Third Annual Healthcare Case Competition Tackles Ultrasound Market Opportunities for Philips
March 13, 2026
The third annual Healthcare Case Competition, hosted by Boston University Questrom School of Business, BU Medical School, and the BU College of Engineering, challenged interdisciplinary student teams to tackle a timely question facing the healthcare industry: how should Philips, one of the world’s leading ultrasound manufacturers, invest in emerging technologies as new competitors reshape the market?
Five teams competed to deliver a market-informed strategy to strengthen Philips’ leadership in emerging technologies over the next five years. Students evaluated opportunities including robotics for diagnostic and interventional procedures, therapeutic ultrasound technologies used for treatment rather than imaging, and other adjacent innovations that could expand the role of ultrasound in clinical care. Teams also needed to determine whether Philips should build new technology internally or acquire promising startups to accelerate growth.
Teams were evaluated on innovation, potential market share, return on investment, and long-term strategic positioning by a panel of faculty and industry leaders. Judges included, Shari Franzetta, DBA, Zsolt Mark, Andy Lippman, Randy Guzman, Crystal Hsu.
The first-place team, mentored by Jeff Abraham, Partner at Health Advances, delivered a strategy designed to strengthen Philips’ leadership in cardiac ultrasound while expanding access to diagnostic care. Team members included Antonia Bignotti, MBA, Vicente Llinares Llata, MBA, Xiaoyu Duan, MBA, Lee Huang, PhD, Biomolecular Pharmacology, Sanjana Bhagavatula, PhD, Biomedical Science, and Clara Kim, MD.
BU President Melissa Gilliam (right) speaking with Subhadra England (left), Greg Stoller (middle), and Bridget Seche (far right).
The competition was organized with support from a dedicated planning team at Boston University Questrom School of Business led by Greg Stoller, Director of Case Competitions, who expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration:
“This has been one of the best clients we’ve been fortunate to interact with during the three years of this competition. I’m also very excited that they would like to continue the relationship, moving forward through internships and additional collaborations.”
Greg Stoller, Director of Case Competitions at Boston University Questrom School of Business
Additional support came from Subhadra England, Monica Parker-James, Ned Rimer, Vivian Sanchez, Bridget Seche, Daniel Spiess, John Temps, Peter Howard, Ishita Rai, and Kathryn Pickrell, along with mentors Sarah Fairfield, Nina Fusco, Yelim Woo, Arianne Kidder, and Adam Mascari.
The Healthcare Case Competition reflects Questrom’s commitment to hands-on, interdisciplinary learning, where students apply real-world analysis to complex global challenges. Competitions like this prepare students to lead at the intersection of technology, medicine, and business strategy.
