Impact Story
The Godmother of Consumer-Driven Health Care
Regina E. Herzlinger
“We are moving toward global competition for health care services driven by high costs in the United States and the lack of access to care in countries with governmentally controlled systems.”
Regina E. Herzlinger is the Nancy R. McPherson Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. She was the first woman to be tenured and chaired at Harvard Business School and the first to serve on many established and start up corporate health care /medical technology boards. All of her health care books have been best sellers in their categories, recognized for their innovative research. Money dubbed her the “Godmother” of consumer-driven health care. Her work was key to introducing consumer-driven health plans and “focused health factories”, such as centers for orthopedics, cardiology, or cancer care. She is regularly named as one of the smartest people in health care by industry journals.
She teaches two HBS MBA courses, Innovating in Health Care and Innovating Biomedical Technology, and two related Field Study courses. Based on that work, she is currently completing text and cases books on Innovating in Health Care for the life sciences, health insurance, and health care delivery.
In 2014, she launched a Harvard MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), on Innovating in Health Care; in 2013, a new HBS Executive Education program “Business Innovations in Global Health Care”; and in 2012, a continuing series of conferences, “21st-Century Health Care Management Education: Confronting Challenges for Innovation with a Modern Curriculum”, sponsored by a nonprofit she formed, GENiE (Global Educators Network for Health Care Innovation Education), which has supported the many schools which have introduced courses/programs on Innovating in Health Care.
Related Stories

Improving Productivity in Health Care

Going Beyond the Clinical Sphere

Each New Class Brings Opportunity
Fraudulent Billing and Safety Net Hospitals

Taking Advantage of Boston’s Health Care Ecosystem

Beyond Medical Devices: Filling in the Gaps at HBS
How the nudge movement can improve healthy behavior

Preparing for a Career in Consumer Health
-
Improving Productivity in Health Care
Vinay Mascarenhas -
Going Beyond the Clinical Sphere
Azalea Kim -
Making better decisions when it comes to your health
Leslie John -
Each New Class Brings Opportunity
Robert S. Huckman -
Fraudulent Billing and Safety Net Hospitals
Jonas Heese -
Taking Advantage of Boston’s Health Care Ecosystem
Martin Grasse -
Beyond Medical Devices: Filling in the Gaps at HBS
Michael Chang -
How the nudge movement can improve healthy behavior
John Beshears -
Preparing for a Career in Consumer Health
Elena Avramov