Over the past few decades, Southern Arizona has become a hotspot of bioscience innovation. Through continued collaboration, investments in education and research and a unified bioscience development strategy, our panel of experts asserts that Southern Arizona’s bioscience industry will only continue flourishing.
In the Arizona Technology Council’s September 2021 episode of AZTechCast, accomplished bioscience leaders from the BIO5 Institute at The University of Arizona, Souvie BioDelivery and Critical Path Institute joined Council president and CEO, Steve Zylstra, to discuss the innovative bioscience innovations shaping Southern Arizona.
These leaders included Dr. Jennifer Barton, director of the BIO5 Institute at The University of Arizona; Souvenir Tachado, president and founder of Souvie BioDelivery; and Kristen Swingle, interim president and chief operating officer at the Critical Path Institute.
Throughout this hour-long episode, this panel of experts explained how Southern Arizona’s thriving bioscience industry is developing a wide range of solutions that are creating jobs, fostering economic growth, addressing public health challenges and training the next generation of bioscience problem solvers.
“Tucson is unique in that we are an international gateway, which helps to attract talent,” said Swingle. “We have world-leading universities with great research facilities, prestigious clinics for neurology, cancer centers, and precision therapy labs. We’re also known for our diverse demographic and our technically-minded employee base that has been nurtured by companies like Raytheon. That engineering mindset really resonates throughout the community.”
“Academic institutions need to realize that building the bioscience pipeline is more than just classroom teaching,” said Dr. Barton. “We need to connect students with internships that give them experience in failing, doing more research and trying again. We also need to move away from career fairs and towards student-industry networking events that give students the opportunity to receive mentorship from bioscience professionals.”
“When I came to Tucson from Boston, I was coming from academia. I knew the science behind starting my company, but didn’t know what a value proposition or business model was,” said Tachado. “Early-stage founders like myself really need business mentors and community seed funding so that bioscience companies can gather the data to convince funding agencies to allocate grants.”
In closing, Dr. Barton reiterated the bioscience industry’s need to stay resilient. “Never waste a good crisis. By pivoting and staying resilient, we can brave climate adaptation and future health crises. We need to work harder to forge partnerships that allow our communities to live long, healthy lives.”
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About AZTechCast
The official podcast of the Arizona Technology Council, AZTechCast is dedicated to covering innovation and technology in Arizona and beyond. Through the art of the connected conversation, AZ TechCast’s hosts and guests share success stories, tech news and analysis about the region’s leading startups, companies and emerging technologies, as well as the latest industry trends and critical issues propelling Arizona’s growing technology ecosystem. Visit www.aztechcouncil.org/techcast to learn more or to listen to recent episodes.
About Phoenix Business RadioX
Karen Nowicki is the owner and president of Phoenix Business RadioX. Amplifying the voice of business, Phoenix Business RadioX helps local businesses and professional associations get the word out about the important work they’re doing to serve their market, profession and community. A successful author, speaker and the creator of Deep Impact Leadership™ and SoulMarks Coaching™, Nowicki is a two-time recipient of the prestigious national Choice Award® for her book and personal development retreat. In addition, Nowicki has been an expert guest on regional TV and radio shows, including Fox Phoenix Morning Show, Sonoran Living, Good Morning Arizona, The Chat Room and Mid-Day Arizona. Recognized for her leadership and business acumen, she has been a regular contributor to many print and online magazines – publishing articles and blogs for business and education.