East West Life Science Summit 2024

Location:
Spokane Academic Center (SAC) on WSU Campus 3rd Floor Lobby
600 North River Point Blvd.
Spokane, WA, 99202

Location:
Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences (SPBS) Building on WSU Campus
Walgreen’s Auditorium
205 E Spokane Falls Blvd
Spokane, WA, 99202

Recently, Washington has seen a dramatic expansion of biomanufacturing  across the state. Currently, Spokane is facing one of the largest expansions of its biomanufacturing workforce in recent history. Yet, many potential workers have an outdated view of biomanufacturing and are unaware of the career opportunities that are available in the industry. This panel will discuss the critical partnerships between educational institutions and the workforce community that need to be implemented over the next two years to address this unprecedented demand. Panelists will discuss key strategies for workforce expansion, including training programs and recruitment initiatives, and tackle the perceptions and misperceptions surrounding biomanufacturing.

Washington State boasts a rich history of vaccine development and continues to lead the way with prominent organizations like University of Washington, Washington State University, Access to Advanced Health Institute, the Gates Foundation, PATH, Icosavax, Inventprise, HDT Bio, Curevo Vaccine, and many others driving innovation. This panel will delve into the historical and current landscape of vaccine development and discuss strategies for expanding outreach to have a greater impact on communities.

Over the last 10 years Life Science Washington Institute’s Washington Innovation Network (WIN) Mentoring Program has worked with over 100 companies and graduates that have gone on to secure over $3.2B in funding. WIN is open to companies based anywhere in Washington and is one of the leading life science mentoring programs in the country. This panel discussion will explore the value a high performing mentoring program brings to new entrepreneurs and share insights gained while working with the program.

Across the country there are a range of models for how research institutions and medical schools serve as a driver of regional economic growth, but research alone doesn’t drive regional economic impact. To realize the transformational outcomes that can reshape a regional economy requires vision, institutional commitment, catalytic investments, and long-term institutional partnerships that seek to deliver outcomes that are aligned with both institutional and regional goals. This panel will explore how other regions and institutions have done this successfully and the type of strategic partnerships that higher education institutions including Washington State University’s Health Sciences are building to deliver transformational outcomes for the region.

Location: SP3NW

Location: SP3NW

Location: SP3NW