As a team of five Darden MBA students, we recently dove headfirst into one of health care’s most pressing challenges at the prestigious Kellogg Biotech + Healthcare Competition. Sponsored by industry giants Medtronic and Moderna, this competition pushed us to think critically about the future of health care investment and innovation.
Our journey as a team began with a shared passion for health care innovation and a drive to tackle real-world challenges. Coming from diverse professional backgrounds—spanning immunology, digital transformation, clinical trials and market strategy—we saw an opportunity to combine our strengths and create meaningful solutions. With a mix of past collaborations, mutual respect for each other’s expertise and a desire to push our problem-solving abilities, we came together with a common goal: to make health care more accessible, efficient and impactful.
Our team included Elena Takas, an immunology expert with experience at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Tushar Mrigwani, a digital transformation leader and former non-profit founder focused on healthcare in India; Mehak Bhatia, a health care strategist with expertise in scaling national vaccination campaigns; Shubham Wahal, an operations innovator at Novartis specializing in clinical trial efficiencies; and Ritu Deswal, a strategist advising top pharmaceutical firms on market access.
The Challenge: Strategic Investment in Health Care’s Future
Our mission? To guide a fictional pharmaceutical company, Venogy, in prioritizing investments across six cutting-edge areas: from ALS treatment to robotic surgery. The stakes were high, and the competition fierce.
Our team approached this complex challenge by developing a three-dimensional framework, evaluating each opportunity through the lenses of:
- Market Potential
- Risk Assessment
- Return on Investment
After intense analysis, we zeroed in on two promising areas: Next-Generation Anti-Obesity Medication and Robotic Surgical Assistance. Both sectors showed not just financial promise but also aligned perfectly with emerging health care trends and technological capabilities.
Learning from Industry Veterans
The judges’ feedback proved invaluable, offering a reality check that only industry veterans can provide. While they praised our thorough market analysis, they highlighted a crucial oversight: we hadn’t fully considered physician adoption and patient motivation factors. It was a powerful reminder that in health care, success isn’t just about numbers and technology—it’s about understanding human behavior and clinical practicality.
Beyond the Case: Insights from Health Care Leaders
The competition wasn’t just about solving cases. We had the privilege of attending enlightening sessions with health care innovators. Two particularly stood out:
Microsoft’s VP of Healthcare, Dr. David Rhew, painted a compelling picture of AI’s role in health care administration. His session highlighted how technology could finally help crack the code of health care efficiency.
Meanwhile, Ricky Goldwasser, with her deep expertise in health care investment research, offered fascinating insights into where smart money is heading in health care. Her focus on preventative care and digital health solutions perfectly complemented our case study experience.
What We’re Taking Forward
This competition taught us that health care innovation isn’t just about identifying promising technologies—it’s about understanding the complex interplay between clinical needs, market dynamics, and human behavior. As future business leaders, we learned that successful health care solutions must balance innovation with practicality, and financial returns with patient outcomes.
The experience of collaborating with peers from other top business schools also highlighted how diverse perspectives can lead to more robust solutions in health care strategy. Each team brought unique insights to the table, demonstrating the power of collaborative problem-solving in addressing health care challenges.
Looking to the Future
Our team left the competition with more than just insights—we left with renewed enthusiasm for health care innovation. The experience reinforced our belief that the future of health care lies at the intersection of technological advancement, strategic investment and deep understanding of stakeholder needs.
As we move forward in our careers, we’ll carry these lessons with us, ready to contribute to the ever-evolving healthcare landscape. The Kellogg Competition wasn’t just a contest—it was a glimpse into the future of health care, and we’re excited to be part of shaping that future!
