Orange County Continues to Make Its Mark as National Biotechnology and Biomedical Hub

UC Irvine Extension Keeps Growing Workforce Competitive Through Innovative Medical Product Development and Clinical Trials Programs

IRVINE, Calif. – August 2005 – California is a hotbed for biomedical education and careers. Southern California alone represents the largest concentration of medical product manufacturers in the world, producing more biomedical products and research than elsewhere and accounting for 25 percent of all FDA medical product approvals. Orange County has over 300 companies, employing over 300,000 residents with medical device professionals earning on average $44K and biotechnology and pharmaceutical professionals over $46K.

UC Irvine Extension is meeting the academic needs of the largely populated biomedical community in Orange County as well as nationwide. As the only institution in Orange County to offer two certificate programs in Medical Product Development and Clinical Trials, it allows professionals to maintain a competitive edge on a variety of issues… from gaining FDA approval on new medicines to leveraging new technologies and developing medical products to help diagnose complex diseases.

Two Certificate Programs Fill Educational Voids in BioMed and Bio Tech Industries

Medical Product Development
Medical Product Development is a rapidly, growing industry. UCI Extension’s Medical Product Development program offers a comprehensive body of knowledge in medical device compliance, design and development. Find out from industry experts how to take a product from conception to approval.
Clinical Trials
Essential to the medical product development process is the complex and methodical process of studying new products to verify their effectiveness and their safety - the clinical trial. With Vioxx recalls and recent Botox concerns currently in the news, clinical trials provide a timely and newsworthy topic of discussion.

Emerging Issues

Cardio-vascular support devices and medical products to support nanotechnology are two areas to be tapped by professionals –these new technologies require retraining.
Professionals required to have greater skill set – due to budgetary or staffing constraints, employers are requiring their workforce to have greater knowledge in multiple bio-tech areas – from FDA compliance to project management to product creation, development and approval.

Interviews

Industry experts are available to comment on these emerging issues and offer additional insight:

UC Irvine Extension Director of Engineering and Science Programs –Rogelio C. Rodriguez
UC Irvine Extension Instructors & Advisory Council Members – Dr. Albert Rego, consultant
Dan Modi, Alcon Laboratories
Dr. Harold Heitzmann, Edwards Lifesciences
Orange County Regulatory Association (OCRA) Representatives – Barbara A. Nisksch, Vice President, Visiogen, Inc.
Leading Biotechnology Company Leaders - Vytas Pazemenas, President of the Aubrey Group