The Boston University Health Sector Questrom School of Business Alumni Association (“the Association”) is an informal association of alumni of the Health Sector Program of the Boston University Questrom School of Business who have graduated from the Health Sector Management Program or work within the health sector. The health sector is broadly defined as including all of health service delivery, bio-pharma, medical device and diagnostic companies, and all elements of insurance, consulting and other activities related to the sector.
Any alumni of Questrom who fall within this description shall be considered members of the Association. Such membership carries no formal role in the governance of the Association, but entitles such individuals to attend and take part in activities developed by the Board of Directors for members.
The HSM Alumni community is vibrant and active. Each year alumni participate in the alumni mentoring program as well as attend speed networking events, the Health & Life Sciences Conference and other opportunities to connect current students to the greater HSM community. Alumni go on to work at a variety of employers included athena health, Biogen, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Genzyme, Philips, Tufts Health Plan and the World Health Organization. With the help of the Health Sector Alumni Association Board of Directors, our alumni leadership team, alumni are active participants in the student experience.
Alumni Spotlight
Karen Lynch
2018 Health Sector Management Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
President, Atena
Karen S. Lynch is President of Aetna, a Fortune 50 diversified health care benefits company. She is responsible for driving Aetna’s strategy to deliver consumer-focused, high-value healthcare to the nearly 45 million people it serves. She oversees the company’s Government and Commercial businesses, representing 94 percent of Aetna’s revenues. Ms. Lynch assumed the role of President in January 2015 and is the first woman to serve in the role in the company’s 165-year history.
Ms. Lynch joined Aetna in 2012 as executive vice president and head of Specialty Products. In 2013, she assumed management of Local and Regional Businesses, a combined business unit dedicated to serving the varied health care needs of individuals and employers. Ms. Lynch successfully led Aetna’s integration efforts for its 2013 acquisition of Coventry Health Care.
Ms. Lynch has nearly three decades of experience in the health care industry. Prior to joining Aetna, she held executive positions at Cigna and Magellan Health Services, where she served as president. Ms. Lynch began her career with Ernst & Young as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
For the last three years (2016 – 2018), Ms. Lynch was named to Fortune’s list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business for her leadership and contributions to improving the health care system. She was also recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the 2017 Top 25 Women in Healthcare, highlighting her role in transforming health care delivery across the country.
Ms. Lynch serves as a director of U.S. Bancorp, a trustee of The Bushnell Performing Arts Center, and is a member of the Global 50 and the Boston College Women’s Council. She is also an advisory board member of IBM Watson Health and NEADS/Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans, a nonprofit organization that provides independence to people through canine assistance. Ms. Lynch served for three consecutive years as Honorary Chair of the Komen Connecticut Race for the Cure, and she is a past advisory board member for the Boston office of Ernst & Young.
Ms. Lynch has been recognized for her leadership by numerous organizations and publications, including the National Association for Specialty Health Organizations, Business Insurance, the Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, and Insurance Networking News. She has also co-chaired the Health Care and Pharmaceutical Task Force for the Wall Street Journal Women in the Economy Conference.
Ms. Lynch earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Boston College and an MBA from Boston University. In 2015, she was presented with an honorary doctorate degree of humane letters from Becker College in Worcester, MA.
To learn more about Ms. Lynch, follow her on Twitter @KarenLynchAetna and on LinkedIn.
HSM Alumni Webinars
Miss one of our Healthcare Spotlight webinars? Click the links below to watch the archived webinars!
MailChimp Signup
Let’s stay in touch! HSM Alumni please subscribe to our alumni newsletter here.
