At the turn of the new millennium, after spending the first 20 years of her career as a pharmacist, Carolyn Weber wanted to do something different. But she wasn’t quite sure what.
She returned to school at the University of Pittsburgh, where she had earned her pharmacy degree, to pursue an MBA from the Katz Graduate School of Business.
Then she found her new avocation right on campus. Weber has spent the past 25 years as a licensing associate and marketing manager for the Innovation Institute (part of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship).
Over that time, Weber has helped hundreds of Pitt researchers protect their intellectual property via patents and copyrights and has negotiated countless numbers of licenses for those ideas and innovations to make their way into the real world.
Weber, one of the OIE’s longest-tenured staff members, recently arrived at another crossroads, deciding to sail into retirement on a new boat as she mulls what’s next for her.
“I have a lot of big plans. I just don’t know what they are yet,” she joked at a retirement celebration in her honor at the Innovation Institute offices.
Weber said she will always remember the friendships she made in her role, as well as some of the impactful cases she handled. Those include the copyrighting and licensing of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, developed by Dan Buysse, UPMC Endowed Chair in Sleep Medicine and Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, Clinical and Translational Science, and Medicine. This self-reported questionnaire for evaluating sleep quality is the most licensed intellectual property in university history. It has been translated into more than 100 languages and licensed commercially over 200 times, as well as provided at no charge to research institutions and students.
She also assisted Jennifer Barkin with the commercialization of her Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning, which she developed during her doctoral studies at Pitt.
“I’m happy for Carolyn, but I will really miss working with her,” Barkin said. “Her and I began working together with the Barkin Index 16 years ago, and she’s been critical to its success.”
One of the final licenses she assisted on was for the creation of one of Pitt’s newest startup companies, from the lab of Alejandro Hoberman, executive vice chair of pediatrics, vice chair of clinical research and professor of pediatrics, and Nader Shaikh, professor of pediatrics and clinical and translational science.
“Carolyn was always supportive, highly professional, yet close and friendly, and immediately available to answer any questions I had,” Hoberman said. “She enabled me to complete all necessary steps to protect our ideas, and I will always be indebted to her.”
Alex Ducruet, executive director of innovation commercialization for the Innovation Institute, said Weber has been universally respected by her Pitt innovator clients.
“Carolyn has been a truly special colleague, always positive, quick to share a laugh, and naturally personable. She made everyone feel seen and valued, and there wasn’t a person she didn’t treat with warmth. Her presence will be deeply missed,” he said.
Weber said she is amazed at the growth of innovation and entrepreneurship at Pitt during her tenure, and that she will miss the friendships she has made along the way and coming to the campus that has shaped so much of her life.