Money (and business) may make the world go round, but healthcare is arguably the most essential field in the world.
It’s also amongst the fastest moving and the most fractured. There are multiple pressures facing global health systems and providers; from the endless demand to find cures for the ailments that threaten humanity, to the need to provide greater access to diagnosis and treatment for all, to the evolving technologies being trialled and introduced to improve patient care and system performance and the essential ethical debates to be had on every potential step forward or decision made.
For progress to be made, no matter what position they hold, there is a pressure for healthcare sector workers to be fully “in the know” about how their corner of the sector is moving. The same can be said for policy leaders, and other interested observers.
Aside of formal industry updates, announcements and policies, LinkedIn has become a space in which to gain an insight into what’s happening and why.
The instinct is often to follow practitioners, consultants, and industry figures, those with the closest link to direct healthcare delivery. But there is another collective of experts to consider – academics.
And where the evidence and advice shared in medical journals and research papers can feel somewhat inaccessible to everyday healthcare workers, LinkedIn is providing a more accessible way to access those ideas.
Healthcare researchers are the ones analysing the data, asking the questions and challenging accepting wisdom, stress-testing systems and producing the evidence that can drive evolution, shape clinical guidelines and guide government policy.
And, through platforms like LinkedIn, they are not only sharing what they’ve found with a wider audience but, crucially, why it matters and what it means for industry and society.
The business of healthcare
This is especially true for those healthcare academics embedded within business schools. Where a traditional medical or public health faculty member might focus on clinical outcomes, business school professors can bring an additional lens by considering how healthcare organisations actually function, how are they led and financed, and what it may then take to move a promising intervention from theory in a research paper to actionable industry practice.
Following them means getting a clearer view of not just what the research says, but how those findings can create change in healthcare and how that can actually happen.
With that in mind, we’ve collected some of the most progressive academic voices whose work spans both healthcare and the business of healthcare.
Dr. Meike Schleiff – Associate Professor at UCL Global Business School for Health
Dr. Schleiff has more than 15 years’ experience exploring health policy, systems, delivery and education. She shares all of this in practical and forward-thinking insights on LinkedIn.
Much of her research seeks to understand the barriers to healthcare in underserved populations, seeking solutions, greater community engagement and strengthened services.
Her posts often highlight interdisciplinary collaboration, new learning opportunities, and the skills needed to lead change in complex healthcare environments. There is a strong focus on developing people as well as improving systems. If you’re interested in how future health leaders are being trained and what effective systems leadership looks like in practice, her content is well worth your attention.
Find and follow Dr. Schleiff on LinkedIn here
Susi Geiger – Full Professor of Markets, Organisations and Society at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School
Professor Geiger stands out for her deep analysis of healthcare markets, ethics, and social responsibility.
Her research explores market failures, pharmaceutical pricing, and collaborative market innovation, and she commonly brings such topics to greater life through industry talks, publications, and engagements with global organisations like the WHO – of which she is a member, serving on the Technical Advisory Group on Pharmaceutical Pricing Policies.
Celebrated as a Distinguished International Scholar and a thought leader on ethical healthcare systems, following her offers rich perspectives on how business, morality and care intersect in global health economics.
Find and follow Professor Geiger on LinkedIn here
James Barlow – Professor in Technology and Innovation Management (Healthcare) at Imperial Business School
Professor Barlow focuses on the structural and organisational challenges which shape innovation in complex sectors of the economy – with healthcare as a primary focus.
His work explores the challenges innovators, companies, healthcare organisations and policymakers face in embedding innovations into everyday practice to transform healthcare systems. At Imperial he is also a member of the School’s Centre for Health Economics and Policy Innovation.
Outside of academia, he has used his expertise to advise and consult for government, healthcare services and industry.
On Linked In he shares his work and ideas – calling out for contributions to research in progress, breaking down his findings, and highlighting and commenting on the work of others to his followers.
Find and follow Professor Barlow on LinkedIn here.
Pedro Pita Barros – BPI | Fundação “la Caixa” Professor of Health Economics at Nova School of Business of Economics
Professor Barros has built a reputation as a leading European expert in healthcare economics, through his academic explorations and his work with both government and industry.
His research in this area along with a focus on regulation and competition policy has been shared in research papers and journals, in the books he’s authored and through regular guest speaker slots and interviews within the healthcare sector.
As well as serving as an industry consultant, he has been part of a number of influential collectives responsible for shaping health policy, including the European Commission’s “Expert panel on effective ways of investing in health”, the Portuguese National Council of Ethics for the Life Sciences, and the Portuguese National Health Council.
On LinkedIn he shares his work beyond academic circles – posting links to podcasts where he has been interviewed, the op-eds he’s authored in sector magazines, breaking down the findings of his research and involving himself in wider debate
Find and follow Professor Barros on LinkedIn here
Kabir Sheikh – Professor of Global Health Systems and Policy at UCL Global Business School for Health
Professor Sheikh is a seasoned global health systems expert with experience both in academic and public policy.
In his role as Director of the Centre for Global Health Systems and Policy at the UCL Global Business School for Health he champions interdisciplinary thinking and leadership training for health systems transformation, such as promoting the MSc in Health Systems, Policy and Innovation.
Through LinkedIn he uses his expertise to bridge the gap between academic leadership and real-world impact.
His posts provide big-picture thinking about equity, complexity and innovation in public policy, making him a must-follow for professionals seeking insights into health systems strengthening and global health governance.
Find and follow Professor Sheikh on LinkedIn here
Dr. Afschin Gandjour – Professor of Health Management at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
Dr Gandjour’s expertise bridges the fields of healthcare and business practice. A physician-economist and a professor of health management, with both formal training in medicine (gaining his MD), health economics and management (gaining his MBA and PhD) he centres his work on cost effectiveness and sustainable healthcare decision making.
His LinkedIn activity leans towards research driven insights, particularly around pricing, reimbursement, and evaluating innovative therapies. His approach is analytical and evidence based. If you are interested in the financial foundations of healthcare and how value is assessed within health systems, his work provides clear and rigorous thinking.
Find and follow Professor Gandjour on LinkedIn here
Sir Michael Gideon Marmot – Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity at University College London
Sir Michael Marmot is a global authority on health inequalities and social determinants of health, having spent 50 years leading research groups, authoring books, conducting government-backed research, and acting as an advisor to the WHO specifically in this field.
His thought leadership on policies that shape population health makes him exceptionally influential.
Following him offers perspectives grounded in equity-focused public health research, policy commentary, and evidence-based advocacy for fairer health outcomes worldwide.
Find and follow Sir Michael Marmot on LinkedIn here
Ezekiel “Zeke” Emanuel – Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and Professor of Health Care Management at Wharton School
Professor Emanuel is one of the most prominent and influential academic healthcare voices having spent his career working across healthcare practice and delivery, teaching and public policy.
In this time he gained his MD and PhD at Harvard, worked as an oncologist, joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School and became a White House health policy advisor, involved first with the Affordable Care Act and, later, in advising US government strategy around Covid-19 pandemic under President Biden. He has also channelled his expertise into authoring and editing a number of books and articles.
On LinkedIn, he regularly shares his analysis on healthcare policy reform and its implications.
Find and follow Professor Emanuel on LinkedIn here
Regina Herzlinger – Nancy R. McPherson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School
The first woman to be tenured and chaired at Harvard Business School, Prof Herzlinger is widely recognised across academia and industry for her healthcare expertise.
At HBS she is the primary instructor for Innovating Health Care course on the MBA in which learners examine health care cost, quality, and access in order to identify opportunities for new technologies, management, consulting, or investment. In stry she is a prominent figure on many industry boards and co-founder of Belmont Medical Technologies.
Her expertise focuses on “consumer-driven health care”, health system innovation and governance. On LinkedIn she shares her work and analysis of ongoing events in the US health sector.
Find and follow Prof Herzlinger on LinkedIn here
Ambar La Forgia – Assistant Professor in the Management of Organisations Group at the Haas School of Business
One of the rising stars in healthcare management academia, Professor La Forgia was named amongst Poets&Quants Best 40 Under 40 MBA Professors in 2025.
Her research explores the relationship between organisational and managerial strategy in healthcare. In particular, investigating how strategic decisions around M&A or private equity buyouts can change managerial performance, and the knock- on effect this has on the cost and quality of healthcare delivery.
On LinkedIn, she’s vocal about sharing the work of others in her fields, alongside her own accomplishments, guiding her followers to further expertise.
Find and follow Prof La Forgia on LinkedIn here
Carri Chan – Cain Brothers and Company Professor of Healthcare Management at Columbia Business School
With her roots in engineering, Professor Chan takes a quantitative approach to healthcare, combining statistical and econometric approaches with mathematical modelling to develop data-driven, evidence-based models for improving healthcare delivery.
Her expertise has enabled her to work with a number of US hospitals resolving practical systems issues (such as patient flow) and also design and oversee the healthcare-related curriculum for the MBA programme at Columbia, where she also holds the role of Faculty Director of the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management Programme.
Find and follow Professor Chan on LinkedIn here
By, Megan-Rose Vince
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