The Business of Medicine: Med students compete in the Rotman case competition

Four teams of medical students tested their business acumen at a recent case competition hosted by the Healthcare Management Association  at U of T’s Rotman School of Management. 

Twenty-two teams, largely from MBA programs from schools across Ontario participated in the competition. Two of the U of T MD program teams were finalists, ultimately placing second and third overall. In addition, 1T8 student Brandon Van Asseldonk received an honourable mention for the competition's best speaker. 

“We were at little intimidated at first, competing with MBA students,” says Brandon Tang, 1T8 student and Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Scholar. “We’re proud to have done so well because it was something that was new to all of us. The challenge involved developing a marketing strategy for a new medical device, so the first thing we did was Google: how to create a marketing presentation. The experience was completely outside of our element, but I’m appreciative of the fact that U of T has the scope to facilitate the exploration of such diverse interests.”

Traditionally, LEAD program students participate in the case competition, but this year Stephanie Zhou, 1T8 student and LEAD scholar took the initiative to share the information with all her fellow MD students. “I posted the information for my colleagues and was overwhelmed with the response,” says Zhou. “One of the reasons many of us were accepted into this program is our diverse interests. We have to continue doing the things we love – and that includes stepping out of our comfort zones, trying something new and developing new skills.” 

For 1T9 student Nicola Sahar, the competition allowed him to combine his interests in management and health care. “The competition enabled me to build not only my networks, but also my passion and aptitude for health care management and entrepreneurship, which I am confident will enrich my medical training as I move forward,” he said.

Students worked in teams to prepare presentations for a group of esteemed judges, including marketing and policy experts, as well as health care professionals. Students leveraged the strengths of their fellow team members to prepare the team presentations. “We placed our trust in one another and learned to deal with uncertainty in new ways,” said Zhou. “The experience was less about how it added to me as a doctor, and more about how it added it me as a person.”