Alex Cusson
Part-Time Health Sector MBA
Associate Director, Alliance Management, Oncology Corporate Development, Bluebird Bio
“Learning more about the industry side of healthcare and the importance for patients, especially in the cell and gene therapy space, was hugely helpful in finding the right place for me, professionally.”
Alex Cusson was an anthropology major in college. Now he’s an associate director at a thriving, international biotechnology company. He credits the Questrom Health Sector MBA program with helping him launch his new career even before he graduated.
“Learning more about the industry side of healthcare and the importance for patients, especially in the cell and gene therapy space, was hugely helpful in finding the right place for me, professionally,” says Alex, who works at bluebird bio, an innovative biotech firm developing cell and gene therapy products for patients with serious, life-altering diseases.
“The Health Sector program added a ton of value to my experience,” Alex says. “The part-time program had the most robust curriculum in the area, experienced classmates, great course offerings, and the chance to engage in the vibrant Boston healthcare community of hospitals, companies and creative projects.”
Before business school, Alex’s professional experience was focused in academia, mainly financial planning and analysis for a research institute centered around developing a vaccine for HIV. A stint at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard sparked his interest in biotech…and Questrom’s Health Sector MBA. “What really attracted me to the program was that the learnings were six feet wide and one foot deep,” Alex says. “It had a broad, cross-functional approach that has helped me make good, informed decisions for my organization.”
Standout classes for Alex were the core courses taught by Ned Rimer and Mark Philip. “They were extremely creative, interesting, speaker-driven courses,” Alex says. “Hearing from career executives and problem-solving with them on the fly in class was a highlight of my experience.”
Another highlight for Alex was the chance to do a hands-on consulting project focused on Alzheimer’s disease with global biotech leader Biogen. “My team was able to deliver a meaningful set of recommendations to their leadership on how best to engage the ALZ community with a novel treatment. I didn’t expect that,” Alex says. “The opportunity to work with senior leaders at a top biotech company, there’s nothing like it.”
“THE HEALTH SECTOR PROGRAM ADDED A TON OF VALUE TO MY EXPERIENCE.”
– Alex Cusson