Wharton@Work
How the Advanced Finance Program (AFP) Transformed a Career
Twelve years ago, Jonathan Marks didn’t set out to start a company — let alone two. A longtime real estate professional, he was intrigued by a blind spot in the market: no one was focusing on health care real estate with the level of clinical precision that the industry demanded. As a trusted advisor to physicians, medical groups, and hospitals for their medical real estate portfolios, Marks realized that most firms approached medical real estate like any other office transaction — without regard for how clinical care, health care data, and operations impact strategic real estate decisions. That’s when he began to build something different: a business that didn’t just advise on real estate, but on the strategic intersection of health care delivery, operations, and space. What he didn’t anticipate was how much Wharton’s Advanced Finance Program (AFP) would help him shape that vision.
“I enrolled in the AFP thinking about how to grow my firm, get on the board, and add more value in my role,” says Marks, founder and CEO of Clinical Medical Real Estate Solutions and the recently launched Clinical Advisory Group. “What I received was a broader strategic lens that ended up helping me launch two companies.”
Evolving Objectives
Marks originally considered Wharton’s Executive MBA program more than a decade ago. When time and professional obligations made that impractical, he kept circling back to the idea. “I’d always done well in school and had a financial background,” he says, “but I wanted more. I kept looking at Wharton programs, and when COVID hit, I finally took the plunge with AFP.”
At the time, Marks was helping lead Cresa’s health care practice group, managing clients and pursuing acquisitions. “I chose AFP because it was like the executive MBA without the marketing and other coursework I didn’t think I needed,” he explains. “I was focused on valuation, financial modeling, and board-level strategy.”
His AFP courses included Mergers and Acquisitions, Venture Capital, Corporate Valuation, Shareholder Activism, the CFO Program, and Distressed Asset Investing. “It was all about value creation,” Marks says. “Every session reinforced that. And that idea stuck with me.”
From Strategy to Startup
As the health care landscape shifted, Marks found himself rethinking his role. “The market was changing. The firms were changing. I kept coming back to the idea of value creation,” he recalls. “I realized I didn’t want to just be in real estate — I wanted to build something clinical, something strategic.”
That realization led to the launch of two affiliated companies: Clinical Medical Real Estate Solutions and Clinical Advisory Group. The former provides deep expertise in portfolio optimization, leasing strategy, and site selection combined with best-in-class health care brokerage for hospitals and medical practices. The latter adds a layer of operational and clinical insight — delivered by former executives from major health care organizations like OptumCare.
Together, the companies help clients address 11 critical pain points, ranging from patient volume forecasting to physician recruitment — each aimed at improving practice performance and aligning real estate decisions with long-term clinical and growth goals. “We analyze specialty demand, benchmark provider performance, and review operational metrics before we even bring up real estate,” says Marks. “Most firms dabble in health care. We don’t. We lead with clinical expertise — because in this field, we’re not the generalist. We’re the specialist.”
Lessons that Stick
Marks credits the AFP curriculum — and its highly experiential, team-driven approach — for preparing him to think holistically and act decisively. “We worked on real scenarios with complex negotiations,” he says. “The back-and-forth got intense at times, but that’s what made it valuable. You learn how to see the problem, dissect it, and push toward resolution. That’s exactly what I do now.”
He also found that the experience forged lasting professional connections. “I am in touch with people from the program, joined the Wharton Health Care Management Alumni Association, and have written for their newsletter. It’s a great community that will continue to be a valuable resource.”
Advice for Future Participants
The time commitment can be daunting, especially for professionals running businesses. But Marks says the effort pays off. “It’s like Navy SEAL training — you know it’s going to be tough, but if you commit and keep your eye on the goal, it changes your trajectory,” he says. “A couple years of hard work can open doors for the rest of your career.”
For Marks, the AFP delivered more than technical knowledge. It shifted his perspective and expanded his ambitions — from health care real estate executive to founder of an integrated clinical strategy firm. “I didn’t plan it that way,” he says, “but AFP prepared me to think bigger.”
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