News

Posted On: 01/02/2006

Online Course on Pharma Project Management Begins Jan. 23

PharmaManufacturing.com

Stevens Institute of Technology’s WebCampus will offer a new course, "Introductory Project Management for the Pharmaceutical Industry" (MGT 609WP), during its spring term. The course was developed under the umbrella of Technogenesis by The Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management’s Project Management program, The Howe School’s Pharmaceutical Management program, The Charles V. Schaefer School of Engineering’s Pharmaceutical Manufacturing program and WebCampus. Registration is now open for this course, which begins on January 23.

This online instructor-led, interdisciplinary course was created for prospective students in both management and engineering and can be applied to many Stevens’ masters programs and the MBA in Technology Management. It is one of many pharmaceutical-oriented courses offered under the WebPharma banner that are designed to appeal to industry professionals as well as those who want to enter the pharmaceutical industry.

The course deals with the problems of managing a project for the purpose of achieving a specific objective. Both operational and conceptual issues are considered. Operational issues include definition, planning, implementation, control and evaluation of the project. Conceptual issues include project management vs. hierarchical management, matrix organization, project authority, ethics, motivation and morale. Cases, examples and discussions relevant to the pharmaceutical industry illustrate problems in project management and how to resolve them.

Fernando Portes, the course instructor, has 17 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. He has worked at Baxter, Merck, Johnson & Johnson and Wyeth. He managed technology transfer, validation, capital, process improvement, compliance, Six Sigma and procurement projects. (Editor's Note: Portes also authored the article, "Project Management: Know When to Use SOPs, and When Not To," recently posted on this site; click here to read it.)

Portes is a certified project management professional (PMP), a certified quality engineer (CQE) and is listed in Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. He is a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), of the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) and of the Cornell Engineering Alumni Association (CEAA).

For more information, visit www.stevens.edu or contact Stephanie Mannino at (201) 216-5602 or smannino@stevens.edu.