Industry, regional funding and support organizations, the region’s university system and local and state government entities recognize this workforce challenge and have been collaborating to build the cell and gene therapy workforce infrastructure required to keep the personalized medicine workforce pipeline primed.
Whether you’re a current student, a recent graduate, taking a gap year, or simply at the beginning stages of your biotech career, an internship is widely acknowledged as one of the best ways to get your foot in the door of a company or field you’re interested in. Whether it be to enhance your skill set, make connections, or learn more about the life science industry, an internship can be an incredible stepping stone in achieving your future career goals- especially when considering that many successful internships turn into full-time position offers. But how do you get from point A to point B?
The seas have been rough this year for the biotech and life sciences market, with funding scarcity and layoffs abound. The BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) has braced the storm, though, holding tight to its fourth-place ranking on the Genetic & Engineering News (GEN) Top 10 Biopharma Clusters list. Alex Phillipidus, Senior Business Editor for GEN, gave the update at the eighth annual BioHealth Capital Region Forum.
Sometimes a new set of eyes on your job search strategy or promotion approach can make all the difference in the world. Engaging a career coach or consultant is a great way to enhance what you’re already doing right and learn new techniques to get more from your networking and professional development activities. For employers looking to retain their key talent, providing coaching opportunities is also beneficial, as it shows your organization believes in them, is willing to invest in their future, and cares about their success.
Philadelphia has seen a 127% increase in cell and gene therapy employment since 2019.
That eye-popping stat comes from the University City Science Center’s 2022 report Greater Philadelphia Cell and Gene Therapy Workforce Update, a follow up to the 2020 Cell and Gene Therapy and Connected Health Workforce Analysis study. It translates to potentially thousands of open roles in the region known by the branding obsessed as Cellicon Valley.
And yet, that stat doesn’t necessarily mean Philadelphians in need of wages that would support a higher quality of life are trained for those available life science jobs — or even know they exist.
A Friday morning panel called “Workforce Development in the Life Sciences: Building Skills, Diversity and Education in Philadelphia and Beyond” during the 2022 B.PHL Innovation Fest dove into the barriers and opportunities for the life science industry’s workforce.
Phil Brooks, director of STEM workforce partnerships at the Science Center, and Tia Lyles-Williams, founder and CEO of both LucasPye Bio and HelaPlex, both sat on the panel moderated by Lauren Swartz, president and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia.
Brooks’ work centers on exposure to professional opportunities through workforce development programs. Lyles-Williams said HelaPlex, a forthcoming Philly life…
NORTH EAST, MD. – Bioproduction is the design, development and production of small molecules instrumental in making a wide variety of commercial products such as vaccines, antibodies, biowarfare weapons, even yeasts that produce unique beers.
There is an ever-growing demand for skilled laboratory technicians in the field of bioproduction due to a resurgence of research facilities in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is especially true in the Philadelphia to Baltimore corridor.
To meet this demand, Cecil College launched two programs to train today’s workforce in the applications necessary for graduates to step into these skilled positions. The first program is an 18 credit Lab Skills certificate that can be completed in two semesters. Students learn the skills of pipetting, molecular cloning, laboratory record keeping, precision measuring, growing cell and microbe cultures, and the ability to sterilize equipment while practicing required sterile techniques.
Pfizer Partners with Morgan State, Launches DrPH Vaccines Fellow Program A Pfizer-backed Doctor of Public Health Fellowship at Morgan State University officially kicked off, bolstering the college’s commitment to life [….]
Kite’s choice to plant roots in Maryland has been a boon to the economy and the region’s life sciences ecosystem. Kite has committed to building strong partnerships with the local community across an array of key constituencies, including workforce development initiatives at local universities and life sciences support organizations. Kite’s goal is to augment existing workforce development programming and to help the region continue building a thriving life sciences workforce.
Kite’s cell manufacturing facility in Frederick has recently launched what it calls its Veteran Pathways Program. The program is led by veteran hiring program strategist Bre Cameron. Cameron is a Navy veteran with more than a decade of experience in talent acquisition.
UMBC will expand its work boosting diversity in academia from Maryland to the national level through a new NSF INCLUDES Alliance: Re-Imagining STEM Equity Utilizing Postdoc Pathways (RISE UPP). The RISE UPP Alliance, anticipated to officially launch in fall 2022, is modeled after the AGEP PROMISE Academy, a high-impact initiative co-led by UMBC that supports faculty diversification in the biomedical sciences across University System of Maryland (USM) institutions.
The UMBC-led RISE UPP Alliance will assist the University of Texas System, Texas A&M University System, and University of North Carolina System in creating programs similar to the AGEP PROMISE Academy, but tailored to meet the needs of their specific institutions and systems. The AGEP PROMISE Academy focuses on recruiting diverse Ph.D. recipients and helping them develop their careers from the postdoc to tenure-track faculty stage. UMBC has received a $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to replicate this national model.
