MBiotech at 25 Years
Dear friends, colleagues, and alumni,
I wanted to reach out to all of you and talk about our MBiotech program, where we are at, and where we would like to go next. As you know, the Master of Biotechnology Program (MBiotech) is a two-year professional graduate degree program offered at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), focused on the life sciences. While nearly a quarter century old, the program continues to represent an innovative approach to professional graduate education, aimed at the biopharmaceutical space and since 2019, the digital health space. The program also represents a departure from traditional academic norms at the University of Toronto, occupying a unique educational niche at the interface between two major disciplines - science and business. We are now over 800 alumni strong and have two thriving MBiotech streams [Biopharma and Digital Health Technologies (DHT)] with plans to grow and differentiate both streams to help meet the needs of employers.
Trend setters. Something we can all be proud of is the fact that MBiotech helped define the professional Biotechnology Master's degree, setting an example for many of the professional Master's degrees at UTM that followed - namely, the Master of Management Innovation, Master of Science in Sustainability Management and Master of Urban Innovation. This same model has also been adopted by other universities - the University of Guelph, York University, McMaster University, and Carleton have all started Professional Biotech programs - and it's important that we continue to innovate and listen to our internship partners to deliver an effective program and help grow life science talent in the GTA, Canada, and beyond.
Internships. This year we placed all our MBiotech Pharma students from the 2026 cohort, thanks to the work of Kinza and the team and the efforts our students put into the interview process.I'd also like to thank Veron and members of the IMI team who have distributed the work. Simreet and Tessa have been physically and virtually reaching out to prospective students in recruitment drives and we've seen an exponential increase in applications in the last few years. This is a trend we see year after year and this speaks to the strength of the life science market, the value of our students in this market, and the relationship we have with our internship partners. We value this relationship and look forward to hearing from employers as we take next steps in the program.
Opportunities. With the advent of AI and analytical software tools in society the DHT stream is in an ideal position to grow. In 2025, we will be maintaining R programming to our students and introducing python in 2 courses while making a deep learning course mandatory. If the pharma stream serves as a model, we would anticipate at some point reaching a higher steady state number of DHT. The organizational challenges are certainly daunting but for the moment, there is no professional program like DHT in Canada. The extent to which AI is democratizing the use of analytical tools and approaches is also bound to influence our biopharma students as well. We'd like to think about appropriate next steps to build this into curricula for both streams and we'll be sure to consult with industry as we move forward.
EDI. At the university, we are committed to supporting every student on their journey toward further success, and I take great pride in what we’ve been able to achieve. At the department level, our Institute for Management and Innovation has an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion committee representative of students, faculty, and staff who are helping advance an inclusive, open, supportive environment across all programs, hubs, and initiatives. Take a look at the committee’s 2023 Activity Report and the progress we are making. We thrive because of the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of our MBiotech community. Our program deeply values principles of equity and diversity, continually seeking to foster a community that is inclusive of gender identities and equity-seeking groups, connected to our broader community. I have absolute confidence in our students and every desire to maintain excellence in our program. As Vice Director of the MBiotech program, I encourage unconscious bias training amongst all staff and colleagues who teach in our program because research demonstrates that diverse teams are innovative teams. Creating a professional and compassionate environment in MBiotech is a priority. We have all gone through a pandemic, economic trials and tribulations, political uncertainties and environmental uncertainty. There isn't a single sector of society that hasn't been shaken and the least we can do as a program is provide an environment that is nurturing for all.
Many of our graduating students are making significant contributions to the life sciences field in the Greater Toronto Area, across Canada, and internationally and I can't wait to see this legacy of excellence continue as our next set of graduates are poised to make their mark. The MBiotech program is approaching 25 years and we are hoping to organize an appropriate event to celebrate this toward the end of May, 2025. I'm looking forward to hearing from our employers, alumni, and students and I invite you to reach out to us any time.
Sincerely
Scott Prosser
