Title:$3M gift establishes chair and fund for Business of Health initiative at McDonough School of Business

Recognizing the impact the business world can have on healthcare, Peter N. “Pete” (B’78) and Kay Crnkovich (Parents’11, ’13) established the Crnkovich Family Endowed Business of Health Chair and Crnkovich Family Endowed Business of Health Chair Fund with a $3 million gift to Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.

Launched in 2024, the Business of Health Initiative enhances Georgetown’s ability to develop forward-thinking solutions at the intersection of business and medicine. The initiative is part of what McDonough identifies as fields of the future, where businesses can work across industries to solve society’s most pressing issues. Fields of the future are a nexus of academic programming, co-curricular activities, and research opportunities McDonough has developed to also include AI, Analytics, and Future of Work and the Business of Sustainability. As students look to the future of business, thinking thematically with skills that cross disciplines is key to success. 

Thanks to the Crnkovich family, Sandeep Dahiya, professor of finance and director of the Business of Health Initiative, has been named the Crnkovich Family Business of Health Chair, guiding the initial direction and focus of the initiative.

“It’s important that we started with a chair because leadership matters, particularly in the early days of an entity. Providing direction, building enthusiasm, and creating a strong foundation at the beginning is fundamental,” says Pete Crnkovich. “We couldn’t be more pleased that Sandeep is the inaugural holder of this chair.”

Over the years, generations of the Crnkovich family have been involved in Georgetown’s work as a globally oriented business school in service to others. Pete Crnkovich was formerly on Georgetown’s Board of Regents and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of Georgetown McDonough’s Board of Advisors. Pete and Kay’s children, Matthew (B’11) and Brian (B’13), also attended the business school, as did Pete’s younger brother Andy (B’86), sister Carla (B’88), niece Jessica (B’04), and nephew Sean (B’05). With the new family chair, the Crnkoviches hope to continue to help future Hoyas achieve success.

“When the Business of Health Initiative was first conceptualized, I realized it was exactly what I’d been waiting for,” says Crnkovich. “We’re glad we’re in a position to be able to help the university through a family chair. It has been really interesting and exciting to make a difference early on.”

‘Principled, compassionate leadership’

After graduating from Georgetown McDonough and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, Pete Crnkovich spent 35 years at Morgan Stanley as an investment banker in the health care space, ultimately becoming chairman of global health care investment banking. He now is an investor in and advisor to a number of biopharmaceutical startup companies.

“Peter Crnkovich has spent his career advising health care firms, and his deep commitment to the future of the industry is reflected in this extraordinary endowment. His passion for preparing Georgetown students to become the next generation of health care leaders is both inspiring and impactful,” says Sandeep Dahiya. 

“I am deeply honored to be named the inaugural Crnkovich Family Endowed Business of Health Chair. This generous gift is a testament to the growing importance of integrating business principles with health to drive innovation and sustainability in health care,” adds Dahiya. 

“Health care is an enormous, growing industry with great jobs. With this gift, I hope to encourage students to consider the health care industry as an attractive career option coming out of Georgetown,” says Crnkovich. “There are private startup companies, very large publicly traded companies, service providers, foundations, Non-Governmental Organizations, not-for-profit companies—including major hospital systems—and government agencies and regulatory bodies, all of which are critically important. There is literally something for everybody.” 

“You don’t need to be a scientist. In fact, if you look at the leadership of most of the big pharmaceutical companies, they are by and large not scientists or physicians, but rather business people who understand science and the technology,” Crnkovich says.

“Health care is a space where you can really feel good about what you’re doing,” Crnkovich adds. “It is a mission-driven sector where, at the end of the day, it is all about improving the lives of people. I’ve seen people cured by drugs or devices. It doesn’t get any more gratifying than that.”

“Georgetown focuses on the care of the whole person and health care is a big space with issues and opportunities requiring principled, compassionate leadership,” Crnkovich says. “I think the initiative is a perfect fit for Georgetown.” 

Shaping a ‘values-driven health care ecosystem’

“I am grateful to Peter and Kay Crnkovich for their support of our Business of Health Initiative,” says Paul Almeida, dean and William R. Berkley Chair of Georgetown McDonough. “This gift sustains the momentum of this initiative, which seeks to bring a values-based business approach to the health care industry. The impact of this work has the potential to improve the wellness of people around the world.”

Going forward, the initiative has the potential to give McDonough students early access to key resources that will shape their future careers in health care. 

“The Crnkovich Family Endowed Business of Health Chair has empowered the initiative to expand its focus—deepening our health care business curriculum, hosting meaningful community engagements such as panel discussions and fireside chats with industry leaders, and advancing faculty research at the intersection of business and health,” says Dahiya. “This gift is helping to shape a more innovative, informed, and values-driven health care ecosystem.”