Education
A multi-faceted approach
SPARK's Educational Program
Stanford must prepare its students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty to address the future challenges of health care, whether through academic medicine, clinical practice, or industry. SPARK’s educational program teaches participants the technical know-how required to advance early programs to the clinical stage. Mentoring is provided by advisors with expertise in product development, clinical care, and business, preparing participants for careers that link investigation with important new therapies.
SPARK at Stanford offers graduate level courses exploring these topics are hosted by the Department of Chemical Systems and Biology.
SPARK also provides funding to select projects.
SPARK Scholars participate in weekly meetings with faculty and industry advisors.
Sample SPARK Courses
Please visit Stanford's Explore Courses to see a current list of SPARK courses.
Previous SPARK courses have included:
CSB 240 A/ B - A Practical Approach to Drug Discovery and Development
Description: Advancing a drug from discovery of a therapeutic target to human trials and commercialization. Topics include: high throughput assay development, compound screening, lead optimization, protecting intellectual property, toxicology testing, regulatory issues, assessment of clinical need, defining the market, conducting clinical trials, project management, and commercialization issues, including approach to licensing and raising capital.
CSB 242 - Drug Discovery and Development Seminar Series
Description: Attend SPARK biweekly meetings to hear project updates or seminars on drug development topics presented by industry experts.