HJNO Jan/Feb 2021

54 JAN / FEB 2021 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS COLUMN BIO INDUSTRY IN THE post-COVID-19 world, and as municipalities work to manage virus transmission while attempting to sustain economic activity, NOLABA bio industry efforts are returning to a semblance of normalcy. This past November, the team produced two of its signature events as a week of virtual programming: MedCi- ty INVEST Pop Health and New Orleans Health Innovators Challenge (NOLAHI). These events accomplish multiple goals, including attracting startups to the city as well as providing a stage for local and national thought leaders to provide guidance on how New Orleans can sup- port both the overall physical health of its residents and their economic health. Both events included startup pitch competi- tions, attracted a national audience and discussed social determinants of health challenges alongside potential tools for addressing them. Further, the events pro- vided an overview of the region’s bio as- sets and talent. NOLABA’s economic development concentration on attracting, retaining and expanding bio company presence in New Orleans is based on playing to the area’s strengths. New Orleans boasts two medical schools, a physician finish- ing institution just across the parish line, multiple research institutions, multibil- lion-dollar hospitals and health systems and too much first-rate individual talent to name. New Orleans’ premier research enti- ties, LSU Health New Orleans and Tu- lane University, play an enormous role in attracting and supporting faculty and researchers. These research stars often work with university tech transfer offic- es to commercialize discoveries, thereby Local Bio Industry Strives to Diversify Economy (and Change Perception) of New Orleans In 2010, New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA) was formed to create an independent entity focused on the growth of the Orleans Parish economy, regardless of transitions in mayoral administrations and City Councils. In late 2016, NOLABA hired my predecessor to become Louisiana’s first dedicated economic development professional focused on the bio industry (a term used loosely to encompass life sciences, biotech, digital health and healthcare delivery) as an area of potential growth for the New Orleans economy.