Healthcare at Kellogg (HCAK) builds upon the rigorous MBA core curriculum to give students an in-depth, cross-disciplinary study of complex problems of an evolving healthcare sector. What sets the program apart is our unique healthcare management MBA pathway. Students follow a curated progression of faculty-recommended courses designed to provide a deeper, more holistic understanding of healthcare as it relates to intersecting industries, such as finance, public policy and economics.
HCAK combines all degree programs at Kellogg. This allows Full-Time and Evening & Weekend students to interact with Executive MBA students and aims to provide all students with a combination of academic frameworks and practical experience. Additionally, Kellogg offers a joint-degree program for MD students in partnership with the Feinberg School of Medicine.
In February 2021, Kellogg alumnus Kent Hawryluk ’07 gave a $3M gift to establish the Hawryluk Biopharmaceutical Scholars Endowed Fund. This builds upon the HCAK program establishing a network of full-time MBA students with demonstrated interest in the biopharmaceutical sector. Scholars will receive scholarships and benefit from dedicated cocurricular programming intended to prepare them for long-term success in this evolving field.
The Healthcare at Kellogg (HCAK) Pathway prepares students for the unique challenges and opportunities in the healthcare sector. Foundational HCAK offerings integrate fundamental managerial disciplines (e.g., economics, strategy) with deep exposure to the industries comprising the healthcare sector, while advanced courses apply these concepts to the specific problems facing managers in the life sciences and payer/provider sectors. As a capstone to the pathway, HCAK students may test and hone their skills through an experiential or field course.
Faculty sponsors: Craig Garthwaite (Strategy)
These courses prepare students for the strategic and managerial challenges unique to life sciences companies.
Critical Issues in the Pharmaceutical, Biotech, and Medical Device IndustriesThese courses address foundational and topical issues in healthcare services.
These courses offer an opportunity to apply and hone by "going deep" in a particular field project.
Last edited July 13, 2021. For any questions regarding this page, please email kellogg-registrar@kellogg.northwestern.edu
In February 2021, Kellogg alumnus Kent Hawryluk ’07 gave a $3M gift to establish the Hawryluk Biopharmaceutical Scholars Endowed Fund. This builds upon the HCAK program establishing a network of full-time MBA students with demonstrated interest in the biopharmaceutical sector. Scholars will receive scholarships and benefit from dedicated cocurricular programming intended to prepare them for long-term success in this evolving field. Each year an intimately sized cohort will be named Hawryluk Scholars. Read more about this year’s Hawryluk Scholars.
Annually, the Hawryluk Biopharmaceutical Scholars program will have a kick-off dinner with Kent Hawryluk and Kellogg faculty to outline the diverse programming for Hawryluk Scholars including:
Hawryluk Scholars will also receive greater access to speakers at Kellogg, the scientific community at Northwestern University, such as the Chemistry of Life Processes (CLP) Institute, and an alum mentor.
Liz Bhatt, Chief Business & Strategy Officer, Applied Molecular Transport
Suzanne Blaug, Senior Advisor, McKinsey & Company
Healthcare has been the fifth largest industry for Kellogg Full-time MBA graduates for the last five years. More than 50 healthcare companies hired Kellogg students for internships or full-time roles in 2020, including Davita, Oak Street Health, Edwards Lifesciences, UnitedHealth Group, Intuitive Surgical, Amgen, Optum, Cigna, Abbott Laboratories, AbbVie and CVS Health. Additionally, many students pursue jobs into healthcare-related function roles at companies such as PwC, Strategy&, Kaiser Associates, University of Illinois at Chicago and Walmart, Inc.
BiotechnologyAmgenBiogen Genentech, Inc. Gilead Sciences Regeneron Sanofi Genzyme PharmaceuticalAbbVieAstraZeneca Celgene Eli Lilly and Company GlaxoSmithKline Horizon Pharma Pfizer, Inc Johnson & Johnson Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA ConsultingBayer Corp.-Business ConsultingBDC Advisors The Boston Consulting Group Chartis Group McKinsey & Company Navigant Consulting, Inc. Sg2 ZS Associates |
Medical DeviceAbbottBaxter Healthcare BD (Becton, Dickinson and Co) Boston Scientific Danaher Corporation Edwards Lifesciences Intuitive Surgical Medline Industries Medtronic, PLC Nevro Corporation Stryker Varian Medical Systems HealthTechAccoladeActualize Therapy Evidation Health iRhythm Mango Health Omada Health Proteus Digital Health Teladoc Tempus Zipongo |
Provider & ServicesAnthem, Inc.athenahealth, Inc. Blue Cross Blue Shield Cardinal Health Cigna CVS Health DaVita Humana, Inc. Intermountain Health Jacaranda Health Kaiser Permanente Northwestern Memorial Hospital Oak Street Health Procured Health Sutter Health UCLA Health UnitedHealthGroup University of Chicago Medical Center |
The program for Healthcare at Kellogg goes well beyond the classroom to offer a rich mix of cocurricular, professional, mentorship and academic opportunities. The Healthcare Club, with an average of 350 students, delivers a diverse platform of opportunities and activities for Kellogg students to gain awareness, develop relevant skill sets and build successful careers in the healthcare industry.
The Healthcare Club hosts events throughout the year, providing students with an opportunity to learn about the healthcare system, meet other students interested in healthcare, connect with companies across the healthcare sector, prepare for interviews at healthcare companies and network with Kellogg alumni who work in healthcare. Highlights include Healthcare 101 Speaker Series, Healthcare Week, Company Lunch & Learns, Career Tracks, Social Events and Case Competitions.
Open to participants around the world, the Biotech and Healthcare Case competition is one of the oldest and best-known healthcare competitions. This annual event features teams of students who tackle complex healthcare questions beyond a class setting.
For more than 30 years, HCAK has hosted the Mentorship Program to provide students with opportunities to gain insights from nationally recognized healthcare executives. HCAK hosts one-on-one sessions as well as small group lunches with visiting executives throughout the winter and spring quarters.
Leading C-suite executives speak to a group of 60 students about their careers and broad issues of interest in their particular sector of healthcare. Speakers are selected from the highest industry tiers and across the healthcare ecosystem. The speakers explore current trends and share their strategic foresight of where the industry is going. This year’s speakers will include:
A more informal venue that provides a distinctive space for students to ask candid questions of healthcare executives. The chats are intentionally capped at 15 students over lunch. This format helps build unique opportunities for in-depth conversations with leaders across the healthcare ecosystem.
Healthcare at Kellogg will hold a series of five lunch-time talks on key areas of the healthcare sector. Each presentation is designed to give meaningful insights to all students, regardless of experience in the industry. Examples of topics covered in the HCAK Speaker Series have included:
The Kellogg Healthcare Alumni Network is a robust innovative way for thousands of healthcare alumni to engage with each other and Kellogg faculty, thought leaders more frequently and meaningfully.
Members will regular communications about timely issues related to the business of healthcare. Additionally, members will have access to exclusive webinars, updates on healthcare stories of interest with faculty editorials, an updated database of Kellogg alumni in the healthcare field, and networking opportunities at in-person events and conferences.