Health Care Electives for 2008

This was emailed to CBS students recently.


Last year, the Health Care and Pharmaceutical Management Program was created to provide Columbia MBA students with a "real world" understanding of the health care industry through innovative course offerings and learning/networking opportunities with industry leaders. In 2007-08 five health care electives are being offered, comprising an integrated "matrix" of functional disciplines (strategy/management, economics, finance, marketing, and operations) within multiple health care sectors (pharmaceuticals/ biotechnology, medical devices, health care services), studied from the perspectives of industry executives and investors (PE/ VC firms). Each course uses seasoned industry practitioners as guest speakers (15-20 in the aggregate).

These complementary courses will be useful for students not only interested in careers in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, devices, and health services, but also management consulting, investment banking, equity research, venture capital, private equity, and investment management given the large and growing healthcare practices of such firms.

In spring 2008, there will be four half-term healthcare electives. As shown below, dates and times of these courses have been aligned to facilitate student scheduling:

A-Term (M-W 12:30-2pm):

Prof. Cramer, director of the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Program, will teach Strategy and Competition in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology, which was first offered this past spring. It provides a critical and timely analysis of the key strategic, organizational, and competitive opportunities and challenges confronting the pharma/ biotech sector.

B-Term (M-W 12:30-2pm):

Prof. Wosinska (visiting from the Harvard Business School) will teach Health Care Marketing. This course (which is complementary to Prof. Cramer's pharma/ biotech strategy course) focuses on strategies pertaining to the marketing of pharmaceuticals, biologics and medical devices including such areas as new product introduction and adoption, branding, value pricing, customer segmentation strategies, market research, advertising and promotion, and sales force role and design.

A-Term (M-W 10:45am-12:15pm):

Prof. Lichtenberg will teach Economics of Health Care and Pharmaceuticals, which is a restructured course from prior years focused on pricing and reimbursement of drugs, vaccines, devices, and hospital services, economics of biomedical research, and cost-benefit analyses employed by health care payers and consumers.

B-Term (M-W 10:45am–12:15pm):

Prof. Cramer will teach Health Care Investment and Dealmaking which analyzes the health care industry from the perspectives of venture capital and private equity firms investing in life sciences, devices, and health services, and health care entrepreneurs, including strategies to grow business franchises through partnering, licensing and mergers & acquisitions.

Attached please find more detailed descriptions of the health care course electives for spring 2008. If you have any questions on the health care curriculum, please contact Prof. Cramer, Director of the Health Care and Pharmaceutical Management Program at cc2663@columbia.edu or 212.854.2327.