Manchester U. Launches First-of-Its-Kind Degree

David Kisor is leading the program at Manchester University.

The director of Manchester University’s new pharmacogenomics master’s program says graduates will be entering what experts estimate could be a $26 billion industry by 2021. David Kisor says the degree will prepare students on all aspects of the field from gathering DNA samples to analyzing data to reporting results to clinicians. Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes affect a person’s response to drugs. The school believes it is the first master’s of its kind in the country.

The school says the one-year program will empower future physicians and clinicians to identify correct medications and to optimize an individual’s drug therapy early on. Completing the degree will open graduates up for careers in biological technology, genetic testing laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry or help give current researchers or health care professionals a "head start" toward more medicine, counseling or pharmacy professions.

"The Master of Science in Pharmacogenomics Program is designed for individuals with an undergraduate science degree or a professional degree in health care or health sciences,” says Kisor. "Manchester’s program offers individuals a pathway to this transformative field of medicine." He says it can help replace the "trial-and-error" approach currently implemented by doctors, other clinicians and pharmacists when prescribing medications. The result, MU says, is lower medication costs and reduced side effects. Pharmacogenomics skills translate across the therapeutic spectrum, including cardiology, psychiatry and cancer treatment.

Classes will begin in the summer. The program is located at MU’s Fort Wayne campus and Kisor envisions it will initially enroll eight to 12 students and grow to include around two dozen within 5 years.

MU Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and College of Pharmacy, Natural and Health Sciences Dean Raylene Rospond says "this is a unique opportunity for individuals looking for a specialized field of health care that is poised for exciting growth and world-changing potential."

You can connect to more about the program by clicking here.