Technology Transfer Professional Rookie of the Year

The structure and function of the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) require new Licensing and patenting managers to be involved in all aspects of technology transfer, specifically technology valuation, patent prosecution, license negotiation, marketing of technologies, and the review of Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs). 

Since joining OTT less than three years ago, Dr. Samuel E. Bish has already excelled in all of the abovementioned functions. He is currently handling a patent docket of more than 200 cancer technologies concentrated on cancer immunotherapeutics, and he has drafted and executed a wide number and variety of licenses. He has worked diligently on these agreements on behalf of the NIH, and has demonstrated excellent negotiation skills in bringing them to completion. Through these achievements he has demonstrated superior analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills — unusual skill sets for someone who has only fairly recently become a technology transfer practitioner. 

With regard to his licensing activities, Dr. Bish has been presented with some complex and challenging situations. In two cases, he worked on deals for licenses that had been terminated. He successfully negotiated new licenses for the same intellectual property and, in doing so, handled complex issues of co-ownership, patent prosecution reimbursement, and CRADA subject invention determination. In both scenarios, Dr. Bish persevered and brought the negotiations to a close, resulting in two licenses. In accomplishing this, Dr. Bish demonstrated his ability to be a tough negotiator with unparalleled attention to detail. As to patent matters, Dr. Bish manages a rather large and complex portfolio of cancer immunotherapy inventions coming from some of the most senior and prestigious investigators in the field. 

In addition to performing his own tasks, Dr. Bish educates others about technology transfer. For example, he participated in an interview with the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE), answering questions about transitioning from research to technology transfer. He also participated in a similar forum at the University of Maryland, Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics Graduate Student Association. 

Dr. Bish is a hard-working, diligent team player who excels at dealing with challenging situations. He is a sublime multi-tasker. What has impressed both his colleagues in OTT, as well as the scientists and company professionals with whom he works, is his can-do, positive attitude — which makes working with him a true pleasure!