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Merck has finally gone where no pharmaceutical company has ever gone before; it today named Ken Frazier, a Harvard-trained African American lawyer as its next CEO. Frazier, who joined Merck in 1992, became general counsel in 1992 and was promoted to President of Global Human  Health last April will succeed Dick Clark (the other one) who will soon reach Merck’s mandatory retirement age of 65. Frazier has always been something of a rising star and his stock (pun intended) has rapidly risen in recent years mainly because of the prominent role he played in managing the fallout from the Vioxx scandal.

While today’s announcement may have been history making, Frazier’s ascension to the top position at Merck was widely expected. Frazier has played a key role in the integration of Schering Plough, which Merck purchased almost two years ago for $42 billion.

Like Clark, Frazier is not a scientist. Given Merck’s thinning pipeline and recent setbacks with its anti-cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil, Frazier, like Clark will have his work cut out for him to restore Merck’s tarnished image to its once impeccable standing in the pharmaceutical industry.

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Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!

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According to a report released by the president’s Council of Economic Advisers the biggest gains in job growth by 2016 will be in the areas of healthcare and education services. Moreover, most of these jobs will require postsecondary education degrees mainly in the form of certificates and associates degrees. To meet this demand, the report argues for ways to improve the US education system so that American workers can more easily adapt to a more skilled-base economy.

The report also notes that manufacturing will continue its long term decline and that small growth will occur in the business and financial sectors of the US economy. Construction and transportation are likely to begin to grow once the economy improves. However, the largest demand and increases will occur in healthcare services, environmental-related occupations and in education service providers. Whereas other sectors of the economy have been battered by the recession, growth in the healthcare and educational services sectors have remained robust.

In the past, emphasis has been placed on obtaining a baccalaureate degree to garner gainful employment. While this trend will likely continue, explosive growth is expected for occupations that require only an associate’s degree or postsecondary education certificate. Growth in these types of jobs is predicted to outpace occupations that require a bachelor’s degree or higher.

The report also describes goals that must be met to improve the American postsecondary education system. These include: improving early childhood, elementary and secondary education; better school curriculums; closer collaboration between employers and educational institution to ensure that students learn the skills that they need on the job, better financial aid; and accountability for education and workforce programs that don’t work. I have long contended that both undergraduate and graduate programs in the life sciences introduce skill-based workforce development activities into their curriculums. Unfortunately, my attempts have fallen upon deaf ears. Perhaps this report will induce the administrators who can institute this type of change to take their “heads out of the sand”and take notice.

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Good Luck and Good Learning!!!!!!

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