Philadelphia Council Member Jamie Gauthier to Hold Hearing on Connecting Residents to Family-Sustaining Jobs Within the Life Sciences Industry
On Monday, March 25th at 2 PM, City Council’s Committee on Commerce and Economic Development will hold a hearing, led by Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District), on the City of Philadelphia’s capacity to prepare individuals from every educational background for careers in the growing life sciences industry, with a focus on the cell and gene therapy subsector. The hearing was authorized by a resolution introduced by Councilmembers Jamie Gauthier and Katherine Gilmore-Richardson (At-Large).
You can tune in to watch the hering at https://phlcouncil.com/watch-city-council/
Who:
- Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District)
- Councilmember Mark Squilla (1st District), Committee Chair
- Members of the City Council Committee on Commerce and Economic Development
Panel 1: State of Life Sciences, Intergovernmental Cooperation
- Dr. Bryan Tsao, Manager of Life Science & Healthcare Initiatives, Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia
- Cait Garozzo, Executive Director of the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, University City District
- Jen Gilburg, Deputy Secretary of Technology and Innovation, Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development
Panel 2: Employees and Community
- Unique Stephens, Laboratory Assistant, Wistar Institute
- Tylier Driscoll, Laboratory Technician, BioAnalysis
- Veton Meas, Aseptic Manufacturing Technician, Iovance Biotherapeutics, West Philadelphia Skills Initiative Graduate
- Shawmar Pitts, Co-Director & Policy Coordinator, Philly Thrive
Panel 3: Employers
- Anne Brooks, Senior Vice President, Iovance Biotherapeutics
- Dr. Sharon Willis, Co-Founder and VP of Sales and Customer Relations, Integral Molecular
Panel 4: Role of the City and Community College: Current Programs and Future Plans
- Sam Woods Thomas, Senior Director of Business Attraction, Philadelphia Department of Commerce
- Dr. Linda Powell, Professor of Biology and Special Assistant to the Provost for STEM Outreach and Engagement, Community College of Philadelphia
- Dr. Vishal Shah, Dean of the Division of Math, Science, and Health Careers, Community College of Philadelphia.
- H. Patrick Clancy, President and CEO, Philadelphia Works, Inc.
Panel 5: Innovators in the space
- Dr. Tia Lyles-Williams, CEO of Goffman Bougard, Inc. and Founder/CEO of its subsidiary, LucasPye BIO
- Katie Nash, Senior Director of External Affairs, University City Science Center
- Dr. Kristy Shuda McGuire, Dean of Biomedical Studies, Wistar Institute
- Dr. Anthony Green, Chief Scientific Officer, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA
WHEN: Monday, March 25th at 2:00 PM
WHERE: City Hall Room 400 | Streaming Live on Comcast/ Xfinity Channel 64, Fios Channel 40, and phlcouncil.com/watch
WHY: Philadelphia is nationally recognized as the number 5 city for life sciences, jumping four slots since 2021. In October, Southeastern Pennsylvania also became a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub (Tech Hub) for life sciences, making Philadelphia eligible for substantial federal funding.
Life sciences is a rapidly expanding industry in Philadelphia, with millions of square feet of lab space expected to open within two years and more than $8 billion in venture capital funding since 2021. Although the market can fluctuate, gene and cell therapy’s promise to cure diseases such as congenital blindness and cancer indicates that it will continue to grow.
Philadelphia’s cell and gene therapy workforce is expected to grow by 94%. Mature cell and gene therapy companies that receive FDA approval and start manufacturing can offer a range of family-sustaining jobs available to Philadelphians with only a high school education.
Philadelphia already contains the building blocks to create a robust workforce ecosystem, including a recent $23 million grant from the US Economic Development Administration. However, Philadelphia’s current training capacity remains far below the need. The City of Philadelphia needs to start preparing residents today if we hope to have the workforce ready for the jobs coming online in three to five years from now.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
BioBuzz is a community led, experience focused, biotech and life sciences media and events company. BioBuzz highlights regional breaking news, industry professionals, jobs, events, and resources for business and career growth. Their weekly newsletter is subscribed to by thousands in the BioHealth Capital Region and Greater Philadelphia as the go-to for industry updates.
