The Four Horsemen of the Health Sector Management Program
Post By:
Matthew Scott, MS-MBA, 2013
Anshuman Mirani, MBA, 2013
Timothy Chanoux, MBA, 2013
Michael Barrett, MBA, 2013
In the year 2012, on the 25th day of the second month, three relatively inconsequential things happened – the World Beard and Moustache Championship field was announced, an angry mob gathered in front of Columbia Studios to demand refunds for Ghost Rider 2…and outlined against a clear, blue February sky four unassuming BU students journeyed to the Cambridge shores of the Charles River to compete in MIT Sloan’s 2012 Healthcare Case Competition. In dramatic lore, their names are Death, Destruction, Pestilence, and Famine. But those are aliases – their real names are Matthew Scott, Anshuman Mirani, Timothy Chanoux, and Mike Barrett.
Sponsored by AVEO pharmaceuticals, the case competition focused on developing a marketing strategy for the launch of a kidney cancer drug, which had just passed Phase III clinical trials. Given the relatively limited resources of AVEO, the challenge revolved around leveraging digital media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. – to accumulate support of key constituents within the healthcare marketplace. Competition was fierce and included 18 teams representing M.I.T., Harvard, Babson, Cornell, and Boston College.
Let’s meet the BU team:
Matthew Scott (MS·MBA; Health Sector Management 2013)
Among his peers at BU, Matt is best known for his “hobo chic” attire. As a recently retired sports fan, he now spends his free time reading Good Housekeeping and filing patent claims for a 27th letter of the alphabet. Currently, Matt is being sued for falsely claiming to have run a 2:51 marathon.
Anshuman Mirani (MBA; Health Sector Management 2013)
Growing up in the ghettos of East Delhi, Anshu’s childhood in many ways mirrored that of Eminem. His skill set is both varied and robust – he has achieved grandmaster status with the yoyo, can hold his breath for over 4 minutes, and recently shot a 74 at Robert Lynch Municipal Golf Course…with an 8 iron. The developers at Microsoft seem to think Anshu’s name should be spelt “antihuman”.
Timothy Chanoux (MBA; Health Sector Management 2013)
A Michael Porter apologist, Tim takes pleasure in ripping apart proven economic strategies and frequently makes outrageous claims like “John Maynard Keynes was probably a jerk.” Tim believes in three things: mothers, environmentally sustainable architecture, and the Sham Wow. He has recently become an avid butterfly enthusiast.
Michael Barrett (MBA; Health Sector Management 2013)
Mike is a native of Waterloo, Belgium. He has partially webbed feet passed down from his mother, and contrary to common belief this does not help his swimming ability. In fact, he is the only member of Fisher Hall to have failed the mandatory Notre Dame Freshman swim test. Say what you will, but the man looks outstanding in floaties.
As part of their winning approach, the team from BU developed a “pull” strategy in which they garnered the support of key opinion leaders within the oncology market and began dialogue with the CGP4* – company, government, providers, payers, patients, and patient support groups – through an array of digital media channels. The finals came down to some key differences between the guys from BU and one of the teams representing M.I.T. The Horsemen’s approach took greater risks by encouraging AVEO to actively engage patients who are suffering from kidney cancer, rather than the traditional unbranded methodology commonly used by big pharma. The FDA regulates company interactions, but it was determined that the benefits of providing support for this community would outweigh the inherent risks. The six industry judges appreciated this leap of faith, agreed with the analysis of the trade off, and praised the strong responses during the open Q&A sessions. Consequently, the BU team set themselves apart from the rest of the field, and ultimately brought home the title.
*(Patent Pending)
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| The Money Shot – Tim, Matt, Anshu, and Mike |
