On November 15th, 2022, ISCT participated in the virtual workshop on Training the Regenerative Medicine Workforce for the Future organized by the National Academies for Science, Engineering, Medicine (NASEM) Forum on Regenerative Medicine.
As a leader in training and education for the cell and gene therapy field, ISCT is delighted to have participated in leading discussions and driving consensus to address the need for additional workforce support and diversity in regenerative medicine.
The workshop was Co-Chaired by Patrick Hanley, ISCT North America Regional Vice-President, Children’s National Hospital, US and Krishanu Saha, University of Wisconsin-Madison, US. The workshop aimed to explore how the changing landscape and increasingly interdisciplinary nature of regenerative medicine affect workforce demands and how these needs may be met through professional development and education.
Session I focused on Systems-Level Gaps and Solutions in Workforce Development in the Regenerative Medicine Ecosystem and included panellists from varying expertise and backgrounds across industry, academia, regulatory, and professional societies. In this session, Meagan Pasternak, ISCT Senior Manager, Workforce Training and Regional Development provided an overview on ISCT and the Society’s unique position in providing workforce development solutions in cell and gene therapy translation and highlighted a few current ISCT programs.
Session II focused on Early Career Perspectives on Opportunities in Regenerative Medicine. ISCT ESP Committee Members Elana Cooper, Georgia Institute of Technology, US and Maryam Pasdar, Children’s National Hospital, US shared their perspectives and emphasized the value and importance of mentorship opportunities. Both Elana and Maryam spearhead the ISCT Mentoring Program, a program that has grown by 62% in the past year alone and aims to provide professional development guidance to ultimately support the development of the next generation of cell and gene therapy leaders.
Overall workshop presentations and discussions addressed the following topics:
- Professional development and educational interests of current trainees in regenerative medicine
- Unmet needs for a skilled technical workforce in regenerative medicine
- Incentives and disincentives for expanding the workforce and retaining skilled individuals in the field
- Issues related to the current lack of workforce diversity and improving diversity
- Ongoing work and possible next steps by universities, professional societies, or other stakeholders to support workforce development in regenerative medicine
A recording of the workshop is available on the NASEM website (via this direct link).
ISCT would like to thank the Workshop Planning Committee for including us in these critically important discussions and looks forward to working with other key stakeholders to provide workforce development, training, and education opportunities to support the advancement of the field.
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