Ever considered joining a case competition?

Whatever your major, career coaches encourage you to take the plunge. You will gain unique experience that develops your skills, connects you to experienced mentors, and allows you to collaborate closely with fellow students. It is a fantastic addition to your resume, and—who knows? —you may walk away with a win!

During fall semester 2023, the Leavitt Business Consulting Case Competition brought together students from across majors at the University of Utah to use their analytics and consulting skills to address a complex health issue impacting our world.

The Business Economic Society Club at the David Eccles School of Business partnered with Leavitt Partners, An HMA Company, and U Career Success to host a competition where students were tasked with a consulting challenge focused on Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). SDOH comprises the environmental factors outside of the hospital that can impact a person’s health. Highlighting the significance of SDOH, Spencer Morrison, Associate Principal at Leavitt Partners, emphasized that “health doesn’t just happen within the four walls of the hospital, it happens through everyday actions.” Thomas Gubbay, Senior Manager at Leavitt Partners, challenged students to create an in-depth analysis of the vendor market, develop a market fit assessment framework, and then provide a go/ no-go recommendation for a fictitious company to enter the SDOH market.

Ten student teams composed of 2-5 graduate or undergraduate students submitted proposals for review by the Leavitt team. Participant Januel Alexander Gomez, a senior majoring in Quantitative Analysis of Markets and Organizations (QAMO), spoke on the benefits of competing with such a diverse field, saying, “When forming a team for a competition, diversity is one of the most important factors to consider, especially if the competition is focused on innovation. Through sharing unique experiences, teams can form the novel ideas necessary to win.”

From teams submitting written proposals, 5 were selected to advance: ACG, The Boondoggle Group, The Barbies and Ken, Team 2, and Social Butterflies. Judges included Cody Backus, Strategy Consultant at Intermountain Health, and John Poelman, Director at One Utah Health Collaborative, as well as Spencer Morrison of Leavitt Partners. Additionally, Eccles School Associate Professor of QAMO Allison Witman and QAMO Senior Jason Collyer provided valuable coaching to preparing teams.

Amid a field of strong competitors, Social Butterflies, a group comprised of Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) students Miquelle Leslie-Cheng, Taylor Moore, Samantha Christensen, and Sabrina Franks, emerged victorious. What sets them apart? Spencer Morrison revealed that their complex understanding of the healthcare industry along with extensive research into additional vendors in addition to outside those provided by the case was key.

Winners: Social Butterflies, Miquelle Leslie-Cheng, Taylor Moore, Samantha Christensen, Sabrina Franks, and Spencer Morrison (Associate Principal, Leavitt Partners).

Social Butterflies member Sabrina Frank attributed their victory to a weekend of intense whiteboarding which maximized the time they spent together to address the challenge. Their MHA experience also proved useful, as they were familiar with case-based health problems that require analysts to identify stakeholders and develop a framework to address each. In the end, the team left with a cash prize of $100 each and a deeper understanding of the importance of SDOH for healthcare leaders.

Congratulations to the winning team and thanks to all the teams for their hard work preparing and presenting. We appreciate the learning opportunity offered to every participant. Special thanks to U of U alumni Thomas Gubbay and Spencer Morrison who created this valuable experience for Utah students for the second year running.