Jane Beilenson '19
Describe yourself in three words.
Passionate, enthusiastic, and loyal. I really value relationships — my friends are like family and I pride myself on being a good friend. I view loyalty as the hallmark of friendship.
Why healthcare?
I grew up around healthcare. My dad is a doctor and was the Baltimore City Health Commissioner. My mother works at Johns Hopkins Medical School doing business development and tech transfer. My parents' passion for healthcare and the impact they were able to have in their careers absolutely inspired me. I also grew up in a political family - my grandfather was a congressman and my father ran for office. I always had an interest in health policy because of that and worked in healthcare consulting in Washington DC for five years for the Glover Park Group. I represented a wide array of healthcare clients including United Health Group. Although I really enjoyed it, I realized that I wanted to work in-house for a healthcare company to be on the execution side of strategy and business development. That is when I decided to apply to business school.
Why healthcare at Columbia Business School?
I knew I needed some financials skills in my toolkit which I did not have coming from a political science background. Columbia Business School was the ideal place to gain this financial acumen in the core classes. And New York is such an interesting place with so many major hospitals and renowned healthcare institutions, tons of providers and many health tech companies. There has been a huge uptick on the venture side and in the startup healthcare scene. Since coming here, I’ve been happy with the access NYC provides —access to practitioners in all areas of healthcare as well as Columbia’s extensive network of alumni and supporters who are willing to meet and help you in your journey to understanding where you might fit into the landscape post-MBA. Access is key.
Do you have a favorite class or professor in the CBS curriculum that has had an impact on your professional journey?
I took an interesting immersion seminar with Professor Linda Green last spring called Creating Value in Healthcare Delivery. We got a chance to go into the NYC ecosystem and meet the practitioners of healthcare. That class provided exposure to high level executives from impressive and dynamic healthcare companies like Oscar, Montefiore and CityMD. It was a unique opportunity to hear directly from these leaders who were surprisingly candid and open about their experiences in healthcare.
What activities are you involved in?
I am a member of the Healthcare Industry Association (HCIA) and actively engage with their coffee chats and company presentations. These have provided further insight into the healthcare landscape and invaluable access to CBS alumni working in the healthcare ecosystem. I am also an active member of CWIB and the CBS Real Estate Association, and have taken advantage of some great events and networking opportunities.
Tell us about your in-semester internship.
In the spring of my first year I worked with a healthcare start up downtown called CareDox. CareDox is working to improve children's health with technology that efficiently connects schools, families, and healthcare providers. I helped CareDox with their marketing and outreach efforts to parents to help educate them about school-site vaccinations and flu shots that children could receive if they opted in. CareDox is working to make American school districts become leaders in public health, health technology, and preventive care. It was inspiring to be part of this critical mission.
How did you balance your full-time MBA and your internship?
I identified a company that afforded me the opportunity to work remotely and was centered around project-based work. This allowed me to map out my time effectively and efficiently. I was able to block out days dedicated to that role where I would go into the office, and other times work remotely to balance my MBA and internship.
Tell us about your summer internship.
I was an investments and capital markets intern at Welltower, which is a healthcare REIT (real estate investment trust) that invests in senior housing and outpatient centers. Welltower is truly on the forefront of healthcare, and given the shifting demographics in the United States with the baby boomer population aging Welltower’s work will become even more important in the space. The silver tsunami is coming, and it’s going to impact the healthcare system in a ways that people do not realize.
The internship is a mini-version of their post-MBA rotational program so I spent five weeks in investments and five weeks in capital markets. The people were incredible, very smart, dynamic and extremely willing to help the interns learn. We were able to attend interesting meetings with major players in the healthcare space, from bankers to healthcare system executives giving us exposure to how they think about healthcare. I was able to travel and attend a meeting with a telehealth company in Boston with the Chief Strategy Officer. Overall I gained a huge amount of exposure to a wide array of areas in both the healthcare and real estate space. I was delighted to be given a full-time offer, and I’ll be joining them after graduation. I can't wait!