Igniting Your Spark: Journeying through digital health innovation

In a world with so many entrepreneurial possibilities, the Levy Spark Treks take students from the classroom into the heart of businesses — its people. These treks inspire and energize Kellogg students interested in entrepreneurship by connecting them with industry experts, and through these intimate experiences, students can build meaningful relationships with business leaders. Together they can discuss and explore innovative solutions to the world’s complex business challenges.  

In this installment, Dana Engel ’25 Executive MBA Program discusses the importance of fostering a culture of accessible health and wellness and how her trek showed her the importance of harnessing digital tools for narrowing the healthcare divide. 

By Dana Engel  

Almost a year later, my participation in the Levy Spark Trek on digital health entrepreneurship continues to be foundational to my Kellogg experience. I was merely a month into the Executive MBA Program at Kellogg (EMBA), still walking around with imposture syndrome, while statistics and finance were taking up much of my mental bandwidth. I was moving gingerly from single-mom duties and work responsibilities to rebuilding my homework and studying muscle.  

Having the opportunity to meet and learn from the brightest of innovative thinkers who were solving problems I have spent the entirety of my career navigating seemed unfathomable — I was being offered a seat on the next Starship Enterprise. Let me pause here to explain these so-called “problems I have spent my whole career navigating.” I was a precocious career-minded being. From a young age, I was selling quinoa and kale salad at a more affordable price than the burger and fries in my fictitious, playroom restaurant. I was cognizant of the inextricable link between health and costs — the healthier option was more expensive, and I was determined to change that paradigm.  

I aspired to go into the field of nutrition and dietetics and make a difference in people’s lives by helping them avoid non-communicable diseases that frankly, as I saw it, were “avoidable.” You know, everyone gets just the right amount of sleep each night, partners with a mental health expert, exercises regularly and eats a balanced diet. Oh, how young and naïve I was! Our world thrives on obesogenic behaviors and treatments that if we are lucky extend one’s life span but certainly not health span.  

I had spent my 25-year career in a world where chronic disease prevention and health and wellness practices were part of the fabric of few — primarily those with the luxury of time and money. Going back to school was about changing that trajectory, making health and wellness and chronic disease prevention practices more equitable, accessible and personalized to all people. My EMBA cohort was filled with overwhelmingly impressive professionals who are leading their respective industries including physicians, engineers and marketers.   

However, I had not found anyone with a similar passion to mine, so you can imagine my eagerness when I received that first communication introducing the digital health entrepreneurship Levy Spark Trek. This would be my opportunity to meet and build a network of like-minded professionals and leaders who were creating innovative solutions for the problems I was constantly bumping up against.   

Not long after being accepted to the trek, our Kellogg faculty leader Kate Wolin got our mighty group together virtually. We were a mosaic of enthusiastic folks from all Kellogg degree programs including the Full-Time and Evening & Weekend MBA as well as the Miami and other Evanston EMBA cohorts.

Kate, an extremely bright and dynamic leader with a successful background in healthcare entrepreneurship, had a robust network spanning across multiple key sectors that she was going to have us meet and learn from. Her forward-thinking mindset and strategic insight clearly not only propel her own success but also influence the broader healthcare landscape. We quickly experienced Kate’s — highly regarded — ability to connect with and inspire others. She is a true pioneer, helping shape the future of healthcare with both intellect and foresight.  

With Kate at the helm, we traveled to Boston, one of the world’s leading hubs for healthcare innovation, where the future of medicine is constantly advancing. We met with healthcare leaders, including Kellogg alumni, who have been in our shoes and understand what it takes to achieve our goals and make the necessary investments to revolutionize health and wellness.  In two and a half days, Kate guided us through a rolodex’s worth of exhilarating meetings and cultural experiences.  

By the end of the first morning’s breakfast, we had connected with entrepreneurs who were creating thriving solutions for cancer survivors to lead happier, healthier and fuller lives. They are also providing key ingredients for providers to deliver personalized, predictive care paths while also building the world’s largest gastrointestinal behavioral health database. This was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the advancements they’re contributing to. 

From there, we visited healthcare executives who are reinventing primary care, so that it meets patients where they are at and works with them to solve all health and lifestyle problems while capitalizing on the power of digital health. We met with a digital health start-up called Inside Tracker — that I have since partnered with — healthcare technology venture capital firms and venture leaders. No introduction was casual. They took the time to listen and learn more about our passions and ideas. Like the rest of the crew, I was hearing these experts’ insights on the true realization and potential commercialization of my passion; the Food is Health movement.  

Our mighty team of 12 was on the Starship Enterprise together hearing one another’s thoughts and ideas while also validating and challenging them. We’ve ended up becoming a community of supporters. I've kept in touch with Kate and the other Kellogg folks I traveled to Boston with. I'll occasionally bump into someone from our community on the Evanston campus, and it always feels like no time has passed — the familiarity is instant. I’ve also reconnected with some of these folks at the Kellogg Healthcare Conference and during Global Network Week.  

In February, I’ll be back in Boston with a handful of the crew when I complete the Healthcare Deep Dive. With my Levy Spark Trek community of supporters — Kate, the 11 other Kellogg folks and the healthcare innovators we met — I continue to grow, be inspired and energized to make a difference.  

Visit the program’s webpage to learn more about Levy Spark Treks.

Read next: Igniting Your Spark: Venturing into the rapidly evolving AI world