Learning Polymerase Reactions at Junior College

Attendance for a biotechnology class at Ventura College is getting a boost from the Bio Science Alliance, a Conejo Valley trade group that’s in the midst of a renaissance. Brent Reinke, partner at law firm Musick Peeler & Garrett LLP in Westlake Village, founded the alliance in 2006. The group struggled during its early years, but a series of layoffs at Amgen Inc. has led to the creation of biotech startups in the region, and that, coupled with support from Amgen and Baxter, has given the group new relevance. Two events this fall each attracted 80 to 100 people. “Over the last two years, we’ve seen a lot of good, positive movement,” Reinke said. “We are trying to get the alliance involved with the industry, but also the city and county governments and educational institutions.” That’s why the alliance is working through its members, which include biotechs along the 101 freeway corridor, to promote the college class, which starts in January. Mary Pat Huxley, adjunct professor of biology at the college, said the class concentrates on lab work and field trips, including two to Amgen and one to Sani-Sure West, a maker of disposable lab materials in Camarillo. Students range in age from 18 to 70, and some already have advanced degrees but want to upgrade their skills. Although the class has been around 18 years, the curriculum changes every semester based on new technology. For example, this semester students will learn about polymerase chain reaction, the technique used to replicate small DNA samples so forensics labs have enough to perform tests. Huxley said the class prepares students to work as lab technicians, manufacturing personnel or quality controllers. “They are usually entry-level, middle-skill jobs, not high scientific jobs,” she said. In addition to the college, Rienke is talking to UC Santa Barbara, Cal Tech and UCLA about future programs. “I represent a good seven to 10 life science companies and they are getting funded,” he said. “With this latest downsizing at Amgen, there will be even more interest in the region.” Open Enrollment To reach the Latino market, Anthem Blue Cross has partnered with Freeway Insurance to offer personalized sales service with bilingual reps. The Thousand Oaks insurer, a unit of Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc., said that based on its experience during the open enrollment period last year, face-to-face consultations with Hispanic clients increased the probability of closing sales. Also, the company estimates 28 percent of Latinos in California still are not insured. Freeway Insurance is an operating unit of Confie Seguros in Huntington Beach, which specializes in the Latino market. The company has 560 offices in more than 17 states and sales topping $350 million. But, as its name implies, Freeway Insurance has built its business on auto insurance. Under the agreement with Anthem, Freeway will have licensed bilingual agents available to talk with potential cusomters at 30 of its offices in California. Spanish-language materials explaining the new health reform law will be available at 150 Freeway offices in the state. “Having access to bilingual agents who can help facilitate the enrollment process for members of our Latino community is very important,” Mark Morgan, president of Anthem Blue Cross, said in a statement. Open enrollment for the second year of national health reform started Nov. 15 and continues until Feb. 15. Essential Leaders Essia Health, a company that installs electronic medical record systems and provides medical scribes to hospitals, has expanded its leadership team. The Woodland Hills company has appointed Anita Pramoda, the former chief financial officer at Epic Systems Corp., to its board of directors and has hired William Moore as chief financial officer. Epic Systems is the giant of the health IT sector, providing electronic medical records or EMR for more than 40 percent of the U.S. population. During Pramoda’s tenure there, the company experienced significant growth and expansion into the government and international markets. She also serves on the board of Dignity Health Foundation, associated with the Catholic hospital chain that has facilities in Glendale and Northridge. Essia Chief Executive Matthew Kirchner hopes Pramoda can work the same fast-growth magic on his company, which installs a variety of software systems, including those made by Epic and competitors McKesson Corp. and Cerner Corp. “We look forward to drawing upon her insights to expand Essia Health’s medical scribe and EMR implementation businesses,” Kirchner said in a statement. Prior to his appointment at Essia, Moore served as chief financial officer of 4medica, a provider of cloud-based exchange services for medical data. Previously he was vice president of finance at Platinum Equity, where he helped manage the firm’s $4 billion revenue portfolio. Staff Writer Joel Russell can be reached at (818) 316-3124 or [email protected].