On March 24th, 2006, the Yale School of Management Healthcare Club, in conjunction with the MBA for Executives Program, the SOM Alumni Association, and the Yale Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Society, presented its second annual healthcare conference – Healthcare 2006: The Political and Ethical Challenges to Advancing Healthcare Quality.

Building on the success of last year’s conference, the organizers expanded the breadth and scope of the symposium this year. Anchored by some of the industry’s emerging leaders and supported by Corporate Partner Health Net, Corporate Sponsors Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, CIGNA, and Roche, the SOMAA and the SOM Steering Committee, this multidisciplinary forum offered insights into the increasingly complex dynamics emerging in the healthcare industry.

Healthcare 2006 was kicked off by Yale SOM Dean Joel Podolny when he offered remarks on SOM’s apt placement to tackle the complex and challenging issues faced by the healthcare industry. Dean Podolny also introduced Keynote Speaker Kerry R. Hicks, President and CEO of HealthGrades, a national leader in providing healthcare information to consumers via the Internet. Mr. Hicks headed a lineup of industry thought leaders by addressing the attendees with his talk entitled, "Healthcare Quality: Where Private Enterprise Intersects Public Policy."

Another extraordinary feature of the conference was the Executive Panel, whose members included:

• Michael Apkon, MD, PhD, MBA – Vice President, Yale New Haven Health System
• Paul Cleary, MS, PhD – Professor, Harvard University
• Richard Foster, MS, PhD – Managing Partner, Foster Health Partners
• Leslie V. Norwalk, JD – Deputy Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• Jim Sherblom, MBA – Managing General Partner, Seaflower Ventures

Finally, the day was rounded out with a series of Breakout Sessions led by Alumni, Faculty and Industry Executives. Topics explored in these smaller, topic-focused discussions sections, included pay-for-performance, individual care vs. social good, the prospects for an American nationalized health system, and the future of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, among many others.

Healthcare 2006 was an extraordinary success and was yet another example of the growing collaboration among different schools and programs around the University involved in healthcare. Moreover, organizers and attendees not only represented all areas of Yale, but many other Universities in the Northeast Region, and representatives of private, public, and nonprofit healthcare organizations throughout the region as well.

For further information on this or future conferences, please contact the Yale School of Management Healthcare Club by email (healthcare@som.yale.edu) or visit the conference website (http://conf.som.yale.edu/healthcare/).