City of Hope has collaborated with Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) of Claremont, Calif., to launch a new program for postdoctoral fellows and students pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree. The new certificate in bioscience management from KGI aims to provide students with business skills to complement their education in the life sciences.
 Postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, like Michael Hedvat, can learn business skills through a new program. |
“KGI has routinely been approached by Ph.D.-level science students interested in acquiring the management skills that they will need to be successful in industry,” said T. Gregory Dewey, Ph.D., Robert E. Finnigan Professor at KGI.
Dewey, who also is senior vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty at KGI, expressed enthusiasm for the joint venture. “We are excited by City of Hope’s partnership in beginning this new program, which will benefit young scientists and researchers at City of Hope and address a significant workforce issue faced by companies throughout the life sciences industry,” he said.
KGI offers scholarships to cover tuition for some students from City of Hope, and several City of Hope researchers and students have already taken courses in the program.
“We believe this program broadens the skill sets of our students and post-docs and will provide them with the tools and background that will enhance their competitiveness for positions in the biotech sector if they choose to take that path,” said John Rossi, Ph.D., Lidow Family Research Chair and dean of City of Hope’s Graduate School of Biological Sciences.
“As the program progresses, we hope to bring non-City of Hope students who are in KGI’s program to do internships in our labs,” he added.
To obtain the certificate, students must take the equivalent of five full-semester courses at KGI. Students also will be able to choose courses from KGI’s Master of Bioscience (MBS) program.
In addition to management courses, participants in the certificate program also can enroll in courses in entrepreneurship. These lessons aim to give students skills for taking scientific discoveries into commercial ventures, according to KGI officials.
Students will be able to take a KGI course on a trial basis to determine their interests in the certificate program and then decide later whether to enroll. Scholarship assistance is available for a limited number of students.
In addition to its MBS degree program, KGI also offers a Doctor of Philosophy program in applied life sciences. The school is a member of The Claremont Colleges. More information about the school is available at www.kgi.edu.
