University at Buffalo School of Management

Spring 2022 Buffalo Business 15 collaborations—health systems, payers and entrepreneurs— are really where we're going to solve health care's biggest problems." In the School of Management, Bob Neubert, clinical assistant professor of entrepreneurship, is leading new life sciences entrepreneurship programs (see sidebar) that will cross-train science and management students and build life science innovation across Western New York. "In the past, everyone received the same treatment for a particular illness or disease," he says. "Looking ahead we'll see medicine customized to the genetic code of the patients, which could be the solution to long-standing medical chal- lenges like cancer. "Health care entrepreneur- ship is a great way to build a career and a life of service—and it's profitable. Teams get paid well and investors get rewarded. New York already has a research base in universities, but there's a gap in commercialization. We're going to fill that gap." Neubert LEADING LIFE SCIENCE ENTREPRENEURSHIP New UB collaborations bridge the gap between business and life sciences Empire State Development recently awarded UB a $500,000 grant to implement two new Life Science Entrepreneurship programs that will cross-train science and management students to build life science innovation across New York State. The new 12-credit program will be available as a concentration in the top-ranked, full-time MBA program and will eventually be launched as an independent advanced graduate certificate. Both will leverage UB's extensive relationships with the startup community, external partnerships and interdisciplinary collaboration to give UB students the critical skills they need to develop, launch and grow successful life sciences businesses. Bob Neubert, clinical assistant professor of entrepreneurship, will lead both initiatives. He says the programs will give business students a high-level science background, while science and medical majors will develop critical business skills. "If a management student enters a biomedical company without scientific training, they're at a disadvantage because it's a very technical business," he says. "Students in science or medicine can use those skills to get in the door, but they'll need the management skills to advance." The programs are a partnership between the School of Management and the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Biological Sciences Department in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center—with additional connections to the School of Law and the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. "Life science and biomedicine will have great impact on business in the next 20 years," says Neubert. "Advances in medicine, genetics and personalization will lead the economy of the future and we want to build those businesses in Buffalo." "Looking ahead we'll see medicine customized to the genetic code of the patients, which could be the solution to long-standing medical challenges like cancer." — Bob Neubert Clinical Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship

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