Dear faculty and staff,
It’s been rewarding to see the progress we’ve continued to make as a community in bringing our Falcons Forward 2030 strategic plan to life.
That’s why I’m excited today to announce the launch of Bentley University’s new Center for Health and Business to tackle challenges in the health industry with an innovative, multidisciplinary approach. The launch supports the goals in our strategic plan calling for the creation of centers to coordinate faculty teaching and research as well as strengthening engagement with alumni and corporate partners to address consequential challenges in society.
The Center for Health and Business will bring together more than 80 faculty and staff members from various departments and disciplines and will focus on three priority areas — developing educational opportunities, supporting actionable research and building meaningful partnerships with companies — to take a cross-industry approach to problems plaguing the health industry today.
It builds upon the blueprint provided by Bentley’s Health Thought Leadership Network, a collaborative group of faculty and staff who have conducted important research on health-related issues. In addition to expanding this research, the new center will provide research opportunities for students.
Danielle Hartigan, an associate professor of Health Studies, will lead the new center as executive director. By leveraging the expertise and experiences of Bentley faculty, staff, alumni and corporate partners in health as well as encouraging a new generation of business leaders to view the industry through a multidisciplinary lens, the center will harness the power of business to create a more financially sustainable, accessible and equitable health system that balances cost and quality.
The Center for Health and Business is fortunate to have many alumni in the health industry who support its mission and vision — most notably, entrepreneurs Chris Smith ’91, MBA ’92, P’19/’20 ’24 and his late brother Greg Smith ’91. Chris, the CEO of Aspect Health, Inc., a real estate development company specializing in healthcare hospitality, and his twin brother Greg, the former president and CEO of luxury senior living brands Maplewood and Inspı¯r, have been visionaries in the health industry. A generous gift from the Smiths provided the catalyst to launch the center.
I hope you will join me in congratulating Danielle on her new role and learning more about this exciting new center as Bentley continues to adapt to the changing business landscape.
Brent