For Immediate Release

Contact: John M. Martino
Phone Number:  (215) 895-1186
Date: 07/24/01

Name Change For Strategic Business Unit Of University Of The Sciences In Philadelphia

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USP) recently announced that its Office of Professional Programs, the strategic business unit of USP, has changed its name to Advanced Concepts USP.  The new name reflects the broad range of services and capabilities offered to the pharmaceutical industry, health professionals, and government.  In addition to the name change, S. Michael Ross, MD, MHA, a physician and entrepreneur with broad experience in the healthcare marketplace, has been named Vice President of Strategic Business. As head of Advanced Concepts USP, Dr. Ross will be cultivating industry-academic collaborations to enhance the University's brand identity.

Advanced Concepts USP was created in 1983 as the Geriatric Pharmacy Institute.  Since that time, it has widened its scope to focus on using the University's expertise to provide education and consulting services to pharmaceutical companies and other health-related organizations, including continuing and professional education for healthcare professionals, to training and preceptorships in clinical care settings for pharmaceutical sales representatives, and formulary-related services for long-term care and managed care organizations.

Over the next several months, Advanced Concepts USP will be launching an e-Business Research Program targeted to the pharmaceutical industry.  This program will study the role of e-business technologies and their impact on the pharmaceutical value chain, specifically in the marketing, delivery and utilization of pharmaceuticals.

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