Solving Society’s Ills

Accounting for 19.7% of the gross domestic product in 2020, health care spending in the United States has nearly tripled over the past 50 years — without necessarily healing all that ails this colossal system.

The pandemic cast the good, the bad and the ugly of American health care into stark relief, leaving most of us to wonder: How do you help a $4.1 trillion behemoth efficiently and effectively deliver on a basic human need?

It turns out that good business is crucial to good health. And Bentley has been at the forefront of fostering this synergy for years. Dedicated researchers, educators and deep divers from all corners of our community continue to come together to advance an industry that affects us all. They recognize that everyone deserves to be well. That it’s not only big business — it’s big impact. And it needs our help.

Exploding the ‘Innovation Myth’

“That’s not covered by your insurance.”

What American hasn’t heard this line at the pharmacy counter? The price tag on a prescription drug can be a wild card, for no discernible reason and with no obvious person to hold accountable. And yet our society spends more on health care than any other nation in the world. On average, U.S. consumers pay 2.5 times more than customers in other countries for the same prescription.

One contributing factor is the “innovation myth” that large pharmaceutical companies have perpetuated: Cutting costs for the consumer compromises the ability to discover and develop new medications. When faced with a life-threatening illness, what’s a sick person to do?

Enter Fred Ledley, MD, professor of Natural & Applied Sciences and Management, and Gregory Vaughan, assistant professor of Mathematical Sciences. The two participated in a congressional briefing to debunk this age-old excuse.

The research they presented, funded by the nonpartisan West Health Policy Center, examined the financial practices of 1,349 publicly traded biopharmaceutical companies over nearly 20 years. Specifically, the relationship between each company’s annual revenue and its reported research and development spending.

“Evidence indicates that these [small drug] companies are responsible for the majority of all clinical trials and as many as 40% of new drug approvals in recent years,” says Ledley, who directs the Center for the Integration of Science and Industry. This is significant, because “the finances of established firms are dramatically different from those of small biotechnology companies.” The former make gains through product sales and profits, while the latter focus on creating new intellectual property and products.

Ledley and Vaughan’s findings corroborate earlier research that shows how pharma companies have stacked the deck against us, so policymakers can avoid what he calls the “false choice” of affordability or innovation. At Bentley, their work joins that of colleagues like Danielle Blanch Hartigan, who are similarly determined to improve the state of American health care — and prepare students to do the same.

The Beating Heart of Business

When Danielle Hartigan, PhD, MPH, joined Bentley’s Natural and Applied Sciences Department 15 years ago, health care accounted for roughly $2 trillion of the U.S. economy; it has since doubled. Understanding this fundamental axis of our society is important for future leaders of any organization, she says.

The finance and management of employee health and wellness affect every business, no matter the size, location and industry.

“But I would say there’s a newfound appreciation for the role of public health since the pandemic,” Hartigan says. Stress on supply chains, mental health, the impact of sick employees, the uncertainty around an illness we’re still uncovering — all are real-time lessons for Bentley students. “Understanding the impact of societal health is an essential business tool.”

Hartigan has been leading this charge as head of the university’s Health Thought Leadership Network (Health TLN) since 2016. With 60-plus faculty and staff members spanning 25 departments, the Health TLN is the campus hub for health care collaboration and information, bridging academia and industry to advance health-related research and education.

In the 2021-2022 academic year alone, students have had access to a specialized course on the health care delivery system, and to nearly 1,250 life sciences internship opportunities and career mentorships in Boston — one of the best biotech and medical cities in the world. Alumni in health care have Zoomed in to talk with students about everything from research and clinical perspectives of the LGBTQ+ patient experience to the laws, ethics and impact of the opioid crisis. And faculty researchers have opened innumerable doors for students to broaden their business education by joining distinctive, news-making studies.

All of these are a boon for students like Andrey Dobrynin ’22, who came to Bentley from his native Moscow to build a future in finance that fuses with a lifelong passion: biology. By taking traditional lab and economics courses along with electives like the Science and Business of Biotechnology, he has studied Massachusetts-based biotech companies from top to bottom, learning about their competitors, products, marketing and, of course, the science. As he puts it: “I’m gaining a very unique skill set that will help me work my way up in the industry.”

Perception vs. (Virtual) Reality

Across campus, PhD candidate Ja-Nae Duane agrees. Carefully pop on a VR headset and she’ll welcome you to the Virtual Communications Research (VCR) lab.

The pandemic’s punishing sprint from in-person to remote care continues to cause a seismic shift in how, why and when we reach out for help. Fortunately, most of us don’t need a trip to the doctor every day. But for those living with cancer or another serious illness that requires specialized care, who’s going the extra mile to make sure nothing is lost in cyber translation?

The VCR has tapped Duane and dozens of other students to dive into this research in partnership with the Health TLN and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute — and the collaboration doesn’t stop there. The VCR lab itself was founded by Hartigan; Jon Ericson, assistant professor of Information Design and Corporate Communication; and Justin Sanders, the Kappy and Eric M. Flanders Chair of Palliative Care at McGill University.

Dress, background, lighting, facial cues, clutter, even how much upper body is showing on screen. All of these factors play a role in establishing psychological safety and an effective patient experience, according to Bentley researchers. Their findings were included in the peer-reviewed Telemedicine and e-Health journal, presented at medical conferences, and helped create an illustrated guide of dos and don’ts for clinicians.

Using 360-degree video, researchers from Bentley’s Immersive Design Lab have also recorded a live oncology visit. Cameras rolled in every direction at the same time to recreate a full-view doctor-patient scenario.

“We know that good communication leads to better patient outcomes,” explains Ericson. “But how do we definitively know that poor communication leads to worse outcomes?”

Studying the galvanic skin response (unconscious reactions like sweat and goosebumps) of cancer survivors, Bentley researchers measured their physiological responses to positive and negative conversations with an oncology doctor avatar. While analysis is still underway, the data is sure to be an asset to the palliative care community. 

Conducting more of our care in this metaverse of interacting virtual worlds, Duane says, is where her career — and all of us — are headed. “VR is in many ways the future in which we will not only work, but live.”

Evolving Together

Health concerns have reached a fever pitch during COVID-19, but the need for efficient and equitable care is timeless. As humans evolve, so do the societal infrastructures we depend on. 

“Pre-pandemic, I had to explain what epidemiology is,” Hartigan says. “Today, students come in knowing that health care and disease prevention have an immeasurable impact on society. Bentley is preparing them, and helping all of us, to better that impact.”