Student-Led Projects Bridge Business Education, Impact
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Student Opportunities
With Support from WDI—MBA Teams Collaborate on Business Solutions in Healthcare, Energy and Entrepreneurship—from India to the Dominican Republic
Prathyusha Davuluru decided to pursue her MBA at Michigan Ross “to gain hands-on, global experience that blends business, impact and learning in real-world settings.”
The first-year Ross MBA student found exactly the opportunity through her recent Multi-Disciplinary Action Project (MAP) with Infinity Advanced Technology Solutions (formerly Boston Medical) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The project was one of nine distinct MAPs for full-time, online and weekend MBA students supported by the William Davidson Institute (WDI) during the 2024–2025 academic year.
The Infinity MAP team interviewed staffers and managers of hospitals across public and private sectors, small and medium-sized clinics to understand their needs and challenges. They presented strategic recommendations tailored to these insights—with the aim of providing the firm with more tools to strengthen investor proposals.
“Working alongside an amazing team, we explored how medical device leasing can help increase access to critical healthcare technologies across Ethiopia,” said Davuluru, a student in the Michigan Ross Weekend MBA program. “We also had the unique opportunity to engage with the Ministry of Health and the National Bank of Ethiopia, gaining insights into national healthcare goals and the regulatory environment around financial leasing.”
Over the last three decades, more than 830 students have participated in hundreds of WDI-sponsored MAPs across low- and middle-income countries. The fast-paced, seven-week course is a requirement for all MBA students.
Participating 36 students collaborated with WDI partners—both for profit businesses and nonprofits—operating in the areas of healthcare, energy and mobility, and entrepreneurship development. This year’s projects took place in the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Mexico, Uganda and Vietnam. From expansion plans for a rehabilitation center in India, to expanding entrepreneurship in Vietnam to in-depth market forecasting around specialty healthcare clinics in Uganda, the projects offered a diverse set of business scenarios for students to navigate.
In April, WDI hosted a MAP Showcase, with each team providing a brief presentation on their project, including their roles, analysis and recommendations to the partnering organizations and businesses. The students reflected on their experiences of assessing the business and market, the wider economic and investment ecosystem, as well as applying what they learn in the classroom to real-world business challenges.
“We really learned to be flexible, open minded and adapt to what happens,” said first-year MBA student Masashi Nishimura, whose team engaged with healthcare firm CheckUps in Kenya.
CheckUps is working to establish a dynamic network of urgent care centers in Kenya. The MAP team identified four key areas to strengthen pharmacy operations and medicine inventory management, while recommending tech-enabled solutions to strengthen the customer on-boarding process.
“Every employee was so busy, but they took their valuable time to help us,” said Laura Frazee-Sonsteng, a fellow team member on the CheckUps team. The MBA student said she was in awe of Kenya’s economic growth and business culture.
“There is so much happening and I think there are big things to come for Kenya,” Frazee-Sonsteng added.
WDI President and CEO Wendy Taylor noted that the student projects not only help WDI clients improve operations and forecast future plans, they benefit subsequent MAP teams at Ross as many partner organizations collaborate with WDI repeatedly over the years.
These are not easy projects, they test students and what they have learned on the way to obtaining their MBA degree. I know our clients have benefited tremendously from what the students have provided and we’re grateful for their combined efforts.
“Students apply many aspects of their first year MBA core courses—from accounting to revenue management to market evaluation – toward the real-world dynamics of MAP,” Taylor said. “These are not easy projects, they test students and what they have learned on the way to obtaining their MBA degree. I know our clients have benefited tremendously from what the students have provided and we’re grateful for their combined efforts.”
WDI’s commitment to equipping entrepreneurs, enterprises and ecosystems in emerging markets with the business tools needed for success and scaling impact are clearly reflected in each of the projects. For example, Poornatha, an entrepreneurship training organization, worked with a MAP team to launch a pilot program supporting small and medium business entrepreneurs in Vietnam through tailored, high-impact education.
WDI’s Energy and Mobility team has previously collaborated with automotive manufacturing quality services firm AMN International, located in Mexico. This year’s MAP team helped AMN focus on identifying opportunities with Tier 1 companies in the Mexican automotive industry to implement advanced technologies in manufacturing processes.
“Their visit allowed them to see firsthand how our operations work and connect their research to real-world applications,” said Victor Corella, CEO of AMN International. “We’re honored to have supported their learning journey and proud to contribute to the development of future global leaders in innovation and strategy.”
Meanwhile, at Poovanthi Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine Madurai, India, students worked on a strategic plan to support the expansion plans for the rehabilitation center, which hopes to grow from 124 to 600 beds. The team made recommendations around improving patient intake and scheduling, process improvement for billing and collections, and a roadmap for prioritizing and expanding key services.
“The students brought fresh ideas and helped us look at our challenges in a new way. They gave us useful suggestions for creating a value-based organization by developing a strategy framework, roadmap and change management strategy,” said Dr. Shibu B, Chief Medical Officer, Poovanthi Institute of Rehabilitation & Elder Care. “This will help us in improving our work culture, which supports our goal of giving better care to our patients. It was also a great exchange of learning that they understood the local context with curiosity and respect, while we gained insights from their global perspective. We truly enjoyed this partnership and thank them for their thoughtful work.”
At Clinica de Familia La Romana, another previous WDI partner operating in the Dominican Republic, the team evaluated potential business and financial models for a pathology clinic focusing on specific diagnostic tests. Students mapped the impact of the regulatory environment, operational readiness and other risks designed to help management make an informed decision.
Mina Halpern, Executive Director at Clínica de Familia La Romana, said the team did an “outstanding job analyzing and evaluating the potential inclusion of pathology services in Clínica de Familia’s new facility,” which will open in 2027.
“They conducted a thorough assessment of demand, financial viability, and other key factors. Their well-founded recommendations will have real-world impact and are instrumental in guiding us through difficult decisions about which services to include,” Halpem said. “The MAP students demonstrated exceptional professionalism, dedication, creativity, and passion throughout the project. We are profoundly grateful for their hard work, and for the William Davidson Institute´s support of this project.”
For students, applying what they are learning in the MBA program through the projects is an indicator of just how much impact they can have, both at U-M and in their professional careers.
“You realize that all these little things we are doing can make an impact,” said Hailey Lee, a first-year MBA who participated in the Clinica de Familia project. “And having the power to have an impact, to actually contribute, that’s also what makes it so great.”