Courses 

Healthcare electives complement Columbia Business School’s world-class MBA curriculum, comprising an integrated nexus of functional disciplines within multiple healthcare sectors, studied on a global basis from the perspective of industry executives and investors. Each course is taught by a unique mix of four to five seasoned healthcare executives and esteemed faculty and infuses topics of international significance into the classroom.

 

 

The Healthcare Industry in the 21st Century

Professor Linda Green: This course provides a general overview of the fast-evolving U.S. healthcare industry, the major players involved in the production and delivery of healthcare, and the key challenges and opportunities presented by new technologies, financing mechanisms, business models, and the political and regulatory developments engendered by the recent reform legislation.

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Strategy and Competition in Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Professors Robert Essner and Cliff Cramer:  This course provides a cross-functional analysis of the strategic, technological, regulatory, competitive, organizational and political challenges impacting the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector. Critical issues examined include the strategies and process of discovering, developing, and getting new drugs approved; R&D/product portfolio strategies; patent strategies and challenges; the pharmaceutical supply chain; design of prescription drug plans and the role of PBMs; competition between branded, generic and OTC products; industry profitability and growth prospects; and external/business-development strategies.

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Economics of Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals

Professor Frank Lichtenberg:  This course provides a framework for understanding the economic factors underlying the healthcare system and the intersection of its agents (consumers, payers, providers, suppliers). The course focuses primarily on the structure and economics of health insurance and the demand for healthcare; pricing and reimbursement of drugs, vaccines, medical devices and hospital services; economics of biomedical research; disease-management programs; and cost-benefit analysis employed by payers and consumers of healthcare products and services.

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Transforming the Delivery of Healthcare Services

Professors John Rowe and Linda Green: This course provides an advanced, critical analysis of the delivery and payment of healthcare services in the U.S. with a specific focus on the actions innovative healthcare providers and health insurers are taking to improve the quality of patient care, manage the escalating costs of providing such care, and enhance business performance. It analyzes the attractiveness and feasibility of new approaches to address the challenges facing providers, payors and patients operating in an inefficient, nonaligned and fragmented healthcare system.  Particular focus is given to the impact of the 2009 HITECH Act as well as the Affordable Care Act of 2010.

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Healthcare Investment and Dealmaking

Professors Cliff Cramer, Ken Hitchner and Jonathan Korngold:  This course analyzes the unique characteristics and strategies of investing in the healthcare sector from the perspective of venture capital firms investing in early-stage life science/healthcare enterprises, private equity firms seeking to build value-creating healthcare platforms, and M&A and business development strategies. The course also covers in-depth business development and dealmaking strategies (partnering, licensing, and M&A) pursued by healthcare companies to enhance competitive position.

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Pharmaceutical Development and Commercialization Workshop

Professors Robert Essner and Cliff Cramer.  This course provides an advanced, critical analysis of pharmaceutical development and commercialization strategies and practices with an emphasis on advanced competitive strategies to succeed in today's more challenging pharmaceutical environment.  It covers selected therapeutic categories including oncology, infectious diseases, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and analyzes the role of biomarkers, clinical study design and regulatory requirements, market access and pricing, global marketing and launch planning, and product life cycle management.

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Forecasting for Drug Development Strategy

Professor Ellynne Dec.  This course provides a practical introduction to the creation and use of business forecasts for informing pharmaceutical drug development strategy.  While the primary emphasis will be on commercial forecasting, it will examine other areas such as trial duration, probability of clinical and regulatory success, trial costs, and portfolio optimization.  Advantages and disadvantages of using forecasts will be analyzed and students will be introduced to the use of sensitivity analysis and scenario modeling to bridge these challenges.  Students will learn practical Excel tools for building models, performing sensitivity analysis, challenging forecasts and sourcing data.

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Healthcare Business and Investment in Emerging Markets [In Development]

This course will provide a practical understanding of the business strategies and investment opportunities for global healthcare companies and investors in key emerging markets (China, India, Middle East/Africa, Latin America), including public-private partnerships to address global healthcare needs.

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Investing in Medical Technologies [In Development]

This course will focus on the critical factors and mechanisms that sophisticated investors use to identify and value attractive medical device, diagnostics and life science tools companies.  It will provide students with an understanding of the current economic and competitive environment for development and commercialization of new medical technologies, including regulatory, pricing, and reimbursement factors.  It will highlight new emerging technologies in the field, and how to assess such novel technologies and build commercial models for valuation purposes. Guest speakers from the medical device industry and case studies will be used to provide students with practical insight into this complex sector.

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