“The business of health is our business.”
Though not an official mission statement, it is an apt catchphrase for work underway by the university’s Health Thought Leadership Network (TLN). The initiative, begun in 2014, moves into its next phase of development with impressive accomplishments that bode well for the future.
Like all TLNs at Bentley, this one engages a wide range of scholars and experts —from both within and outside the university — to foster, advance, and share impactful research on issues that no single academic discipline can adequately address.
“Finding solutions for local, national, and global health challenges calls for a coordinated approach cutting across business and the arts and sciences,” says Health TLN Director Danielle Blanch Hartigan, assistant professor of natural and applied sciences. “We’re leveraging the critical mass of individuals at Bentley involved in health-related research and practice.”
Health is Big Business
In the U.S., health-care spending by individuals, organizations and the government tops $3 trillion a year and the costs continue to increase faster than inflation. Health and business are also inextricably linked: Two-thirds of the U.S. population participates in employment-based medical plans and, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average employer subsidizes approximately 80 percent of health insurance costs. Some 16 million Americans work in the industry, making health care the country’s third-largest employment sector.
Challenges on the national horizon include grappling with the needs of an aging population and preventing chronic disease. On a global scale, there are growing and costly threats to public health, as seen in the most-recent Ebola outbreak.
Bentley is well positioned to lead thinking on such challenges. Literally: Nearby Boston is home to scores of world-renowned hospitals, medical facilities, medical schools, and research institutions, as well as to eight of the 10 largest global pharmaceutical companies. Moreover, the school has a strong tradition of scholarly collaboration across disciplines, with faculty in business and the arts and sciences already having produced health-related research. Under Hartigan’s leadership, and with participation by 23 faculty from 13 departments, one alumni representative, and, to date, nine visiting thought leaders, the Health TLN is poised to deliver on these advantages in three broad areas.
Facilitating Collaboration and Advancing Research
Some 87 percent of participating faculty surveyed credit the Health TLN for developing new connections, research ideas, or projects.
Offerings such as a full-day offsite retreat in May 2015 — to be repeated this year — allowed faculty to discuss overlapping interests and pursue collaboration. A dozen faculty members have since developed papers and projects, and served as guest lecturers for each other’s courses. Topics addressed include:
- Health-care costs and quality measurement
- Public health and corporate social responsibility — a project involving collaboration with Bloomberg, Thompson Reuters, and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)
- Process improvements for health-care consumers
- Risk communication in congressional testimony on global pandemics
The TLN also analyzed faculty research interests to develop a profile of each member’s health-related research. The analysis identified areas where Bentley has distinctive strength, which include: Innovation (in nanotechnology and pharmaceuticals); Technology (for direct patient care and education); Communication (between patients and health care teams); and Global health (in developing nations.
Research in these areas reflects faculty understanding of the role of business and governmental policy, processes, and structure.
Furthering Bentley’s Reputation in Health Research
During Phase I, the Health TLN hosted discussions with nine international thought leaders who, according to Hartigan, “unanimously commented that they were unaware of the breadth of Bentley’s health-related activity, but were impressed by the quality of the research taking place here.”
One of these thought leaders, Dr. Donald Berwick, president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (and former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), spoke in October 2015 about business-related solutions for improving health care quality and safety in a widely attended colloquium. In another widely attended colloquium in March 2016, Sandra Fenwick, President and CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital, spoke about innovation in 21st Century healthcare. These presentations, hosted by Bentley’s Center for Integration of Science and Industry, were followed by receptions and interactive discussions facilitated by Health TLN members.
In Phase II, the TLN plans to host additional health scholars and leaders who will meet with Health TLN members on individual research projects as well as present to the university community. The Health TLN is preparing a publication on the unique role of a business university in health-related research and education based on a qualitative analysis of the Phase I thought leader discussions. The publication will introduce Bentley’s Health TLN model to the broader scholarly community.
The Health TLN is also working with the alumni office and career services to formalize a network of Bentley alumni working in health-related industries. The goal is to strengthen relationships and provide new opportunities for students interested in health-related careers.
Building Resources to Promote Research and Grant Applications
A key focus of the Health TLN in Phase I was identifying existing barriers faced by researchers seeking to further their health research. The Health TLN is now focused on providing resources and solutions.
To this end, the Health TLN organizes a series of interactive Health Research Skills workshops that provide attendees with tangible research skills. A recent workshop helped faculty use social media to promote their research and an upcoming workshop will focus on accessing and using health databases.
Other Health TLN efforts support faculty seeking funding for their research. To this end, the Health TLN is working closely with Bentley’s Office of Foundations and Sponsored Programs. Hartigan has also met with representatives from the National Institutes of Health and other appropriate agencies to promote the TLN’s researchers and discover and disseminate information on grant application procedures and best practices. In Phase II, the Health TLN will disseminate funding opportunities, support a grant training workshop, and develop shared grant resources.
Long-Term Sustainability
Products and programs such as professional education and workshops will, over time, become a source of sustaining revenue for the Health TLN.
“The goal is to set off a ‘virtuous cycle’ of activities that build Bentley’s reputation as a desirable business-focused partner in health-related initiatives,” says Hartigan. “These will boost faculty productivity and provide opportunities for students.”
One potential model casts the Health TLN as a consulting center, facilitating connections between Bentley researchers and the vast professional network of industry partners. In another approach, the Health TLN could offer and oversee executive education programs at the intersection of business and health research. Nearly all of the thought leaders invited to campus noted the potential for Bentley to be an educational leader across the disciplinary divide that separates business and health.
A Distinctive Role
How can a thriving health-related research network exist at a business university? Hartigan credits Bentley’s academic model, built on a fusion of business and arts and sciences disciplines, for seeding initiatives like the Health TLN.
“Because members of the Health TLN speak the languages of academia, health care, and business, we can listen to all parties and work across institutional divides,” she says. “Bentley’s tradition of business ethics adds legitimacy and value to these partnerships.”
Bentley’s Health TLN stands poised to deliver important strategies, processes, and tools to the business of health, as well as to educate and inform business partners about the science of health and health care.