LifeScience Alley and the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business announce the launch of a joint two-year program. Through this partnership, select technical fellows with a Ph.D. degree will have the opportunity to receive a full MBA scholarship through the University of St. Thomas and complementary experiential business training through LifeScience Alley’s Applied Business Training (ABT) program. The ABT program, administered through LifeScience Alley's subsidiary, The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota, immerses technical students in real-life commercial analysis projects with guidance from internal leadership and expert industry advisors.
The goal of the joint fellowship program is to provide doctorate-level students with a combination of class and experience-based learning. Year one of the fellowship will focus primarily on MBA curriculum within the University of St. Thomas' Opus College of Business, while introducing the fellow to the ABT program and network. During year two, the fellow will complete both the MBA curriculum and for-credit work within the ABT program in the form of experiential sponsored projects. The ultimate goal of the program is to create technology business leaders and to promote local talent retention by providing practical business education, experience and a relevant network of industry professionals to highly technical fellows with an interest in the commercial translation of innovative technologies.
"We at the Opus College of Business are excited about this opportunity to complement our high-quality, relevant MBA curriculum with enhanced technical experience," states Chris Puto, dean, University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business. "We are confident that the combination of Dr. Young's technical background, our MBA approach and the integrated business experience will help her to become a leader in our community."
The first joint fellow selected is Lindsay Young, Ph.D. Young obtained her Ph.D. in nutritional biochemistry and completed a post-doc in nutrition and cancer prevention epidemiology from the University of Minnesota.
Young's graduate and post-doctoral work focused on the effects of omega-3 fatty acids and furanocoumarins from apiaceous vegetables on cancer prevention in human clinical trials. Her academic work was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute, the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health and the Nation Science Foundation. Young has most recently been working as a consultant for a contract research organization, gaining experience in clinical trials with medical devices, pharmaceuticals and food, medical writing and regulatory affairs.
The Applied Business Training program offers a variety of part-time and full-time fellowships providing experiential learning opportunities that include direct company support, technology evaluation and new venture creation. The program's curriculum is centered on sponsored projects in the form of novel technologies and companies needing technical diligence and business assistance. It is a critical component of The Innovation Engine, an integrated suite of services enabling an environment of business innovation and growth for knowledge-based industries.
About LifeScience Alley and The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota
The Innovation Engine is a program of The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization (and subsidiary of LifeScience Alley, the nation’s largest regional life science association). Together with its subsidiary, LifeScience Alley works to strengthen the regional economy by assisting in the growth of established and emerging industries, and attracting new companies, talent and capital. The organizations’ shared mission is: To establish and lead a strategic approach to improve the business environment for life science companies through dedicated support to our members, and leading programs and projects to develop new industries, accelerate the evolution of existing industries, and to implement capabilities required to ensure a healthy business climate and a stronger community.
