To learn more about Bryan, click here.Greetings –
It’s truly a pleasure to continue serving as the Wharton Healthcare Alumni Association’s (WHAA’s) President.
I’m delighted to share that the Alumni Association has entered the current fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) stronger than ever! The WHAA is better prepared to serve our members with continuing education as well as other programming and resources, thereby enabling them to have a greater impact throughout the healthcare sector. Helping to cultivate future leaders, the Association will also continue supporting Wharton and Penn graduate-level students in various ways.
Such progress has been possible only because of the commitment and contributions from our Board members as well as the growing number of other volunteers from within our expanding community. Collectively, the thousands of hours that have been dedicated by such talented and passionate alumni have enabled the WHAA to flourish. Importantly, the partnerships with senior administrators such as June Kinney (Director, Wharton Health Care Management Program), Diane Sharp (Director, WEMBA), and Dan Kessler (Director, Biomedical Graduate Studies, Perelman School of Medicine) as well as a cohort of select student leaders have accelerated and broadened our progress.
I’m very grateful for the continued assistance from my fellow officers, Katie Ellias ‘06 (Vice President), Vikas Goyal '10 (Treasurer), and Ryan Berger '06 (Secretary as well as co-chair for the WHAA annual conference).
I’m compelled to also recognize the fact that six Board members who commenced their two-year term in July 2025 made a significant impact by stepping-up to co-chair various Board Committees, the vital groups through which the work gets done.
- Megan Ax, '06 – Student Engagement
- Sigal Ben-Ari, '11 – Professional Development
- Edward Chan, '11 – Student Engagement and Awards & Grants
- Cristina Gutierrez, '05 – Marketing & Communications
- Ashish Parikh, '10 - Membership
- Scott Shandler, '06 - Sponsorships
In keeping with such impressive and impactful role-modeling, all four of the new Board members who were elected in July 2026 have done the same! Please join me in welcoming and thanking:
- Hailey Ji, '24 – Membership as well as co-chair for the WHAA annual conference
- Marcus Leef, '98 – Finance & Investments
- Jim O’Connell, '07 – Events
- Venkat Ramamurthy, '13 – Professional Development
In the spirit of further individual recognition, two other Board members, Ron Kero and Michael Rovinsky, led a remarkable fund-raising campaign for the Class of ‘86. Celebrating its 40th reunion last May, the class contributed over $53,000 to the WHAA and achieved a 100% participation rate among all ‘86 alum who could be located. The torch - and challenge - has already been passed to the Class of ‘87 as it prepares for next spring’s milestone reunion.
You too can make a difference. And you can do so quickly and easily, without needing to “serve your time” or “wait your turn”.
There are many ways to immediately contribute beyond being a Board member:
- Serve on a Board Committee. (The WHAA could especially benefit from Marketing & Communications assistance.)
- Identify prospective speakers for webinars, in-person panel discussions, and the annual alumni conference.
- Be a “Class Ambassador”, helping to engage fellow alumni from your graduating class.
- Recommend prospective Association sponsors to the Sponsorship Committee.
- Help organize a regional event with support from the Events Committee.
- Co-host a reception in conjunction with an industry conference that you’ll attend.
- Attend WHAA events and encourage other Wharton and Penn alumni to do the same.
To learn more or offer to assist, please contact Ryan Berger ([email protected]).
Best wishes,
Bryan Bushick, MD, MBA (WG'89)
President, Wharton Healthcare Alumni Association