By Himadri Gogoi, MBA Candidate, Class of ’26
This spring, a team of first-year MBA students from the Kelley School of Business, led by George Telthorst , Director of the Center for the Business of Life Sciences and assisted by second-year graduate assistant, Rex Rumsey, partnered with the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) on a strategic pricing project for its Clinical & Translational Support Laboratory (CTSL).
The CTSL plays a vital role in supporting academic researchers and industry clients by providing critical resources and services to accelerate translational research. To help ensure sustainable growth, the student team collaborated with Rob Orr and Dr. Jill Reiter to revise the CTSL’s existing fee structure and design a more accurate, data-driven pricing model.
Dividing into two subgroups, the students conducted:
🔹 A detailed cost and time analysis of materials, equipment, and services
🔹 A benchmarking study of pricing strategies across peer institutions nationwide
Over seven weeks, the team developed a comprehensive activity-based pricing model to better reflect the true costs of the CTSL’s offerings, ensuring both accurate cost recovery and long-term operational alignment.
The final deliverable was met with enthusiasm. In the words of Rob Orr: “This is a hugely useful tool we can use going into the future.”
We’re proud of the team’s excellent work and deeply grateful to Rob, Jill, and our Center for the Business of Life Sciences’ supporters George Telthorst and Rex Rumsey for their guidance throughout the project.
Student team:
John Sutherland | Roee Alper | Himadri Gogoi | Shreya Bandyopadhyay | Fung Lau | RadhaHarish Bezawada | Varun Soni | Deniko Montgomery
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