LOS ANGELES, Calif. - July 23, 2018 - Getting new therapies to patients requires collaboration at the bench, the bedside, and the boardroom. A new certificate program at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine will provide professionals with expertise in all three.
The Department of Translational Genomics at USC has launched a new educational program that offers participants a Graduate Certificate in Translational Biotechnology. The 14-unit program is designed to provide students with strong knowledge and procedural road maps of the entrepreneurial process in biotechnology from idea generation through economic viability. At the heart of the program are courses in drug development and commercialization, as well as primers in both biology and business.
Enrolling its first class in August 2018, the program is open to scientists and other professionals -- such as investors and lawyers -- hoping to expand their knowledge of both the science and business aspects of the biotech industry. The application deadline is August 10.
"Unlike most scientific education programs, coursework for this certificate covers a lot of the drug discovery and development process, so even PhD scientists will find the program helpful for their careers," said Carol S. Lin, Program Director for the graduate certificate initiative and Associate Professor at USC. "Professionals in the biotechnology industry will be able to extend their knowledge of the science, enabling them to make better decisions."
The certificate program combines education about bioscience with regulatory and entrepreneurial elements to prepare students for the business realities of the biotech field. It is the latest addition to the department's educational offerings, which also include master's degree programs in Translational Biotechnology and Translational Biomedical Informatics. Both were developed as alternatives to the traditional PhD trajectory for students interested in careers beyond academic research.
"We are delighted to open the doors for this new certificate program, which is designed as an important continuing education tool for people already in the biotech field who are looking to enhance their skills and knowledge," said Lin. "This program will give participants broader career opportunities and will help employers ensure that their teams are at the cutting edge of biotech."
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More details about this program, including the application process, are available on the USC Translational Genomics website here: https://keck.usc.edu/translational-biotechnology-program/graduate-certificate
ABOUT THE USC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSLATIONAL GENOMICS
The Department of Translational Genomics was founded in January 2016 under the leadership of John Carpten, Ph.D., and David W. Craig, Ph.D. It includes a transdisciplinary team of biologists, geneticists and data scientists working hand in hand with entrepreneurs, engineers, chemists and clinicians across USC departments, campuses, and hospitals to advance our understanding of a range of diseases and disorders, as well as in the clinic to produce practical applications. In addition to its research and clinical efforts, the department in 2017 began to offer degree programs in innovative areas of biomedical research. For more information, please visit https://keck.usc.edu/translational-genomics/.
Contact for Certificate in Translational Biotechnology Program:
Carol S. Lin, PhD, MAE
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
carollin@usc.edu
1-323-442-3237
Media Contact:
Michelle Linn
Bioscribe, Inc.
michelle@bioscribe.com
1-774-696-3803