20 largest life sciences employment clusters<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 meaning there\u2019s a significant concentration of jobs in the area.<\/p>\nSince 2019, DFW\u2019s life science labor pool has grown by 17%. DFW also ranked third for the highest growth rate of research and development jobs, with an almost 45% increase over the same period.<\/p>\n
Cunningham said UNT Health\u2019s new program is coming at a \u201ccritical time for this rapid growth\u201d as more companies look to establish facilities in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things that, as an academic health science center, we have a responsibility to respond to the needs of our region,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is how we’re responding to this growing need that is happening here with the growth and research, health care delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cunningham said there are already significant hubs at Texas A&M and Texas Tech, but North Texas has \u201cuntapped\u201d potential.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, they’re coming in and we could be the new Research Triangle here,\u201d she said, referring to an area in North Carolina that\u2019s home to a trio of major research institutions. \u201cWe need to have individuals that we can train here to address that need.\u201d<\/p>\n
That can help bring additional economic value to North Texas, according to Cunningham \u2013 which can increase job creation and opportunities.<\/p>\n
To enroll in the program, students must have a master\u2019s degree or \u201cPharmD\u201d degree \u2013 professional training required to become a pharmacist.<\/p>\n
For its first year, Cunningham said she expects the five students to be accepted into the program. The students will be financially supported throughout their training, which can take at least three years.<\/p>\n
Cunningham said the program is different than the typical PharmD program \u2013 but they complement each other well. Rather than the intense focus on a clinical relationship with patients, the pharmaceutical sciences program looks at improving tools and drugs used by patients.<\/p>\n
Applications for the new program close July 1 for students starting classes in the fall. Cunningham said the institution is keeping an eye on the performance of the program before accepting more students.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to ensure that we have our focus on each individual student and their training and that journey and the path that they want to take,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The new PhD program is designed to prepare scientists for \u201cdrug discovery, development and translational research,\u201d according to a UNT Health news release, and can help people have access to more jobs throughout the larger pharmaceutical industry. Cunningham said many master\u2019s students have been asking for this program, so there are already several students who are interested.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see it as this gives more opportunity for us to engage with our community, to be to work in this partnership and help along with this healthcare and this drug design, but also with economics. I really just see us furthering our partnership with the North Texas region.\u201d<\/p>\n
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2026\/06\/04\/unt-health-fort-worths-new-pharmaceutical-sciences-program-comes-at-critical-time-for-region\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n
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