John M. York, PharmD, MBA, PhDc
Principal & CEO, Akita Biomedical
Lead Instructor, Institute for the Global Entrepreneur (UCSD)
Adj. Prof, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy (RUTGERS)
John M. York, PharmD, MBA brings 35 years in the biopharmaceutical business. After receiving his doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Michigan, York was the first graduate of the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship program. He also completed his MBA at Kelley School of Business (Indiana University) and has certificates in life science, business management, and marketing from UC Berkeley. His industry career included increasing roles of responsibility at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Amgen, Allergan, and HDI.
York has started three businesses: Akita Biomedical, MD Eyecare, and Ophthalmic Research and Education Consultants. His firm Akita Biomedical, a 22-year-old medical communications and strategy firm, has engaged with various life science firms (from startups to large multinationals) via publication programs, advisory boards, education programs, market research, and business planning.
He has taught at the Orfalea College of Business (Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo), the Rady School of Management and Jacobs School of Engineering at UC, San Diego, and the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. He recently accepted a Visiting Professor of Practice (UCSD) and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medical Education (Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University) faculty designations. York has served in faculty and mentor roles at Ahmedabad University (Amrut Mody School of Management), the University of Tsukuba, the ANHS ScaleUp HealthCare Academy, the Global Entrepreneurship Accelerator program for Korea, and the National Science Foundation I-CORPS™ program at UC, San Diego, and the Arab Academy program at Cal Poly. His teaching responsibilities have included being the co-director of the capstone projects class for the translational medicine certificate program, lead instructor for the Institute for the Global Entrepreneur at UC, San Diego and Scripps Institution of Oceanography/Rady School of Management startBlue program, and adjunct faculty at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship program.
He has authored over 53 publications (with 36 in business and entrepreneurship) and 36 posters/professional presentations personally, with over 180 (including 14 translational medicine articles) for various clients.
His case study on CVS Health and the Amazon/PillPack challenge received an Emerald Publishing Literary Award for outstanding publication in 2022.
A past associate editor of Cancer Control, he serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology and Archives of Business Administration.
As invited faculty, York has presented at the California Entrepreneurship Educators Conference, R&D Pharma, Bio International, the International Cancer Congress, MBC Labs, Rutgers University, the University of Tsukuba/Kyoto Workshop, and the UCSD/JETRO Biotechnology Commercialization Workshop. His Bio Startup Bootcamp presentation ended up as his fifth in the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology, and his Tsukuba/Kyoto workshop as two new additions to this journal.
He serves as an advisor to multiple startups, including Cellix Therapeutics, COASTAR Therapeutics, Crestec Therapeutics, and JD Biosciences.
Finally, York is a candidate for a PhD in leadership and management at the Cranfield School of Management in the United Kingdom and will be defending his dissertation in the winter of 2025. His work focuses on entrepreneurship and strategy, which he will be presenting at the 2025 Babson Colloquia.