Alumni Profile
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Personal Information Name: David Rowe Organization: WebMD Health Services Title: Vice President of Marketing What we do: Creates private online portals to enable employees and health
plan members to make more informed benefit, treatment and provider decisions. Education: ‘79 BA |
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What is the underlying
mission at WebMD?
WebMD
is dedicated to providing quality health information and services to consumers,
physicians, employers and health plan members.
Within WebMD Health Services, our objective is to enable employers and
health plans to provide their employees and plan members with access to
personalized heath and benefit information and decision support technology that
helps them make informed benefit, provider and treatment choices.
How does WebMD make a name for itself in an advanced and
competitive technological market?
Consumer
trust is one of our most important assets. We have many technological advantages
over our competitors, but the trust consumers put in WebMD with respect to
providing them with highly credible health care information and protecting
their personal information is critical to our success.
What are some day to day challenges that you face as an
entrepreneur in today’s business world?
In
a dynamic, information-rich environment, I find that the management of time and
the prioritization of work to be done is the most critical challenge that I
face. I begin every day at 4:30am in
front of the fireplace, with a cup of coffee and a Day-timer Day Planner. I ask
this key prioritization question: “What can I do today that will make the
greatest impact on my company’s achievement of its strategic objectives?” I’m not interested in checking off tasks on a
to-do list; I want to make a contribution, every day, that
moves the company forward.
How do you balance your professional life with your
outside interests?
I
am very fortunate on that count. I am
very active, and very conscious of my health and the factors that influence it.
I work for a company whose mission is to help individuals take personal
responsibility for their own healthcare decisions. Our product development and
marketing strategies are an extension of my own belief system about health and
the actions we must take to live healthy, successful lives.
What has sustained as your most memorable PSU moment?
Under
the direction of Scott Dawson, I had the opportunity to develop a business plan
with Kristin Engstrom for an environmental engineering
software company called Cormix. At the time, the founder was still operating
out of his lab at OGI. Over a period of
about 12 weeks, Kristin and I were able write a plan to extend the product
platform, transfer the technology to the private sector, and offer a number of
financing scenarios for the founder. It
was a real-life experience, where we learned a lot, and the company was given a
plan that had real value.
Who was your most influential professor and why?
There
were three professors that I will always be indebted to: Robert Harmon had a
profound impact on my understanding of what ‘marketing’ is and what it should
be. He opened my mind to the brave new world of technology marketing,
and just as important, the linkages between customer perceptions of value,
marketing strategy, and new product development. Janet Hamilton helped me make
the connection between product strategy and finance; she showed me how to
develop financial estimates for new products for which there is no proxy. Stephen Brenner instilled in me a lasting
sense of business ethics, and the tools for making ethical decisions.
What changes would you make to PSU’s
MBA program if any?
I
think all PSU MBA alums would benefit from some form of continuing education –
perhaps a residency program, every three to five years. Not only would it insure we keep our tools
sharpened, but it would allow information sharing across alumni, current
students, and professors.
How do you stay connected with PSU?
I
am a mentor to an MBA student. My wife
and I are contributors to the SBA’s capital fund. I serve as a guest speaker in
Dr. Harmon’s class from time to time.
I’ve even taught a few under graduate courses in marketing.