A new partnership between IDEAYA Biosciences and Spelman College aims to help develop the next generation of Black women leaders in the biotechnology industry.

The Spelman IDEAYA partnership is an eccentric academic and industry collaboration that will provide Spelman students with the learning platform necessary for pursuing a career in biotechnology, reports PR Newswire.

Using the guiding principles of education and mentorship, the Spelman IDEAYA Health Science and Biotechnology Program is the combination of a development program, professional internship, and scholarship for select Spelman students with an interest in biotechnology as a future career path.

“As an institution with one of the nation’s highest number of medical school applications from Black Americans, we are passionate about not only the discovery on new therapeutic options but the delivery of the treatments as well,” said Rosalind Gregory-Bass, M.D., associate professor of environmental and health sciences and director of Spelman’s Health Careers Program. “The technology being developed at IDEAYA will be pivotal to that end. Spelman students and faculty can significantly contribute to these efforts and positively impact the company, overall.”

Selected students will be sponsored by IDEAYA and will also receive a summer internship at the end of their sophomore year, but the support doesn’t stop there.

Tuition scholarships and biotechnology specific educational opportunities will be provided by IDEAYA along with graduate school and biotechnology industry-focused career advice provided through an IDEAYA mentor.

“We are ecstatic to partner with Spelman College in this scholarship program which we believe has the opportunity to identify and develop the next generation of female African American CEOs, entrepreneurs, and R&D executives and scientists in the biotechnology industry,” said Yujiro S. Hata, President, and Chief Executive Officer, IDEAYA Biosciences.

An R&D and Business/Entrepreneurship track provided under the Spelman IDEAYA Health Science and Biotechnology Program will also be offered for students to take advantage of.

IDEAYA Biosciences

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