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New Name, Expanded Focus: ICEPAH Targets the Business of Life
Science
The International Center for the Economics of Pharmaceuticals,
Aging and Health (ICEPAH) is in a perfect position. Recently
renamed (it was formerly called the Center for the Economics of
Aging and Health), the center is poised to capitalize on the
unique advantages that the university has to offer in the
globally expanding life sciences industries including
pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices.
The life sciences industry is also one of California's largest
and fastest growing. According to the California Healthcare
Institute, the states biomedical industry alone accounts for
nearly 260,000 jobs, exceeding the aerospace, motion picture,
computer and telecommunication industries in total employment,
says Davina Ling, assistant professor of economics and director
of ICEPAH. Much of that is concentrated between Los Angeles,
Orange County and San Diego, which puts us in the perfect
location to offer expertise to business executives, the
community and students both here and abroad.
Having forged collaborations with local and international
universities, government agencies and health care organizations,
the center's faculty associates are involved in a broad range of
activities. Recent projects include consultation with local
businesses, studies regarding Medicaid mental health coverage,
the cost and utilization of medications, and various on-campus
panel discussions on topics ranging from retirement issues to
economics and HIV/AIDS.
Ling hopes the center, with all its on-campus and off-campus
resources, can address a gap that she sees in the industry.
There's a great need for executive business training for
applied life sciences, she explains. More so than other health
care fields, the pharmaceutical, bio-technology and medical
device industries require a blend of science, business,
regulatory and legal expertise. Given the university's
commitment to research, business, and community development, we
are in a special place to offer value from an interdisciplinary perspective.
To that end, ICEPAH plans on promoting panel discussions and
executive programs targeted to these industries, to begin
mid-2008. Other potential upcoming projects include consulting
with private companies about the costs and benefits of employee
health and wellness programs, and working with insurance benefit
companies to examine the value of preventive care. For more
information about ICEPAH, please contact Ling, 714-278-8216,
dling@fullerton.edu, or
visit
http://business.fullerton.edu/centers/icepah
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