Health Care

Health Care Initiative

We foster and promote faculty research, support the development of a portfolio of high-impact educational programs, and create an interconnected Harvard Business School health care community.

Professor Robert Huckman leads a spirited case discussion with MBA students in a Harvard Business School classroom.

Supporting a Dynamic Community

  • MBA Experience

    MBA students have an opportunity to make health care a business focus and to demonstrate solid health care leadership. Real-world experiences help students apply innovative management practices to urgent and chronic health care challenges.

  • Executive Education

    With virtual and in-person classrooms comprised of health care-executives from around the globe and led by world-renowned faculty, Harvard Business School offers a rich and diverse continuous education experience.

  • For Alumni

    With more than 8,000 graduates working in all health care industries around the globe, our alumni play important roles from supporting faculty with research to helping students network and find the right jobs.

  • For Recruiters

    Companies benefit from hiring our graduates who are prepared to be leaders at any level, yet are comfortable in the team-based learning environment that mirrors the current business world.

Impact

With global health care spending greater than $9.8 trillion, there is no shortage of opportunities to make an impact in this demanding sector. Harvard Business School is helping to drive innovation and improvement in several key areas.

Impact Stories

More Impact Stories
  • Video duration:4:38

    Blavatnik Fellowship: 5 Years of Thinking Big

    Alumni creating new ventures around promising life-science technologies while developing their leadership talents.

  • Video duration:5:02

    Making a Difference in Health Care

    Four Harvard Business School MBA alumni making a difference in health care.

  • Video duration:4:08

    Dr. Marlene Krauss: Health Care Visionary

    The first woman to receive an MBA and MD from Harvard University, Dr. Marlene Krauss (MBA 1969 and MD 1979) has been a pioneer, breaking boundaries, doing her part to advance the women’s movement, and combining medical and investment banking experience to develop medical treatments that have changed our culture.

Faculty & Research

More on Faculty & Research
  • Video duration:1:43

    An Introduction to Faculty Research

    Faculty are studying health care challenges from many angles to help uncover solutions to improve this underperforming sector: from high drug prices, gender biases, misaligned incentives to entrepreneurial road blocks.

  • Video duration:2:11

    Professor John Beshears on How the Nudge Movement Can Improve Healthy Behavior

    How can we improve the likelihood of people making healthy choices? One thing to consider, says Professor John Beshears, is that small “nudges” which offer a specific message at the right time, can have a great influence on people’s behavior. Professor Beshears’ primary research area is behavioral economics, the field that combines insights from psychology and economics to explore individual decision making and market outcomes.

  • Video duration:2:35

    Professor Raffaella Sadun on Improving Care in Hospitals

    How can we improve care for hospital patients? The key issue we need to figure out, says Professor Raffaella Sadun, is how to bring physicians and administrators together to work as a team and not as antagonists. Sadun studies management practices and how they affect organizational performance.

Areas of Impact

  • Advancing Global, Public & Societal Health

    Global health issues present large challenges, but also entrepreneurial opportunities and solutions. Harvard Business School (HBS) research highlights business models that help some of the world's most vulnerable populations.

  • Building Entrepreneurial Organizations

    Entrepreneurial students, faculty, and alumni are creating ventures that have the power to transform health care. HBS research is designed to help ventures at any stage of development across all sectors.

  • Fostering Innovation in Life Sciences

    The life sciences industry faces significant challenges such as price pressures and regulatory issues. Faculty, alumni, and students seek to speed the pace of “bench to bedside” innovation.

  • Increasing Value in Care Delivery

    The challenges of care delivery are well-known. Faculty and alumni practitioners are making an impact in reducing health care costs, increasing access to care, and improving health outcomes.

  • Understanding Health Systems, Payors & Regulation

    The US health care system is greatly regulated, exceedingly fragmented, and highly specialized. There are opportunities to innovate at all levels of the industry and around the world.