HEalth Ambassadors with the LPRC
Program Overview
The Research Generator (RG) HEalth Ambassadors with the LPRC (LPRC stands for Eli Lilly and Company and Purdue University Research Alliance Center) is a community of practice of students, faculty, and staff interested in the pharmaceutical industry challenge of developing effective and affordable therapeutics to tackle the diseases that currently affect large portions of the world population from cancer to Alzheimer, to diabetes, and many more.
We will together:
• Generate ideas.
o Brainstorming sessions.
o Faculty/graduate student talks and roundtables.
o Lilly partner roundtables.
• Develop our professional skills.
o Site visits to Lilly.
o LPRC lab-crawl.
o Seminars.
o Mingle events with professionals (academic and industry – LPRC grad students at Purdue
and former LPRC grad students who are now Lilly employees).
• Work on research projects.
o Directed by affiliated faculty - paths to complete scholarly projects
Co-Directors:
Pavlos Vlachos, St. Vincent Health Professor of Healthcare Engineering, School of Mechanical
Engineering. LPRC Director.
Laura Cayon, LPRC Academic-Industry Research Coordinator.
Assistant Director
Brett Meyers, LPRC Research Scientist.
How to become an affiliate:
Student Affiliate –
New affiliates will join the RG at level 1 with an option at the end of the semester to
stay at that level or transfer to level 2.
The director will approve participation at each of the two levels.
• Level 1 – The student will participate in at least two activities per semester programmed under the idea generation and professional development initiatives.
• Level 2 – The student will conduct research under the supervision of one of the faculty affiliates for a minimum of two semesters (Fall, Spring, or Summer). Research projects will fulfill the requirements of a scholarly project. In addition, the student will participate in at least one activity per semester programmed under the idea generation and professional development initiatives.
This level allows for students:- To earn Technical Elective credit.
- To be nominated for LPRC funding - awarded at the discretion of the LPRC director.
Faculty Affiliate –
The director will approve participation at one of two levels.
• Level 1 - The faculty member (1) will be an active part of the planning and/or implementation of
at least one activity per semester to be programmed under the idea generation and professional
development initiatives, and (2) will attend two-three meetings per semester with the director
of the RG.
• Level 2 – The faculty member (1) will supervise a research project for a minimum of two
semesters, (2) will actively participate in at least one activity per semester to be programmed
under the idea generation and professional development initiatives, and (3) will attend two-
three meetings per semester with the director of the RG.
This level allows for faculty:
o To apply for supplemental LPRC funding - awarded at the discretion of the LPRC director.
Contact:
Laura Cayon
