Auburn University's Physicians Executive MBA team, which consists of four recent graduates from the program, placed second in the first International Healthcare Case Competition in Milan, Italy.
Bocconi University's School of Management was the host of the competition.
Auburn's PEMBA team included Janyce Sanford, Karam Paul, Meholl Patel and Keith Chamberlin .
The PEMBA team was first runner-up to the competition's host team, SDA Bocconi School of Management.
The two-day competition, held May 30 and May 31, called for the participating teams to study European Healthcare systems, in particular Italy's, and to create a revised business strategy for the pharmaceutical company Novartis.
Each team's proposal was judged on how successfully the strategy enhanced Novartis' relationship with decision makers in the Italian Healthcare System.
"The charge to the group was to look at the health care system in place, the Italian government and funding, the pharmaceutical company and how to build a collaboration between these different groups in improving Italian health care," said Joy Clark, the team's faculty adviser and associate dean of the Auburn University Montgomery College of Business.
Eleven other teams from schools worldwide, including the University of Cambridge and the China Europe International Business School, competed in the competition as well.
The members of Auburn's team worked together from all different locations in the United States to develop their strategy.
The PEMBA team created a strategy called OneNovartis, a program that primarily focused on the partnership with health care consumers, through an individual wellness plan, said Janyce Sanford, a member of Auburn's team and PEMBA Class of 2011.
"Health and well-being metrics were developed, and as patients achieve those metrics, the goals, discounts are received," Sanford said.
After presenting their proposal for the third time on the last day of the competition, the judges declared the winner and runner-up.
The members of Auburn's team attribute their success to the PEMBA program here at Auburn University.
"This program is about providing a business degree program that can help physicians be better healthcare providers, better managers of their practices, better managers in hospitals and better leaders as the U.S. healthcare system changes," Gropper said.
PEMBA is a 21-month long program, started in 1999, in which students take classes online; have five residencies on campus; and two trips, one international and one in Washington D.C. The program allows students to earn a MBA without taking time away from their careers.
"The program includes faculty from the Pharmacy school, Liberal Arts - Health Administration and the Business School," Gropper said. "We work cooperatively across campus to build and deliver a top-quality program."
According to Modern Healthcare's ninth annual survey, Auburn's PEMBA program ranks twenty-first in the nation.
"We think this is one more way of building the reputation of Auburn University, the College of Business and the Physician Executive MBA program," said Daniel Gropper, associate dean of MBA programs at Auburn University. "It adds to the rankings for the Executive MBA in the Financial Times this year and the rankings in Modern Healthcare this spring."
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