About the Office of Technology Licensing
The Office of Technology Licensing (OTL) oversees the patenting and licensing of technologies developed by the faculty and staff of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in order to promote development of drugs, diagnostic assays and other products of benefit to the public. Additionally, the OTL is responsible for negotiating and authorizing the transfer of research materials into and out of St. Jude. Companies and research investigators from outside of St. Jude are welcome to contact the OTL regarding St. Jude's standard terms and policies for technology transfer. The OTL is the only party authorized to negotiate and finalize these agreements on behalf of St. Jude.
Contact the Office of Technology Licensing (Phone: 901-595-2342) for more information.
Staff
Bethany Furr
Senior Administrative Specialist
Contact Bethany for information and to schedule meetings or visits!
Chad Riggs
Marketing Associate
Before joining the OTL in 2013, Chad created 3D content with his BS in Engineering Design, and helped national laboratories, technology startups and VC firms to market with his MBA.
Contact Chad for technology or licensing information!
Jessie Hughes
Licensing Assistant
Jessie came to the OTL from a St. Jude lab in 2022 excited to help guide discoveries from the bench to the bedside by setting up agreements and working with licenses.
Contact Jessie about Agreements!
Scott Elmer, JD
Director
Scott came to St. Jude in 2001 as a practicing patent attorney (private law firm and corporate) since 1992. Prior to that he was as a molecular biologist.
Shawn Hawkins
Associate Director
Before joining the OTL in 1997, Shawn was a research technologist in Biochemistry and Tumor Cell Biology. She has a BS in Biology, an MBA, and is a registered patent agent.
Esther Allay
Sr. Licensing Associate
Before joining the OTL in 2002, Esther was a research technologist in Experimental Hematology. She obtained a BS and MS in Biology, and handles the transfer of materials.
Regina McKinney
Coordinator, Departmental Finance
Regina began working at St. Jude in 1994 in the Administration Office, and has been with the OTL 1995. Regina handles royalty allocations and licensing income.
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St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a Tennessee, not-for-profit corporation and is a signatory to the terms of the Uniform Biological Material Transfer Agreement (UBMTA) as maintained at the Association of University Technology Managers' (AUTM) website.