WSSU kicks off biomanufacturing program
Today, Barbara Woods is a hair stylist. But after two weeks, she could start a new career in biomanufacturing thanks to a new program at Winston-Salem State University.
Woods is a member of the first WSSU cohort of the Accelerate NC Life Sciences Manufacturing Coalition, led by the NC Biotechnology Center, which received $25 million from President Biden’s Build Back Better program to strengthen life sciences manufacturing in the state of North Carolina.
In doing so, more people need to be trained to work in biomanufacturing jobs. WSSU was selected as one of six new bioprocessing training hubs that provide free training to help grow the workforce for biomanufacturing and pharmaceutical industries in North Carolina.
The first cohort, which consists of 12 participants, started in-person training on July 8 in WSSU’s W.B. Atkinson Science Building, where a classroom was transformed into a biomanufacturing training lab. Those who complete the two-week in-person training in addition to online modules will graduate from the program with a certification in biomanufacturing and ready to walk into a new career earning up to $95,000 per year.
A brief program and reception were held at the New Science Building on July 8 to kick off the initiative.
“What I see here is collaboration, partnership, energy, vision, mission – and that’s what Winston-Salem State is about,” said WSSU Chancellor Bonita Brown. “This is the role of the university. We’re here to serve our community. We’re here to change lives. We’re here to offer opportunities that we wouldn’t normally have. This is a perfect example of all those things.”
Woods, a resident of Greensboro, said she has been a hair stylist for 35 years and didn’t dream of changing careers until she was approached by someone who worked at WSSU who told her about the program. She reluctantly applied and was accepted.
“I am 58 years old. Am I supposed to be doing this,” she questioned. As a hair stylist, Woods was educated through Clairol hair care company and worked with Dudley hair care products, but said she never imagined a career on this level.
Taniya Ballard, on the other hand, has always had an interest in bioengineering. The 2023 graduate of WSSU is also a part of the inaugural cohort. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in biology from WSSU and a master’s degree in biomedical science from Wake Forest, Ballard is using the class to cement her career goal of becoming a medical doctor.
“I’ve always been questioning the biopharmaceutical industry, so I wanted to get involved,” Ballard said. “I will be prescribing one day, and I want to learn more about how drugs are made and what goes into processing the drugs.”
Dr. Mesia Steed, chair of WSSU Department of Biological Sciences and co-director of the WSSU biomanufacturing training program, said this program is an opportunity to break down barriers to careers in biomanufacturing and bring it to the communities that really need it.
“Try it, especially if you want a less stressful career than what you’re doing now,” Woods said. People have said, “all you do is hair. And now I have a different story. Look at God.”
WSSU as well as five other HBCUs are participating in the program through North Carolina Central University’s Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise.
The other bioprocessing training hubs are located at Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Livingstone College and Saint Augustine’s University, all historically Black colleges and universities in N.C., along with the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, the state’s only historically American Indian university.
The training sessions are open to residents of North Carolina 18 or older with a high school diploma or GED. The training hubs are designed to offer short, hands-on courses on the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals free of charge to an inclusive and diverse population from underserved and distressed communities, including historically excluded populations. For more information about the program, click here.
