‘Business of Life Sciences and Healthcare for Leaders’ Program Forthcoming from Smith

Registration is open for “Business of Life Sciences and Healthcare for Leaders” (B-LSHC) — an immersive five-day program that focuses on leadership development, honing critical-thinking and problem-solving skills and mentoring from luminaries, regulators and experts in medical product development from Smith Executive Education at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland (UMD).

The in-person program takes place June 23-27, 2025, at Van Munching Hall on UMD’s College Park campus and is designed for mid/advanced-career professionals in the LSHC ecosystem, including investors, the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries, health policy, patient advocacy, regulators and leaders across medical and regulatory fields.

Program sessions will begin at 8:30 a.m. each day “and end with a luminary keynote speaker who will inspire and challenge participants to think outside the box toward the goals of creating innovative solutions for some of our most challenging problems in the LSHC ecosystem,” says Wendy Sanhai, PhD, professor of the practice in management and organization for the Smith School and one of the workshop’s organizers. 

Participants will learn from world-renowned faculty, regulatory experts and industry leaders on how to make informed decisions at crucial stages of medical product (drugs, biologics and medical devices) development – from R&D and regulatory submission to commercial launch and reimbursement. And, through expert-led sessions, dynamic capstone project discussions and case-study analysis, participants will sharpen their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills as they expand their professional network. 

Instructors, in addition to Sanhai, will include UMD and Smith faculty experts Balaji Padmanabhan, director of Smith’s Center for Artificial Intelligence in Business; management and organization professors Jennifer Carson Marr, Oliver Schlake, and Subra Tangirala; marketing professor Judy Frels; UMD School of Public Health Dean Boris Lushniak; and UMD School of Pharmacy Professor Joga Gobburu. 

The UMD experts will be joined by leading industry experts such as former CEO of Scorpion Therapeutics Axel Hoos, IntoValue CEO Marion Couch, Deloitte Principals including Federal Health AI Leader Juergen Klenk, Candy Lurken and Mathias Cousin, Euclidean Life Science Advisors President Kenneth Moch, leaders from IQVIA, Licensing and IP negotiator Steve Ferguson and former FDA leaders. 

Program leaders also will engage participants in mentoring— extending to real-world capstone projects.

Participants will:

• Sharpen problem-solving, leadership and critical-thinking skills
• Cultivate holistic thinking and multidisciplinary approaches for real-world problems in the LSHC ecosystem
• Build upon lessons learned and best practices from regulatory experts, industry luminaries and academic leaders
• Expand their professional network
• Identify major milestones, potential challenges, risks and mitigation strategies across medical product development pathways in R&D, regulatory submission, product launch and commercialization
• Execute critical steps in license negotiations and technology transfer processes

Additional experts associated with the workshop give further insights:

“This thoughtfully designed agenda addresses key facets of the healthcare ecosystem, from regulatory pathways to commercialization and innovation. The sessions on real-world evidence and AI's transformative impact are particularly compelling, as these areas are increasingly relevant to radiology and diagnostic imaging. By blending clinical insights with business acumen, this Program provides a unique opportunity for life sciences and healthcare professionals to drive meaningful advancements in patient care and health outcomes.”

—William Craig, MD., Clinical Associate Radiology for Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

“This is an excellent program that identified the needs of life science leaders and responded to it by developing critical content specifically targeted to key aspects of medical product development. The line-up of luminary speakers is unprecedented, and participants will have the opportunity to expand their professional network with opportunities for 1:1 mentoring.”

—Bill Murray, President and CEO, CrossCourt Group Consulting Services

Participants should have at least a bachelor's degree and five years of working experience in any LSHC field.

Sponsorships are available for UMD alumni, federal employees and veterans and volume discounts will be provided for organizations registering multiple participants.  For registration and more information, go to the Smith Executive Education and the Business of Life Sciences and Healthcare homepages.