The 12th annual Wharton Undergraduate Healthcare Conference was hosted at The Inn at Penn on Jan. 25.
Credit: Hans BodeWharton Undergraduate Healthcare Club hosted its annual undergraduate healthcare conference on Jan. 25 at The Inn at Penn.
Titled “Healthcare Beyond Borders,” the conference featured a range of speakers from Daiichi Sankyo Chairman, President, and CEO Ken Keller to Novartis US Chief Commercial Officer Reshema Kemps-Polanco. The day-long conference included discussions on the interconnectedness of health systems around the world. The WUHC undergraduate healthcare conference is the largest undergraduate healthcare conference in the nation.
The first “fireside chat” featuring Keller focused on the value of customer-centric leadership.
“There’s nothing more powerful than being a senior executive who actually knows customers,” Keller said to attendees. “It’s a rare but invaluable asset.”
He urged attendees to maintain a close connection with the people their organizations serve, regardless of their specific roles.
The discussion also touched on the role of pricing in the United States healthcare system. Keller acknowledged the complexity of the system, describing it as “a convoluted network that has evolved over time.” While he recognized the need for reform, he emphasized the intricate balance between funding groundbreaking research and ensuring affordability for patients. The conversation was mediated by Mark Sellmyer, professor of radiology in biochemistry and biophysics at Penn Medicine.
Keller ended his talk with similar sentiments stating that making an impact on others’ lives is his priority, whether it be by overseeing the creation of something as revolutionary as TNF-alpha inhibitors for arthritis or by being recognized by his employees as someone who propelled them forward in their careers.
During a later panel about “Biotech's Next Venture,” Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group Troy Mullane spoke specifically about the intersection between business and medicine during a panel about Biotech's next venture.
“The impact one can have by being involved in business of medicine is just much greater than other businesses,” Mullane said.
Other panel topics at the conference included “Policy, Pandemics, and Providers,” “Precision Medicine — A Paradigm Shift,” and “Medtech in the Making.”
Pfizer CEO and Chairman Albert Bourla; Regeneron Co-Founder, President, and Chief Scientific Officer George Yancopoulos; and other industry leaders were guest speakers at the 2024 WUHC conference.
Nearly 300 new undergraduate members were inducted into WUHC this year.
“[This year] has been truly transformational,” College junior Alina Zaidi, co-VP of Conference at the Wharton Undergraduate Healthcare Club, said.
She added that she hopes attendees will walk away with new inspiration and ideas for their own years ahead.
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