Healthcare Entrepreneurship Forum
Supporting Kellogg Healthcare Entrepreneurs
The Kellogg Healthcare Entrepreneurship Initiative is a new effort to further strengthen Kellogg's leadership position in healthcare combining the strength of Healthcare at Kellogg (HCAK) and the Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice. The forum will connect and nurture Kellogg alumni with interested students, through a series of panels on the entrepreneurial challenges in biopharma, med-tech and digital health, along with in-depth discussions about founding, financing and building a healthcare company. Networking and dinner will follow.
2025 Panels and speakers
Welcome and introduction:
Pete McNerney and Katie ArnoldPanel discussion:
Biopharma: The Promise of Synthetic Biology
Featuring Danielle Tullman-Ercek Co-Director, Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University; Jenny Rooke, Managing Director, Genoa Ventures; Jay Rosanelli, CEO, Syenex.
Moderated by Paul O'Malley '25 MBA.
Panel discussion:
Lessons Learned from Failure that Helped Achieve Success
Featuring Andrew Cittadine, COO Monopar Therapeutics; Konstantin Kostov, Scientist, Investor, Entrepreneur; Gabriele G. Niederauer, Ph.D., CEO and Co-founder, Freyya.
Moderated by Talia Krainc, MD Feinberg, 2023.
Panel discussion:
Using Digital Technology to Address Mental & Behavioral Health
Featuring Ademola (Dayo) Popoola '21 MBA, CTO-CIO Thresholds; Andrea Graham Ph.D., Co-Director, Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, Northwestern University; Rich Gengler, CEO, Prevail Health.
Moderated by Naoka Gunawardena '25 MBA.
Panel discussion:
Raising Capital from Family Offices
Featuring Mike Burrows, CEO, Walder Capital; Gerrit Adams, Henry Crown & Co.; Jonathan Jonas, JVC Investments.
Moderated by Patrick Sloan '25 MBA.
Panel discussion:
MedTech: Reinventing Medtech with AI
Featuring Carson Thomas, Ph.D., COO, Third Coast Dynamics; Amit Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO, Cardiosense; Diane Gomez-Thinnes, Corporate Vice President, Edwards Lifesciences.
Moderated by Daniel Medina '24 MBA.
Panel discussion:
Can Innovation Help Deliver Healthcare to Underserved Populations
Featuring Mahomed Ouedraogo, CEO Access Community Health - FQHC; Kara Palamountain, Research Professor Kellogg School of Management; Sahar Jamal '19 MBA, CEO and Founder, Maziwa.
Moderated by Ben Joslin '26 MBA.
Previous Healthcare Entrepreneurship Forums
2024
Welcome and introduction:
Pete McNerney and Katie Arnold
Panel discussion:
Digital Health: Connecting with the Health Care Consumer
Featuring Jeff Bennett '00 MBA, CEO, Higi, Patty Riskind '97 MBA, CEO, Orbita, and Chris Michalak '98 MBA, CEO Virgin Pulse. Moderated by Alison Cerny '24 MBA.
Panel discussion:
Balancing Entrepreneurship with Family and Financial Pressures
Featuring Morgan Clyburn Evans '16 MBA, CEO, Agitated Solutions, Harry Rowland, CEO, Endotronics, Inc., and Andrew Cittadine '98 MBA, COO, Monopar Therapeutics. Moderated by Blair Matthews, JD Pritzker '22.
Panel discussion:
Biopharma: Precision Medicine
Treating the right patient with the right medicines. Featuring Tassos Gianankakos, CEO, Prolaio & Former CEO, MyoKardia, Maneesh Arora '00 MBA, CEO, Elephas, and Kara Werner '17 MBA, VP Business Operations, Tempus. Moderated by Pam Divak '24 MBA.
Panel discussion:
Building a Team and Creating the Right Culture
Featuring Ted Davis '97 MBA, CEO, BioTissue, Paul Edick, CEO, Xeris Pharmaceuticals, and Anna Lisa Somera, CEO, Rhaeos. Moderated by Prashanth Somu '23 MBA.
Panel discussion:
MedTech: Challenges of Commercialization
Featuring Vince Wong '09 MBA, CCO, Geneoscopy, Todd Cruikshank, ‘17 MBA, GM, SIA (acquired by Integra LifeSciences), and Ariel Sutton '04 MBA, EVP, Imperative Care. Moderated by Swarun Kulasekaran '23 MBA.
Panel discussion:
Exits: What is Right for Your Company and How to Prepare
Featuring Eric Larson, CEO, Tilla Holdings, Daniel Wolf, SVP Strategy & Corporate Development, Baxter International, and Peter Day '00 MBA, Global Group Head of Healthcare Investment Banking, Piper Sandler. Moderated by Christie Keller '24 MBA.