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Strategy

Walter J. McNerney Professor of Health Industry Management

Faculty Director of PhD Program

Professor of Strategy

Portrait of David Dranove, Faculty at the Kellogg School of Management

David Dranove is the Walter McNerney Distinguished Professor of Health Industry Management at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, where he is also Professor of Strategy and Director of Doctoral Programs. He has a PhD in Economics from Stanford University. Professor Dranove is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

Professor Dranove's research focuses on problems in industrial organization and business strategy with an emphasis on the health care industry. He has published nearly 100 research articles and book chapters and written six books, including The Economic Evolution of American Healthcare, What’s Your Life Worth?, and Big Med. His textbook, Economics of Strategy, is used by leading business schools around the world. Professor Dranove has served as the lead economics expert in several high-profile healthcare antitrust cases, including FTC v. St. Luke's Healthcare System, U.S. v. Anthem and Cigna, and State of California v. Sutter Health System, and regularly consults with healthcare organizations in the public and private sector. He has also served on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Health Care Cost Institute and is past Treasurer of the American Society of Health Economists.   

In 2022, the American Society of Health Economists honored Professor Dranove with the Victor Fuchs Award, which recognizes lifetime contributions to the field of Health Economists. In 2024, Prof. Dranove was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for his fundamental contributions to understanding the dynamics of health care markets.

About David
Research interests
  • Industrial organization and the economics of information
  • business strategy
  • medical economics
  • health services policy analysis
Teaching interests
  • Industrial organization and the economics of information
  • business strategy
  • medical economics
  • and health services policy analysis
  • PhD, 1983, Economics, Business, Policy, Stanford University
    MBA, 1979, Health Administration, Cornell University
    BA, 1977, Genetics, Cornell University
  • Walter McNerney Distinguished Professor of Health Industry Management, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2000-present
    Professor, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 1995-present
    Director, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
    Department Chair, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 1996-2000
    Richard Paget Distinguished Professor of Management and Strategy, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 1995-2000
    Associate Professor, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 1991-1995
    Co-Director, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago, 1990-1991
    Associate Professor of Business Economics, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago, 1987-1991
    Assistant Professor of Business Economics, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago, 1983-1987
  • 2022 American Society of Health Economists: Victor Fuchs Award for Lifetime Contributions to the Field of Health Economics
    2018 Finalist, National Institute for Health Care Management Paper of the Year. (One of five finalists out of 114 entries.) Winner to be announced on May 13. This is for the paper “The Effect of Hospital Acquisition of Physician Practices on Pricing and Spending,” which is appears in the Journal of Health Economics.
    Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement in Economics, American Antitrust Institute
    Finalist: Economist of the Year, Global Competition Review
    Finalist: Economist of the Year, Global Competition Review
    Workshop on Health IT Best Paper Award 2012, Center for Health Information and Decision Systems
    Sidney J. Levy Teaching Award, Kellogg School of Management, 2008-2009, 2004-2005, 2001-2002
    Stanley Reiter Best Paper Award (Co-Winner), Kellogg School of Management, 2005

Research in Economics (MECS-560-3)

This course introduces first-year PhD students to the economics research environment. With an emphasis on breadth, and minimal prerequisite knowledge at the graduate level, students are exposed to the process of forming and answering research questions. The course involves multiple faculty providing their perspective on successful approaches to research by highlighting significant recent works in their respective fields of interest.

Health Economics I (MECS-551-1)

This course will expose students to both seminal and cutting edge research in health economics. The pedagogy includes lecture, student presentations of research papers, and original student projects. Prerequisites: ECON 410-1, ECON 410-2, ECON 410-3 (Microeconomics); ECON 480-1, ECON 480-2, ECON 480-3 (Introduction to Econometrics); MECS 551-1 is required before enrolling in MECS 551-2.

Workshop on Research Development (KPHD-520-0)

PhD students present new research ideas to faculty and students. Students must situate their ideas in a relevant literature, outline the type of results/analysis that the student expects to carry out, and most importantly, the potential contributions. Emphasis will be placed on the evaluating the viability of research ideas as job market papers.