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August 26, 2003

New life sciences IT project management certification offered

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Krannert School of Management Executive Education Programs (KEEP) and Praxis Life Sciences are offering a five-week certification program in project management for experienced information technologists working in the life sciences field.

Piki Saha
Download photo - caption below

Beginning the week of Oct. 20, there are four more one-week sessions in subsequent months at the Krannert Center on Purdue's West Lafayette campus.

The first session offers the industry-standard Project Management Professional Certification (PMP) from the Project Management Institute.

The second weeklong session, beginning in November, focuses on advanced planning, scheduling and controls. The third session covers Food and Drug Administration regulations affecting computer systems and related information-technology issues. The fourth session covers leadership and organizational change management. The final session consists of workshops on managing a complex IT life sciences project and culminates in a case study.

After completing all five sessions, participants will receive the IT Life Sciences Project Manager Certification from Purdue.

Mike Sheahan, director of KEEP non-degree programs, said Krannert professors will provide the business side of life sciences project management from the points of view of leadership, change management and strategic management.

"From our point of view, this is an opportunity to apply Krannert expertise and make a connection to the needs of a specific industry," Sheahan said. "In the bigger picture, this is the kind of public-private partnership that can contribute to economic growth and attractive life-sciences jobs in the state of Indiana."

Ken Jones, managing member of Praxis Life Sciences, an Indianapolis- and Boston-based life sciences consulting company, said life science projects are both widely varied and yet have common elements that make this new certification valuable to the industry.

"Projects range from long, complex drug development, which must adhere to FDA standards, to ensuring label accuracy for a drug introduced worldwide," Jones said. "There's a substantial need for the skills relevant for project management across the spectrum of the life sciences, from the big pharmaceutical companies to medical device companies and small biotech companies.

"We haven't found any other institution that is offering a similar educational program."

Jones said participants in the certification training should have three to five years experience in life sciences project management and either have, or be eligible for, the PMP certificate offered in the first week in the program. Those who have the PMP will join the program in the second weeklong session, beginning Nov. 17.

Tuition for the five-week class is $12,500, which, in addition to classroom instruction, includes course materials, daily continental breakfast, lunch and refreshments. Lodging is available at the Union Club Hotel, one block north of the Krannert Center. Participants who take the PMP examination at the end of the first weeklong session pay an additional fee directly to the Project Management Institute. There is a limit of 25 participants.

Praxis Life Sciences helps life sciences companies solve business problems. Praxis focuses on process improvement, business transformation, project management, organizational change management, and learning services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies.

KEEP offers four distinct executive degree programs, all accredited by the AACSB (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business): The Executive Master's in Business, the International Master's in Management, the Weekend EMBA, and the Executive Master's in Business in Germany. KEEP also offers varied non-degree executive programs tailored to the needs of specific industries and firms. For more information, contact Sheahan at (765) 494-7700, sheahan@krannert.purdue.edu. Online registration is available.

Writer: Mike Lillich, (765) 494-2077, mlillich@purdue.edu

Sources: Ken Jones, (317) 275-2874, kjones@praxis.com

Mike Sheahan, (765) 494-7700, sheahan@krannert.purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

 

Related Web sites:
IT Life Sciences Project Manager Certificate home page
Krannert Executive Education Programs

 

PHOTO CAPTION:
Purdue researcher Piki Saha checks results as part of a cell-extraction project in the Biochemical Engineering Laboratory on the West Lafayette, Ind., campus. Life science is a traditional strength at Purdue and one of the three key areas the university is targeting for technology-transfer efforts. (Purdue Photographic Services photo/Dick Myers-Walls)


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