The VC of Health Ventures Vice Dean of Strategy serves as a mission driven leader focused on advancing the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences SOM commitment to transforming improving health for all. This role integrates entrepreneurial leadership with strategic support to drive institutional innovation operational excellence while ensuring collaboration with existing leadership to strengthen Pitt’s health sciences ecosystem. Supporting Pitt’s mission through entrepreneurial leadership, strategic advisement, institutional collaboration. This dual role emphasizes empowerment, innovation, alignment, fostering long-term impact sustainability while supporting the SOM goals.
VC of of Health Ventures Key Responsibilities:
Life Sciences Entrepreneurship: Support partner with members of the Pitt community to participate in commercializing their ideas and discoveries, generating new therapies treatments that will advance science, benefit society through health improvement; Establish manage a micro-grant funding program to support early-stage innovation; Develop educational programming on business formation, intellectual property strategy, commercialization pathways; Facilitate mentorship networking opportunities with stakeholders; Promote the program through marketing outreach to encourage broad participation across Pitt’s academic community; Act as a resource hub to guide participants through startup formation connecting them to external funding opportunities strategic partnerships;Serve as CEO for Pitt-initiated companies structured as independent entities, particularly those developed under the VC programs, to ensure successful early execution alignment with institutional goals.
Venture Pharma Development:Build an elite team of industry experts to transform high potential IP assets drug concepts into viable pipelines that fulfill the University mission of improving the health of society while creating a model for further discovery work.
Suggest strategies to strengthen connectivity with industry market needs, ensuring research aligns with translational opportunities support initiatives to foster relationships with commercialization partners.
Create oversee a venture development organization with expertise in RD, regulatory strategy, and commercialization; Evaluate IP assets for scientific commercial potential, prioritizing high-value projects. Assemble manage cross-functional teams to advance selected assets; Leverage Pitt’s infrastructure resources to support the development of concepts through preclinical clinical stages;Implement astage-gate frameworkto focus resources on promising projects.
Fundraising Resource Development:Secure allocate resources to support the success of the Venture and Pharma Development Program the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Program. Secure funding sources from venture capital, private equity, strategic partnerships with biopharma companies; Leverage government grants philanthropic contributions to address funding gaps accelerate program progress; Evaluate opportunities for bypassing traditional VC/PE models by establishing direct funding relationships with sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors, endowments, pension funds;Assess the feasibility of creating adedicated fund or company structure to attract manage investments from these non traditional sources.
Vice Dean of Strategy Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Advisory Directed Resource: Providesanalysis recommendations for high priority projects initiatives; Serve as a directed resource to support organizational leadership on specific programs or challenges identified by the Dean; Collaborate with existing departmental leaders to ensure initiatives align with institutional goals enhance current structures; Lead the spin-up of new initiatives only when agreed upon by all stakeholders when the Vice Dean’s leadership is deemed most effective.
Executive positions at the University hold significant responsibility for establishing and implementing goals, policies, procedures, strategic direction, and engagement initiatives within their department or organization.
Executive positions at the University hold significant responsibility for establishing and implementing goals, policies, procedures, strategic direction, and engagement initiatives within their department or organization.
Life Sciences Entrepreneurship: Support and partner with members of the Pitt community to participate in the process of commercializing their ideas and discoveries, generating new therapies and treatments that will advance science, and benefit society through the improvement of health.
Venture and Pharma Development: Build an elite team of industry experts to transform high-potential IP assets and drug concepts into viable pipelines that fulfill the University mission of improving the health of society while creating a sustainable model for further discovery work. Suggest strategies to strengthen connectivity with industry and market needs, ensuring Pitt’s research aligns with translational opportunities and support initiatives to foster relationships with biopharma, CRO/CDMO, and other commercialization partners.
Fundraising and Resource Development:Secure and allocate resources to support the success of the Venture and Pharma Development Program and the Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Program.
Strategic Advisory and Directed Resource:
Act as astrategic advisorto the Senior Vice Chancellor and Dean of Medicine, providing analysis and recommendations for high-priority projects and initiatives.Serve as adirected resourceto support organizational leadership on specific programs or challenges identified by the Dean.Collaborate with existing departmental leaders to ensure initiatives align with institutional goals and enhance current structures.Lead the spin-up of new initiatives or programs only when agreed upon by all stakeholders and when the Vice Dean’s leadership is deemed most effective.