Leading executives join students at Healthcare Entrepreneurship Forum

As executive vice president of Abbott’s medical devices division, Lisa Earnhardt ’96 MBA leads a unit responsible for $21 billion in annual sales. 

As a Kellogg alumna, she returned to campus and told a capacity audience at the 2026 Kellogg Healthcare Entrepreneurship Forum, that much of her success is attributable to understanding the needs of others. 

Alongside Whit Bernard ’13 MBA — who recently oversaw Metsera’s $10 billion sale — and Alexei Mlodinow ’16 MD, MBA, Earnhardt took part in a one-hour panel discussion on company acquisitions. The presentation was one of six exploring topics like the impact of artificial intelligence, venture capital and social media.  

“This event brings incredibly impressive Kellogg alumni and other professionals across multiple sectors of the healthcare industry together with students in an approachable setting.”

“This event brings incredibly impressive Kellogg alumni and other professionals across multiple sectors of the healthcare industry together with students in an approachable setting,” says Josh Engel ’26 MD-MBA Program. “Because the panels are crafted by student moderators with ample opportunity for audience questions, the discussions are framed with the students' interests in mind. The forum is also designed to grow MBA students’ networks in an intentional and unintimidating way.” 

Additional alumni participants from the Full-Time, Evening & Weekend and Executive MBA Programs, and the Master in Management Program, included:  

• Ben Andrew ’98 MS, VP strategy, Intuitive 
• Maneesh Arora ’00 MBA, CEO, Elephas 
• Martin Babler ’98 cKSM, chairman, president and CEO, Alumis 
• Steven Elms ’92 MBA, managing partner, Aisling Capital 
• Marc-Henri Galletti ’97 MBA, managing director, Longitude Capital Management Co., LLC 
• Scott Minick: ’81 MBA, former president and CEO, BIND Therapeutics, and former managing director of ARCH Venture Partners 
• Sean Salmon ’00 MBA, advisor, PwC 
• Tyler Wanke ’15 MBA, MS CEO, Madison Scientific
• Martha Wofford ’01 MBA, president and CEO, BCBS of Rhode Island 

Other executive leaders who participated, included: 

• Samir Abboud, chief of emergency radiology, Northwestern Medicine 
• Barbara Goodman, president and CEO Cures within Reach 
• Adwaiy Manerikar, integrated cardiothoracic surgery resident, Northwestern Medicine 
• Liridon Rrushaj, director of venture investing, OSF Ventures 
• Kaveh Safavi, senior managing director of global health business, Accenture
• Robbie Tindall, vice president, provider process network operations, Humana 

The value in coming back to Kellogg

“Coming back to Kellogg just reminds me of the energy, passion and collaborative spirit here,” says Earnhardt. “I always get energized when I'm here and I’m always amazed at how bright the students, faculty and the other alums are. I find tremendous value in reconnecting with every part of the Kellogg community.” 

“I always get energized when I'm here and I’m always amazed at how bright the students, faculty and the other alums are. I find tremendous value in reconnecting with every part of the Kellogg community.”

The annual forum is designed to buttress the school's leadership position in healthcare by combining the strength of Healthcare at Kellogg (HCAK) and the Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice. The two-day event connects and nurtures Kellogg alumni with interested students, through a series of panels on the entrepreneurial challenges in biopharma, medical technology and digital health, along with in-depth discussions about founding, financing and building a healthcare company.

Dean Francesca Cornelli and HCAK Director Craig Garthwaite delivered opening remarks outlining the unique position for MBA students at Kellogg who have access to world-class healthcare and entrepreneurship education opportunities. More than 800 Kellogg alumni are currently healthcare C-suite executives. 

Launched in 2023, the forum continues to receive support from James McNerney Jr., who serves on the Global Advisory Board and Private Equity Advisory Council at Kellogg and Adjunct Professor in Healthcare Pete McNerney. Pete and Adjunct Lecturer in Healthcare Katie Arnold ’02 MBA co-led the event. Following Friday’s panel discussions and networking reception, the forum culminated with Saturday’s annual Business Plan Competition, which is open to early-stage healthcare companies with a Kellogg student or recent alumnus as founder, CEO or COO.   

2026 Business Plan Winners

• First place Life Science/Product category: Denver Life Sciences — Co-founder and CEO Gurbinder Bali, MS, MBA; Bali '24 MBA and Co-founder Kunal Lunawat  
• Second place Life Science/Product category: Rora — Co-founders Neha Mehta '25 MBA and Catherine Malloy '25 MBA 
• First place Services/Digital Health category: VetAnvil — COO Evan Condon ‘27 MBA and David Sontag, Founder, CEO 
• Second place Services/Digital Health category: SHFT Behavioral Health — COO Holley Brandchaft-White, MBA '23 and Genia Yovankin '13 MBA, Founder and CEO. 

“It’s clear that this type of forum is appreciated and valued for not only the conversations but the career networking it provides,” says Arnold. “The B-Plan Competition is unique in that it’s a Kellogg-only event and each year we see the quality of companies get better and more robust. The competition reinforces the entrepreneurship side of the forum for students and having alumni be the judges makes it even more meaningful.” 

Healthcare at Kellogg

The Healthcare Entrepreneurship Forum is an anchor for HCAK, which combines the foundational training of an MBA with a focus on the business of healthcare that is necessary for long-term success as a leader. 

Foundational classes, such as Healthcare Strategy, blend fundamental managerial skills with deep industry exposure. Advanced classes, such as Value Creation and Capture in Healthcare or Pharmaceutical Strategy, apply concepts learned to real-world challenges. As a capstone to the HCAK specialty, you’ll hone your skills with either an experiential or in-the-field course, such as Healthcare Strategy Consulting Lab or Medtech Entrepreneurship.

“For students interested in expanding their impact beyond clinical medicine, the MD-MBA is a perfect bridge to help you start your career trying to become a physician leader,” says Engel. “I would recommend the MD-MBA Program to any medical student interested in entrepreneurship, collaborations with the biotech or medtech industry, healthcare administration or leadership in healthcare systems design, among many other career niches.” 

As a forum moderator, Engel appreciated the opportunity to connect with some of the top business minds in the nation. 

Earnhardt’s parting advice to students: “Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. You’re only here for a short period of time and while it seems like you’re very busy and you can’t do one more thing — do one more thing — because it’s such a unique time to connect with your classmates and alums when they come on campus.” 

Read next: How Kellogg alumnus Whit Bernard is helping turn biopharma startups into gamechangers