, and transitional care management.

I then began medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, where I continued to explore the intersection of clinical care, health equity, and innovation. Through PennHealthX, I co-led the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Accelerator, partnering medical students with startups tackling health equity challenges. I also joined the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE), contributing to several Food is Medicine initiatives, including a project with the American Heart Association and Instacart focused on improving the effectiveness of healthy food prescription programs.

Karun Rajesh

Growing up in the northern Virginia area, I, like many of my peers, wanted to be a doctor. Shadowing clinicians throughout high school, I enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University to get closer to this goal. There, I took a data science course and thought, “Why can’t I combine my interests healthcare and data science?”

From this, I pursued a masters in Health Data Science to better understand this intersection. During my masters, we focused heavily on the implementation gap in machine learning/AI tools within healthcare. Many tools and methodologies were being developed, but few were implemented. This led me to working as a data scientist within Bain & Company where I focused on implementing AI strategy across organizations. Understanding how implementation happens in other industries, I am hoping to take these learnings back into healthcare.

Beyond this, I have an interest in the gut microbiome. Starting back in 2014, I interned at the NIH working on their human microbiome compendium. During my undergraduate and graduate studies I worked as a research assistant, researching statistical methods of modeling the gut microbiome to predict imbalances within it.

Rameen Rana

I grew up mostly in Boston, with pitstops in northern California and West Virginia  along the way. At Harvard, I studied Psychology with a Secondary in Economics, where I started premed but soon pivoted to explore the intersection of finance/business and healthcare. After graduating in 2020, I moved to New York to begin my role as a Healthcare Fundamental Research Analyst at Point72. At Point72, I covered tickers across medtech, specialty pharma, and healthcare services. I then moved over to a role as a healthcare investor at Samsung Next, one of the venture capital arms of Samsung Electronics, where we invested in Seed to Series C companies across the healthcare spectrum, with a concerted focus on consumer healthcare, care at home, device ecosystems, and the intersection of healthcare and AI.

Will Richardson

I grew up in the Bay Area and studied PPE at Claremont McKenna. After college, I moved to Baltimore to join Point Field Partners, the family office for the Baltimore Ravens owner. At Point Field, I focused on private equity, venture capital, and real estate investments, and helped launch Blackbird Labs, an institute that combines grant funding and for-profit capital to commercialize Johns Hopkins research and create life sciences companies. I then joined Streamline, a Johns Hopkins spinout building analytics for FQHCs, before joining August Health, which develops software for assisted living and memory care homes. At August, I led finance and served as chief of staff.

Chase Riley

I grew up in a big family in Charlotte, NC and then attended Vanderbilt University, where I studied Medicine, Health & Society with minors in Business and Spanish. After graduating, I joined Deloitte Consulting’s government practice in DC, where my work focused on military families with special medical needs. Two years later, I pivoted to Deloitte’s commercial practice in NY, where I worked across the entire life sciences and healthcare ecosystem. My clients have ranged from nonprofit hospitals to regional health plans to global pharmaceutical companies, which exposed me to all the different components of and interactions within the healthcare value chain.

Outside of my client work, I became interested in the intersection of digital and behavioral health through managing Deloitte’s alliance with a data aggregation start-up and realizing the potential of leveraging data to improve the quality of behavioral health services.

Maya Rubin

I grew up in the Boston area and graduated from Columbia University in 2022 with a degree in Environmental Biology and Business Management. While in school, I worked for two years at Wellth, a digital health startup focused on improving medication adherence, where I worked in business development, user experience, and technology support. In my final semester, I joined Evergreen Nephrology, a value-based kidney care startup, where I developed patient education materials and operational workflows to support smoother transitions to dialysis.
After graduating, I joined Aledade, a pre-IPO healthcare company helping independent primary care practices succeed in value-based care, where I first worked on the product adoption team, training our network of physicians on billing and patient workflow improvement. Later, I managed the back-end operations for a market of small and rural Aledade practices across the United States, addressing their financial, insurance, and preventative care patient engagement initiatives.

Rikhil Shah

I grew up in Duluth, GA and studied Industrial Engineering at Georgia Tech, concentrating in Finance and Economic Systems. After graduation, I joined J.P. Morgan’s Healthcare Investment Banking team, where I spent three years as an analyst and associate focused on healthcare technology and pharma services. During my time there, I executed 23 M&A and IPO transactions, including the largest healthcare M&A deal in history.

I then joined CVC Capital as the sole U.S. private equity associate dedicated to the healthcare sector. At CVC, I’ve evaluated hundreds of companies, executed a complex carve-out, and led operational value creation initiatives at portfolio companies like ExamWorks and MedRisk. Through these experiences, I’ve built a strong framework for sourcing, diligencing, transacting, and operating high-quality healthcare investments. I’m now excited to pair those investing skills with opportunities to drive innovation and shape the future of healthcare delivery.

Lilly Shahidi

After graduating from NYU with a major in Economics, I spent 3 years in equity research, primarily at Evercore ISI covering the medical device sector. Over the past 3 years, I have worked at Evidity Health Capital as a late-stage venture capital and growth equity investor in medical device and diagnostics companies. I come from a family of physicians and am driven to support life science innovation and improve clinical outcomes for patients.

Eric Shan

I grew up in Massachusetts and went to Wharton for undergrad. After graduating, I spent two years as a Quantitative Researcher at Meta, where I used observational casual inference, experimental analysis, and interpretable machine learning to study user privacy and the digital economy. Simultaneously, I worked as a nursing aide at Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Afterwards, I returned to Penn to pursue my medical degree at the Perelman School of Medicine. During medical school, I’ve been involved in healthcare technology and early-stage investing through roles at 7wire Ventures, Flare Capital Partners, Springbank, Redpoint Ventures, and Rock Health Capital. I also spent a summer working under the CMO and CEO of Geisinger as a Medical Student Business Fellow.

Aileen Shen

I grew up in the Bay Area and attended UCLA, where I majored in Business Economics. After graduating, I moved to San Francisco and began my career as an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company. While at Bain, I primarily focused on healthcare projects – supporting private equity clients with due diligences, leading integrations between pharmaceutical companies, and working on market access strategies for novel and rare disease therapies. My time at Bain sparked a deeper interest in being closer to the provider and patient experience, so I joined Oak Street Health for a six-month externship.

At Oak Street, I was part of the Growth team, where I led our national community events strategy in partnership with CVS executives, Oak Street providers, event coordinators, and outreach teams. I worked on designing and executing social and educational events for our Medicare patients. One of the most rewarding aspects of my role was witnessing our senior patients find joy in new friendships and community – an experience that continues to ground the impact that I hope to create in the future.

Caroline Smith

I grew up right outside of Los Angeles (Long Beach) then switched coasts when I attended Dartmouth in Hanover, NH. After studying Anthropology with a biological lens, I found myself at the intersection of people and science–leading me to discover my passion for healthcare.
I joined EY-Parthenon in New York where I explored sectors for a year before settling in with healthcare commercial due diligence projects for around three years. Working with healthcare PE clients has opened my eyes to the complex world of American healthcare, but it has also exposed the glaring inequities many people face when trying to receive care. As a Black woman who has seen a lack of access to and affordability of care affect my family and my community, I hope to apply my experience in healthcare consulting to work with major hospitals and health systems on their strategies to reach all patients in need of care.

Molly Solem

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago before attending the University of Southern California, where I studied Biomedical Engineering with an emphasis in Mechanical Engineering. During college, I interned at Edwards Lifesciences as an R&D engineer and at Basepaws, a pet genetics startup, in a Research & Marketing role. I also participated in several clinical shadowing opportunities, where I observed patient care firsthand. I developed a passion for medtech and biotech and their ability to improve patients’ lives.

After graduation, I joined Bain & Company in LA. There, I worked on various projects both within and outside of the healthcare space – including performance improvement, strategy, and private equity due diligence. These experiences gave me insight into the challenges organizations face and the qualities that drive successful businesses – perspectives I’m excited to apply to the healthcare field in the long term.

Adam Sudit

I was an analyst at Cornerstone Research’s Boston office for 1.5 years, working mainly in the pharmaceuticals practice. I then moved to Wellington Management’s Healthcare Equity Research team, where I covered MedTech companies for the firm.

Abhinav Suresh

Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, I became interested in science after a summer stint researching the genetic markers of blood cancers. During my time at Columbia University, my interest gradually evolved towards understanding the finances behind healthcare; I studied Financial Economics while taking classes on biopharmaceutical drug development to better understand the industry.

I began my career at MTS Health Partners as an investment banking analyst, where I worked on buy-side and sell-side M&A, equity financings, and activist defense transactions across biotechnology, health-tech, and healthcare services. I later transitioned to an investing role in my hometown at InterAlpen Partners, a lower middle market growth equity firm investing in healthcare and technology businesses. I’ve primarily focused on our investments within medical aesthetics, digital health, and software.

Frank Talty

I grew up in the Florida Panhandle and completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Florida. I then pursued my doctorate in physical therapy at Duke University before commissioning into the United States Army as a physical therapist. During my five years of military service, I worked in the Initial Entry Training environment (Basic and Advanced Individual Training), where I progressed from clinical roles to program management for injury prevention and control.

Ben Vandehey

I grew up in Seattle, Washington and attended the University of Washington where I studied finance and global health. After graduation, I joined Bain & Company spending time in their Private Equity Group, Healthcare & Life Sciences group, and Advanced Manufacturing & Services group. Later, I joined AVALT, a family investment office, on their behavioral health investment team focusing on intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, and residential treatment levels of care.

John Vella

I grew up in a family shaped by care. Both of my younger brothers have complex disabilities, and from an early age, I saw how fragmented, impersonal, and exhausting the healthcare system can be—not just for patients, but also for the families who support them.

After graduating from Penn for undergrad, I joined L.E.K. Consulting to better understand and influence the healthcare system at scale. There, I advised healthcare companies across sectors on growth and acquisition strategy, supporting over a dozen deals (including the Bristol Myers Squibb / Celgene merger).

I found myself most energized by work that directly impacted patient experiences, which led me to Lippincott, a brand and innovation consultancy within Oliver Wyman. There, I’ve partnered with organizations like Humana, Kaiser Permanente, and CVS Health to make care more seamless, accessible, and human.

This summer, I became a certified community habilitation provider to better understand the lived experience of caregivers, and I’ve continued fundraising for the Center for Discovery, the residential care and research institution where my brother Robert has lived for over 20 years.

Brian Weil

I grew up in New Jersey and studied Mechanical Engineering at Duke University, where I was a member of the Duke Electric Vehicles team. During undergrad, I interned at Pfizer in supply chain strategy, which sparked my initial interest in the healthcare sector. After graduating, I joined L.E.K. Consulting in Boston as a generalist Associate. Following my first year at L.E.K. and gaining exposure to healthcare work across life sciences, payer, and provider organizations, I transitioned to the firm’s life sciences practice. I spent the next 3.5 years advising clients across the life sciences sector on growth strategy, go-to-market, indication prioritization, and M&A due diligence projects and had the opportunity to work with pharma/biotech, diagnostics, research tools, and pharma services companies.

Alex Wong

I grew up in the Bay Area and studied Biology and Economics at Penn. After college, I joined the healthcare strategy division at Analysis Group, where I worked with biopharma companies on drug launches and market access strategy. Wanting to be closer to early-stage discovery and innovation, I joined F-Prime Capital as a venture investor on the life sciences team. There, I focused on early-stage biotech investing and company incubation, with an emphasis on US/China cross-border deals.

Karen Yang

I grew up in the suburbs of Southern California and studied Public Health with a minor in Business at UCSD. During undergrad, I launched my first venture, FelicityCBT, a mobile app that used cognitive behavioral therapy to improve student mental wellbeing. After graduating, I joined CareMetx, where I led patient support programs for pharma companies, helping patients learn about and access their treatments. More recently, I co-founded CareSteps, an AI-powered platform that connects patients to financial and social resources. Across all my experiences, I’ve stayed focused on improving patient care and driving healthcare innovation.

David Zhang

I was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan and attended the University of Michigan. I began my career at Rothschild & Co’s (NYC) Healthcare group, advising on transactions across the healthcare ecosystem. Following my time at Rothschild, I moved to Chicago and worked at Chicago Pacific Founders, a private equity firm focused on healthcare services, value-based care, and HCIT.

Kelly Zochowski

I grew up in Chatham NJ and attended The Lawrenceville School and Georgetown University, majoring in Biology. I spent a year developing novel MRI techniques using deep machine learning to improve visualization of orthopaedic conditions as a research assistant at Hospital for Special Surgery and continued this work as a medical student at Penn.