Elizabeth Chung Nassar

Boston University, Questrom School of Business

“Former ICU nurse driven to revolutionize healthcare through innovation.”

Hometown: Seattle, WA

Fun fact about yourself: As a kid, I dreamed of becoming a race car driver!

Undergraduate School and Degree: Seattle University, Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? ICU Nurse and Co-chair of the Sustainability Committee at Massachusetts General Hospital

Where did you intern during the summer of 2023?

MassChallenge, Boston, MA (Jan 2023 through June 2023)

ImmunoScope, Dallas, TX

Where will you be working after graduation? Chief Business Development Officer for ImmunoScope, a computational immune diagnostic company headquartered in Dallas, TX

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

Women’s MBA Association, VP of Finance

Entrepreneurship & Innovation Club, Co-president/VP of External Relations

Health Sector Issues & Opportunities, Graduate Teaching Assistant

Enoch Frederick Scholarship Recipient

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Being selected as a Flare Scholar by Boston-based venture capital firm called Flare Capital. Committed to reinventing the Business of Healthcare, Flare Capital Partners is focused on investing in early-stage innovative healthcare technology and services companies. I am very proud to have stepped out of my comfort zone to join the Flare Scholar development program, learn more about venture capital, and to contribute to advancing healthcare solutions in the private sector. I continue to gain real-world experience through the Flare Scholar Venture fund, which provides opportunities for Flare Scholars to engage in the process of deal sourcing, lead generation, and diligence.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I am most proud of my work building ImmunoScope, which we started and grew during my first year of the MBA program. ImmunoScope is an early-stage computational diagnostic company focused on immune repertoires to improve donor selection for transplants and treatment stratification. As a former transplant nurse, I am familiar with the devastating effects of rejection/graft-versus-host disease and understand the transformative value of reinventing the way we do [cellular] transplants. It’s extremely fulfilling to contribute to the development of something that has the potential to enhance patient outcomes and lead to safer transplants and cell therapies.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Questrom because of its Health Sector and Social Impact-focused pathways. The school mission aligned with my interest in the intersections of environmental sustainability and healthcare, particularly the pressing issue of hospital waste (this is a big problem!) and its adverse effects on climate health. When I worked as charge nurse for a high-acuity ICU, I served as the co-chair for the Sustainability Committee and collaborated closely with hospital administration to minimize plastic medical waste in clinical spaces and operating rooms. As I took my next step in seeking my MBA, it was important to me to be in a program that would empower me to enhance my understanding and drive impact at the intersection of health and sustainability. Questrom’s unique combination of specialized courses in the health sector and social impact resonated with my career interests. Notably, being one of the few CAHME-accredited Health Sector Management programs in Boston, the program not only lived up to its reputation but surpassed expectations. The robust program network opened numerous doors and presented exciting opportunities throughout my academic journey.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Choosing a favorite among my professors is tough, as they all played a crucial role, especially during a challenging time in my life. Sadly, during the second semester of my first year, my mother was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer. As I traveled more than 36,000 miles across the country over four months to care for her while continuing my MBA studies, a particular professor stood out: Ned Rimer, Master Lecturer, Management & Organizations, who serves as the Health Sector Management Program Director and Professor of Health Sector Issues. His unwavering support and understanding during my mother’s diagnosis in my first year were instrumental. Ned is a dynamic professor who is committed to his students’ success and strives to provide a multidimensional insight into healthcare. Ned, along with other professors and advisors of Questrom like Andy King, Michelle Shell, Pegaret Pichler, Julie Kaneb, and Chris Bishal, provided the guidance that allowed me to complete my MBA while caring for my mother. Their compassion and support made a lasting impact, for which I am deeply grateful.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? Among the various classes I found engaging, Strategy, Economics, and Policy in the Health Sector taught by professor Jim Rebitzer, stands out as the most enlightening. As a clinician, I overlooked the intricate web of incentives and disincentives shaping the healthcare landscape that exists outside of the four walls of the hospital. It not only shed light on the profound complexity inherent in healthcare but also broadened my understanding of the industry in unexpected ways.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? Each winter, the Sports and Social Club arranges an exciting trip to a New England ski resort. This year, we traveled to Smuggler’s Resort in Vermont, where I had a fun time snowboarding with my classmates. The experience was a nice break from the classroom, providing a great opportunity to bond with everyone while participating in one of my favorite outdoor activities!

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would have engaged in an even broader range of divergent activities. Innovation often emerges from drawing inspiration from existing technologies and processes. I firmly believe that challenging the status quo requires us to glean insights from lessons learned in diverse industries.

What is the biggest myth about your school? Questrom has a great health sector program: True. Situated in the life science hub of Boston, we benefit from knowledgeable and well-connected faculty, offering access to a wealth of resources and seasoned professionals in the industry. Access to such expertise allows us to tap into a rich pool of knowledge and opportunities right at our fingertips!

What surprised you the most about business school? Business revolves around people – Prior to business school, I held a belief that business was solely driven by numbers and metrics. While financial figures and metrics are important, the foundation of a successful business relies on the strength of its human connections — even if the numbers align perfectly, the success of the business is compromised without a cohesive and engaged team.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Jessie Ralph stands out for her intelligence and dedication to everything she applies herself to. Her self-awareness and leadership style set her apart from others — Jessie leads with grace, fearlessly engaging in difficult conversations. Her articulate communication, insightful contributions to classroom discussions, and ability to navigate challenges are admirable qualities. Similarly, Jessie is keen on pursuing a career focused on social impact and held an awesome summer internship with the National Park Service as a Business Plan Intern. She is also a fun dancing partner!

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. Continue to engage in volunteer medical missions
2. Establish a venture capital fund exclusively dedicated to supporting physician- and nurse-founded startups

What made Liz such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2024?

“Liz Chung Nassar joined the Health Sector Management Program (MBA) at Boston University Questrom School of Business in August of 2022. She is curious, tireless, entrepreneurial, and committed to healthcare improvement. I recall reviewing her background and appreciating the depth of her clinical experience as an ICU nurse. I did not expect a student committed to innovation from the day she arrived. She is an inspiration to me. What makes her stand out is her tireless effort to make change – now.

She has embraced her studies, excelled academically, and already contributed to the healthcare ecosystem since arriving at Questrom. In her first semester, she joined the ImmunoScope team to pitch their innovation at Nucleate Texas and was awarded the Alnylam Regional Scientific Excellence Award and the Texas Activator Main Prize at the Final Pitch Showcase. She didn’t wait for her summer internship to continue with this passion. In the spring semester of her first year, she served as a health tech intern at MassChallenge, simultaneously joined Flare Capital as a Flare Scholar, and by the summer regular internship cycle returned to the start-up company ImmunoScope as a founding team member and Chief Business Development officer.

She did all of the above while also traveling frequently to the west coast to care for her terminally ill mother and also planning for her summer wedding. She managed this added stress and pressure with immense grace and determination. In her second year, in the midst of these many entrepreneurial activities, she served as co-president of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation club, the VP of Finance for the Women’s MBA Association, as the Teaching Assistant to the core healthcare MBA class, and continues to excel in her classes.

She is an MBA graduate I will be watching as she charts her path forward post-graduation. I am confident that healthcare will be better because of Liz.”

Ned Rimer
Faculty Director, Health Sector Management Program
Executive in Residence
Master Lecturer, Management & Organizations

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