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Biotechnician Training
PILOT PROGRAM OPENS BIOMEDICAL CAREERS TO ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE GRADUATES
PHILADELPHIA, May 24, 2000 - A group of local students began
training today as biomedical technicians in a
promising pilot program developed by The Wistar
Institute and Community College of Philadelphia. The
program aims to open rewarding new professional
careers in Philadelphia-area biomedical research
laboratories to associate-degree graduates, program
organizers announced today. |
The Biomedical Technician Training Program
partners The Wistar Institute, a world-renowned
cancer research organization in West Philadelphia,
with Community College of Philadelphia, a highly
regarded open-admissions, associate's degree-granting
institution. |
The innovative two-year program
professionalizes the skilled technical support
positions that laboratories in the fast-growing
biomedical sector of the economy rely upon. Over
time, laboratories hiring program graduates can
expect to see reduced turnover and increased skill
levels in these critical positions, traditionally
staffed by bachelor's-degree graduates who tend to
move on after brief tenures as their careers develop.
The new program also offers successful graduates a
supported pathway to becoming an independent research
scientist through transfer into a four-year
undergraduate program. |
"The Biomedical Technician Training Program
will provide welcome new career options for
undergraduate students in our community while
simultaneously addressing for us an ongoing
laboratory staffing need," says Clayton Buck, Ph.D.,
professor and chief administrative officer at The
Wistar Institute. "The program also has the potential
to reach a largely overlooked pool of talented
candidates for careers in research science." |
This program is another example of the
college's commitment to the educational, business,
and community partnerships that are a hallmark of our
35 years of service to Philadelphia," says Wendy
Blume, Ph.D., acting dean of the Division of
Business, Science, and Technology at Community
College. "Community College of Philadelphia is
pleased to be partnering with The Wistar Institute in
developing an innovative program that will provide
new career opportunities for associate's degree
graduates in Philadelphia and ultimately across the
country." |
Philadelphia has been called the birthplace of
American medicine. The region boasts nationally
respected academic research centers and an expanding
community of pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies, all of which are potential employers of
program graduates. The challenge to the program's
success, ultimately, will be to convince these
employers - especially those in industry - that
hiring program-certified biomedical technicians will
serve their needs better than the current approach. |
"Regardless of whether they are based in a
university or a company, biomedical research
laboratories tend to have an academic culture.
Traditionally, these laboratories hire recent college
graduates as technicians, who leave after a year or
two to pursue further academic training, which is
highly inefficient from the employer's viewpoint,"
notes William H. Wunner, Ph.D., professor at The
Wistar Institute and administrative coordinator of
the Biomedical Technician Training Program. "With
this program, we hope to develop in our students the
combination of academic, technical, and general work
skills necessary to change that culture and make
successful job placements in research laboratories." |
Because of its potential value to
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the
Philadelphia area, the Biomedical Technician Training
Program found early support from Ben Franklin
Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania
(BFTP/SEP), a non-profit technology based economic
development organization that supports the growth of
new enterprises through technology and innovation. |
"This innovative program enables us, working
with our partners, The Wistar Institute and Community
College of Philadelphia, to provide workforce
opportunities to qualified high school graduates for
entry-level positions in regional biotechnology
organizations," comments RoseAnn B. Rosenthal,
President, CEO, BFTP/SEP. |
The six Community College of Philadelphia
students now beginning the two-year program will:
- During the first academic year at Community
College of Philadelphia, the students will
complete core classes in biology, chemistry,
mathematics, English, and computer science
- First, attend a seven-week "Orientation to
Biotechnology" to introduce research
concepts and the lab environment
- Next, participate in seven-weeks of paid
full time, hands-on lab experience
- The following school year at Community
College offers advanced scientific courses
coupled with seminars and lectures at Wistar
- The second summer will provide 10 weeks of
paid full time lab experience at Wistar.
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With their associate's degree from Community
College, program graduates will also receive a
certificate from The Wistar Institute confirming
their accomplishments. |
The number of students in the first class
reflects Wistar's current capacity to accommodate
trainees. Another six students will enter the program
at the beginning of the second year, for a total of
twelve in training. As other local research
institutions join the program, that number is
expected to grow - currently, Fox Chase Cancer Center
and Temple University's Fels Institute for Cancer
Research and Molecular Biology are actively
considering participation in the program.
Philadelphia-area companies that have positive
experiences with graduates of the program will serve
to demonstrate the program's value to their peers
elsewhere. The program could be replicated in other
parts of the country if it proves successful locally. |
In addition to initial funding from BFTP/SEP,
other supporters of the Biomedical Technician
Training Program include the Barra Foundation, the
National Cancer Institute, the Hassel Foundation, and
the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation. |
The Wistar Institute is a nonprofit biomedical
research institution dedicated to discovering the
basic mechanisms underlying major diseases, including
cancer and AIDS, and to developing fundamentally new
strategies to prevent or treat them. The Institute is
a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center
- one of the nation's first, funded continuously
since 1968, and one of only ten focused on basic
research. Founded in 1892, Wistar was the first
institution of its kind devoted to biomedical
research in the nation. News releases from The Wistar
Institute are available to reporters by direct e-
mail, fax, or U.S. mail upon request. They are also
posted electronically to Wistar's home page
(http://www.wistar.upenn.edu) and to EurekAlert!
(http://www.eurekalert.org), an Internet resource
sponsored by the American Association for the
Advancement of Science. |
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