A.B. Short (far right), CEO of MedShare International, presents a check to the winning team of MBA students from Northwestern University who won the Intersections case competition. Georgia Tech organized and hosted (but did not compete in) the event.

MBA students from prestigious business schools competed recently at Georgia Tech College of Management to provide the best strategy for helping MedShare International increase access to medical care around the globe.

This MBA case competition, titled Intersections, was the first organized and hosted by Georgia Tech’s business school. Competing teams came from the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton), Emory University (Goizueta), Northwestern University (Kellogg), Purdue University (Krannert), University of Minnesota (Carlson), Georgetown University, and Costa Rica’s INCAE Business School.

Judged by a MedShare executive and several corporate and community leaders, the Kellogg team won first place, INCAE second, and Goizueta third in the competition (with the top three prizes totaling $15,000). Georgia Tech students did not compete.

Held January 18-19, Intersections was designed to improve the analytical and communication skills of MBA students and provide them with insights into partnerships between corporate and nonprofit communities – relationships critical to addressing the complex issues facing society.

Accenture, the lead sponsor of the Intersections, was instrumental in developing the MedShare case that MBA students analyzed and discussed in the competition. MedShare recently decided to expand their operations and reached out to Accenture for pro-bono consulting help.

MedShare International distributes unused medical supplies from the United States to hospitals and clinics around the world. In the process of ensuring that more people have access to medical care, the company also decreases the biomedical waste going into landfills.

Students visited MedShare’s headquarters in Decatur during the competition for a tour and the opportunity to interview the organization’s executives and employees about MedShare’s operations and challenges.

A.B. Short, co-founder and CEO of MedShare, commended students for their recommendations at the Intersections awards ceremony and dinner celebration. “We will take with us a part of each presentation as we continue to analyze our operations and build our expansion strategy,” he said, emphasizing the hope that MedShare brings to people around the world.

Participating MBA students also felt enriched by the Intersections experience. “We were happy that we could make a real impact for a very worthy organization,” said Tiffany Urrechaga, a member of the winning Kellogg team.

While most MBA students pursue corporate careers, many will have the opportunity to serve the nonprofit sector through board memberships and other volunteer activities. Educational experiences like Intersections help students better understand the needs of nonprofit organizations, according to competition organizers.

In addition to Accenture, other significant contributors to Intersections included Bank of America and Georgia Tech’s Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship.

© 2012 Georgia Institute of Technology