The HBS Healthcare Alumni Association (HBSHAA) hosted its 25^th Annual Conference at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge on November 7, and once again offered an exclusive agenda that was jam-packed with industry thought leaders and luminaries.

More than 220 alumni and guests attended the day-long conference, which featured a fireside chat, nine different panel discussions, and a post-conference networking reception.

Following opening remarks by HBSHAA co-founders Bunny Ellerin (MBA 1995) and Robert DeNoble (MBA 1972), the club honored Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of UnitedHealth Group and the Conference Keynote Speaker, with the 2025 Ellerin Achievement Award for his dedicated and innovative leadership in the health care industry.

“It’s phenomenal to honor him,” says Ellerin. “He is one of the most influential people in the US health care industry currently.”

Ellerin had the idea, in 1999, to establish the HBSHAA with the intention of building a network and resource for HBS alumni working in health care. It has since grown to a global membership of more than 800 alumni and offers substantive programming and networking opportunities year-round.

“I founded the club because I was pursuing a career in health care and wanted to connect with like-minded people,” says Ellerin. “It wasn't necessarily intuitive that health care and HBS went together, but I saw in the alumni database how many people were in the industry, and I thought it would be useful to have a network where we could connect. Lo and behold that was true. Now, 25 years later, the club is not only surviving, but thriving, and the annual conference is a huge proof point. The fact that so many alumni along the way have volunteered their time and energy for the club just shows how much passion there is for HBS and for their chosen field.”

When Ellerin stepped down from club leadership in 2005, the board decided to honor her by creating the Ellerin Achievement Award to recognize outstanding contributions to the health care field. “That was very humbling,” she says.

The HBSHAA Annual Conference is known among alumni and industry leaders for its intimate size, making it a rare opportunity for attendees to connect with each other and with panelists and speakers.

“The number of industry leaders who came together, in various capacities was just outstanding,” says current HBSHAA Co-President Joe Montrosse (MBA 2005). “We had biotech innovators, and folks who have founded some impressive organizations, from Ascidian to Moderna. We had folks who are taking big bets on the future of health care and coming up with innovations to make people healthier. I’ve been to lots of different health care conferences, and you just don’t get the same level of engagement as you do here.”

Many of this year’s conference panels featured HBS faculty as moderators, including Amy C. Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, who sat down with Sir Andrew Witty for a fireside chat; Robert Huckman, the Albert J. Weatherhead III Professor of Business Administration and Faculty Chair of the HBS Health Care Initiative; Leemore Dafny, the Bruce V. Rauner Professor of Business Administration; and Peter Barrett, an Executive Fellow at HBS and Partner at Atlas Venture.

Panels discussed a wide range of topics including new business models in healthcare delivery, biotech investment outlook, pricing and affordability, leadership, and venture philanthropy.

The last panel of the day was the “Deans’ Discussion” and featured Andrea Baccarelli, MD, PhD, Dean of the Faculty, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and George Q. Daley, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, in conversation with moderator R. Martin Chavez, Partner at Sixth Street.

While the annual conference is the club’s signature event—and takes a full year to organize—the club also offers programming throughout the year to keep alumni engaged and supported, says Cameron Lahaise, Executive Director of the HBSHAA.

“There’s another big event, the J.P. Morgan Health Care Conference, in San Francisco in January, and we’ll be hosting a reception for all the HBSHAA alumni who travel to attend,” says Lahaise. “We want HBS folks to be able to connect with each other apart from the event. And we often try to collaborate on these kinds of events or opportunities to bring in a speaker, or even partner with the HBS student Healthcare Club. We just hosted a reception for HBS alumni attending the Jefferies London Healthcare Conference, as well.

“We also offer Virtual Roundtables (VRTs) for our members which are online webinars offered at lunch time. We’re always looking for topics and we invite alumni to bring us ideas for VRT discussions.”

Looking ahead, the club has its sights on engaging and supporting current HBS students who are focused on health care. “To figure out how we can better engage with folks earlier in their careers, we’re bringing on the two co-presidents of the HBS student Healthcare Club, who graduated this year, for a one-year fellowship with our HBSHAA board,” says Montrosse. “We’ll do this every year. We want to hear their good ideas and work to better support recent grads.”

The club is also looking to expand its reach across Harvard University, says HBSHAA Co-President Eileen McCullough (MBA 2005).

“Reflecting the changes in the practice of the business of healthcare over the last 25 years, we have broadened our umbrella to include other Harvard schools developing healthcare leaders,” she says. “The goal is to give our alumni the ability to network with and grow professionally with alumni, professors and students from other schools including the Harvard Medical School, the T. H. Chan School of Public Health, the Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Harvard Law School—any Harvard school that is furthering the practice of the business of healthcare.

“Our goal for the next 25 years is to continue to grow sustainably, bringing value to our HBS Healthcare Alumni Association community in ways that are immediately tangible and practiceable.”

The 2024 HBS Global Networking Night (GNN) on October 22 was another resounding success, with 67 separate events bringing HBS alumni together.

The annual GNN features alumni gatherings—some in person, some virtual—hosted by HBS Clubs, Special Interest Group (SIGs), and Liaisons on the same day around the world. All HBS alumni are invited to this evening of informal networking and engagement.

Some clubs held cocktail social hours, others met over dinner, and several held panel discussions or other programs.

Here’s just a small sampling of what clubs did to facilitate connection, learning, and fun:

* The HBS Club of India hosted GNN 2024 gatherings over dinner and/or drinks in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kolkata that attracted alumni from across generations for a fun evening of reconnection to each other and to HBS.

* The HBS Association of Northern California held its GNN gathering at The Foundry in San Francisco, where a happy hour and networking complemented a fireside chat on Artificial Intelligence with Andrew Brackin, a partner at Gradient Ventures.

* The HBS Club of France brought together more than 50 alumni for a fun evening of networking in Paris, hosted by Bain & Company.

* A crowd of 135 guests joined the HBS Club of New York’s event, which was hosted by Broadridge and supported by CFGI. The festivities included networking, a chance to learn more about HBSNY’s various divisions and programs, and hear remarks from HBSCNY President Calvin Mew (PMD 48, 1984) and HBS Women’s Association President Elizabeth Crabill (MBA 1999).

* The HBS Club of The Netherlands welcomed 35 guests for a gathering that featured a discussion with the former Dutch Ambassador to the US Henne Schuwer and David Skilling, Ph.D., an expert on geopolitics from the Harvard Kennedy School, about the US election and its implications on trade, the economy, and Europe’s political landscape.

* At its GNN event, the HBS Club of Mexico welcomed HBS MBA candidates from Mexico for the classes of 2025 and 2026, who joined the gathering via Zoom to share a preview of their current work and interests as they prepare to become leaders in various areas of the business world.

President, HBS Club of Columbus

What’s your day job and title: I am a Director of Strategy for the Americas at Vertiv, a global company that provides power equipment, thermal equipment, and services to data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments.

When did you take on your current role with the club? In April 2024.

What inspired you to take a leadership role? I moved to Columbus in early 2022 and wanted to feel more connected to the HBS alumni in the area and the business ecosystem of Central Ohio. The HBS Club of Columbus had a long history of events and programming but was inactive at the time I moved to the city. Several local alumni spoke fondly of past Club events and expressed interest in seeing programming relaunched.

Why do you want to give back in this way? My personal experience at HBS was as transformative as had been promised, not just because of the classroom and case method, but because of the other students. I wanted to give alumni in Columbus a chance to recreate the connections we made on campus, but across class years and in the real-world local business environment.

What does the club mean to you? As soon as I announced the club’s relaunch, I received an unbelievable amount of outreach from alumni asking: “How can I help?” “Who can I connect you to?” “I want you to be successful!” This reminded me that the HBS community is for life.

What do you hope to accomplish during your tenure in this club role? I want to connect HBS alumni to one another and to the business ecosystem of Central Ohio, to enhance our ability to embody the HBS mission to make a difference in the world. I want to give alumni behind-the-scenes access to Columbus’ top businesses and their leaders and to build a support network as we navigate our careers and our lives post-MBA or post-Executive Education.

What have you accomplished to date that you are excited about? Since May, the Club has hosted three social events and three programming events. We attended a private lecture by the Director of the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) at The Ohio State University about the future of mobility, including the challenges of electrification and autonomy. We interviewed the CEO and CFO of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and got to taste some of their most popular flavors. We spoke to the President of Operations of the Columbus Crew soccer team, followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of their state-of-the-art soccer stadium. At each event, we have grown our attendance and plan to continue to grow as we host events in the new year.

Why should alumni who live in your area join your club? Columbus is growing rapidly, and the business environment has never been so dynamic and ripe with potential. For young alumni, the HBS Club of Columbus is a great place to connect with peers who are early in navigating a career in the area, and to meet mid-career and executive-level alumni who can become mentors. We would like to join the HBS Alumni Forums program to create even stronger bonds between small groups of alumni.

What was your favorite/most impactful class at HBS? I loved my EC course, “The Moral Leader” with Professor Badaracco. We used literature to discuss how to make difficult decisions, especially when confronted with only bad options. I long for the days when I could read a book a week and then engage in deep ethical conversations with HBS classmates. The conversations usually spilled over into the hallway after the class ended.

What’s the best advice you could give an incoming HBS student? Lean into your interests both inside and outside the classroom. You are surrounded by the most talented and ambitious people you will likely ever encounter in one place at one time. Connect and build relationships that can last a lifetime.

Who or what gives you energy every day? My four-year-old son is my source of energy and inspiration. He makes me strive to be a better person in all aspects of my life so that he can have a great example and can experience the best parent possible.

How do you relax? / Do you have a hobby? I started performing improv comedy before HBS when I first lived in Ohio. When I moved back in 2022, I got to start performing again with my favorite cast members. It’s exhilarating to step on a stage without knowing how the evening will unfold.

What are you reading/ binge-watching? I am halfway through reading The Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand. It is an authorized sequel to Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, and I am eager to keep reading. I love the thrill of a horror story and am always impressed when an author can scare you through the page.

Favorite restaurant in your area? I love grabbing dinner at Brassica, a local fast-casual chain that serves Mediterranean-inspired bowls, sandwiches, and salads. Every single ingredient you can choose from is delicious on its own, but combined they create something transcendent.

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