MBA Students Discuss Organizational Leadership on Fitness with Health Consultant Vik Khanna

On Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 Smith first-year MBA students were once again treated to a presentation from Vik Khanna, owner of Galileo Health Partners LLC, a health consulting firm that provides innovative and creative consulting services to a wide range of corporate and government clients. Khanna, who spoke at MBA orientation in August, returned to the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business to hold two sessions on the topic of Organizational Leadership on Fitness.

Khanna began by discussing three central assumptions: 1) America's chronic disease burden drains financial resources and quality of life, 2) the American health-care industry is ill-suited to provide effective solutions, and 3) American business once again finds itself faced with fixing a problem that is not of its own making. "The American population is the most unfit culture in world history. This has tremendous consequences for business," said Khanna.

The statistics presented by Khanna painted a stark picture. Recent studies indicate that only 3 percent of all American adults have an optimal lifestyle, and 70 percent of all American insurance costs are being spent on chronic illness. "General Motors spends $5 billion a year on employee and retiree health costs," says Khanna. "Their health care costs are estimated to $1500-$1800 of the price of every car built."

Khanna's objective was to educate students to the risks of aging and chronic diseases while pointing out the benefits of behavior modification through a data-driven approach to exercise risk management. Khanna then discussed several major global companies who have generated significant savings to their bottom line through promoting health and wellness, including Johnson & Johnson, Motorola and Citibank.

Khanna concluded his remarks by offering several suggestions to students in managing company-wide exercise risk management. These suggestions included creating a culture that rewards good health, providing personal leadership to compel employee involvement, and engaging with the community at large. Khanna remained available after his presentation for personalized, one-on-one health recommendations.

Peter Baird, MBA Candidate 2009, Smith Media Group