The Cameron School of Business at the University of St. Thomas has announced that Dr. Mauro Ferrari, the president and CEO of Houston Methodist Research Institute, will join its faculty as a visiting professor. His appointment is part of a growing effort by the University of St. Thomas to bridge science and business and support entrepreneurship in the biomedical space.
“[Dr. Ferrari’s] ability to integrate a range of disciplines toward the goal of developing innovative therapies is unrivaled,” said Dr. Dominic Aqquila, the provost and vice president of academic affairs at the University of St. Thomas. “Students find his teaching style and expertise both compelling and enriching.”
The university has announced that the distinguished chair of the Houston Methodist Research Institute will teach one class in the fall semester and another in the spring semester as part of St. Thomas’ Master in Clinical Translation Management program. In the fall, Ferrari will teach “Idea to Clinic I: Preclinical,” the first part of a two-part course exploring the scientific, regulatory, and financial hurdles affecting the translation of scientific discoveries into breakthrough treatments to reduce disease and improve human health. Students in the course will track an Investigational New Drug through the pre-clinical development process and learn in a state-of-the art laboratory and testing facility. In the spring of 2016, Ferrari will teach “Idea to Clinic II: Into the Clinic,” which will teach students about the clinical research process, including requirements for first-in-human trials and phase II and III trials. Students will follow ongoing clinical trials at Houston Methodist Hospital and learn the corresponding FDA requirements that accompany each stage of clinical trials at St. Thomas.
The Cameron School of Business has also appointed two visiting program directors to help with the administration of the Masters in Clinical Trial Management program. Both appointees come from Houston Methodist Hospital: Tong Sun, the director of Central Operations at the Institute for Academic Medicine, and Amy Wright, the director of the Office of Communications and External Relations at the Institute for Academic Medicine.