The mission of the Foster Healthcare and Biotech Association is to build a community for all those interested in exploring the intersection of healthcare and business. MBA graduates are in high demand by many healthcare, biotech, and pharmaceutical companies, with a plethora of opportunities available right now. These roles offer a unique and attainable way to gain transferable skills that can be leveraged to move into other industries in the future.
We support career pathways along the many facets of the industry: tech/digital health, health administration, biotech, medical devices, global health non-profits, healthcare consulting, and more!
Niall Curley
Co-President
Evening Class of 2025
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Why Healthcare: My passion for healthcare innovation began when my grandfather died from melanoma in 2007; were he to be diagnosed today, he would have survived due to the amazing advancements made in cancer therapies in the last 15 years. I’ve seen firsthand the successes of these treatments while working with patients at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, but I’ve also witnessed just as many failures. My goal is to drive innovation via the integration of my business and clinical research expertise, while working to improve the patient experience.
Omkar Vedpathak
VP of Alumni Affairs
Evening Class of 2024
Hometown: Chester, UK
Why Healthcare: I grew up in the UK surrounded by the NHS (National Health Service), where many friends and family work, and I felt the healthcare gravitational force pull me in! I was drawn to the field to have the opportunity to work on impactful problems. While the NHS is far from perfect, I value its core principle of providing low-cost and equitable healthcare for all. My goal is to apply my hardware, software, and business skills to help provide equitable health access and create seamless experiences for both patients and providers.
Tom Pedersen
Co-President
Full-Time Class of 2024
Hometown: San Rafael, CA
Why Healthcare: I began my career in the brewing industry, arguably the oldest biotech there is. From there I have had the privilege to work at the lab bench in areas from clinical diagnostics to industrial synthetic biology. While not without its hurdles, I believe that biotechnology has the potential to unlock improved health outcomes, revolutionize our food system, and build robust circular economies the world over.
Tyler Garabedian
VP of Operations
Evening Class of 2025
Hometown: Houston, TX
Why Healthcare: I chose healthcare because I believe that improved diagnostic care leads to improved patient outcomes. As a certified medical technologist, I have had the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology to help providers diagnose diseases earlier and more accurately. This can make a real difference in the lives of patients, as it can lead to earlier treatment and better outcomes. I currently work for a microbiology diagnostic company as an account manager because I enjoy working with medical device organizations and connecting their technology to healthcare professionals.
Seema Sinha
VP of Communications
Evening Class of 2024
Hometown: New Delhi, IND
Why Healthcare: My mission is to turn scientific innovations into commercial products and deliver them to patients globally. My passion for patient care grew during my PhD in Oncology, where I also saw a huge disconnect between basic scientific research and its clinical application. My goal is to combine my scientific know-how and business skills to reduce the gap between research and patient impact.
Eddy Fabery
VP of Evening Engagement
Evening Class of 2024
Hometown: Seoul, South Korea
Why Healthcare: I’m a problem solver at heart and am interested in the commercialization aspect of biotech. There are too many instances where innovative treatments are overlooked due to scientific risk or operating risk at every step despite the potential benefits. Also, this industry has lots of passionate people that work tirelessly to help and to serve others, and I really enjoy working with them. I’m currently working on commercializing a novel hydrogel/exosome therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis. If you ever want to just chat about health/bio tech, please reach out!
The HCBA board members spend a great deal of time networking with trailblazers across the healthcare business, administration, and non-profit community to organize events for our members. We host regular events for members that cover a broad array of topics across hospital administration, health insurance payers, healthcare consulting, global health, and biotechnology. Examples of past events include:
COVID-19 Vaccine Panel: experts explained the operational challenges for players involved in the development, manufacturing, and allocation of COVID-19 vaccines and provided predictions for the future of the vaccine rollout
Mental Health First Aid Certification: students participated in a seminar teaching them to identify and respond to signs of mental health or substance use crises in friends, family and coworkers
Conversation with CEO and Chairman of Virginia Mason Health System: students engaged with Dr. Gary Kaplan as he explained the strategy, vision and culture of his organization within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
Design Thinking Workshop with Kaiser Permanente: learn how a health system applies design thinking to service delivery and facility planning
Premera Blue Cross Tour: meet with the leaders of a PNW insurance company to learn about unique challenges and opportunities within the organization
Seattle Children’s Hospital Tour: an opportunity to tour one of the top pediatric hospitals in the country to understand the intersection of patient care, design, and operations
PATH Tour: a tour of the local renowned international health organization to learn more on the various global healthcare issues and in progress solutions
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Tour: a joint tour with the Net Impact Club to learn more about global development and healthcare from one of the largest foundations in the world
Philips Healthcare Manufacturing Tour: a joint tour with the Operations Club to see the Toyota Production System to create hospital/healthcare tools and equipment
Just Biotherapeutics Tour: tour of a local biotechnology company that focuses on scaling and development of biotechnologies
Healthcare and Biotechnology Association Networking and Social Event: annual student and alumni event to hear about the short- and long-term healthcare opportunities and learnings
Unique Careers in Healthcare Dinner & Panel: dinner with industry professionals to understand that ‘you don’t need a background in healthcare to get into healthcare,’ featuring – SightLife, Northwest Hospital, Novo Nordisk, Village Reach, Safe Flame
Health & Wellness Startup Panel: an evening to understand the various opportunities in healthcare as a startup, featuring the following local companies – Aduro, Arivale, Pillsy
ECG Meet-the-Firm & Consulting Walk: meet with former Foster alums at ECG to understand the world of healthcare consulting
Valuation in Biotechnology with Clifford Stocks: CEO of OncoResponse explains what it takes to evaluate a new biotechnology