METHODIST, UH SYSTEM JOINING FORCES FOR BIOMEDICAL
RESEARCH, CLINICAL CARE
Agreement Looks Ahead to Developing Health Science Center
Collaboration
HOUSTON, Feb. 15, 2005 – The Methodist Hospital
(TMH) and the University of Houston System (UHS) have signed a
30-year agreement to jointly develop health service and education
programs and to participate in research efforts and technology
transfer, paving the way for the brightest minds to search for
the next scientific breakthrough, the next vital treatment and
the next important cure.
“Drawing on the University of Houston’s excellence
in science, we can accelerate our own research and significantly
improve the quality of health care for Houstonians and increase
biomedical knowledge for the world,” said Ron G. Girotto,
CEO and president of The Methodist Hospital System.
“It’s become increasingly clear that
no one entity can perform the level of sophisticated biomedical
research required for continued excellence. Or, for that matter,
provide the full range of programs needed to develop top flight
health care professionals. By joining forces, the University of
Houston System and The Methodist Hospital are taking a vital and
necessary step forward to meet the educational and health care
needs of our community,” said Jay Gogue, chancellor of UHS
and president of UH.
The agreement calls for TMH and UHS to share facilities
at both institutions for research, training and the education
of health professionals, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows
and interns/residents. Faculty members of The Methodist Hospital
Research Institute (TMHRI) and of UHS will be eligible for appointments
at both institutions, which will bring some of the world’s
best scientists and top researchers to Houston and Texas.
An executive committee will oversee all joint activities.
Arthur Vailas, vice chancellor and vice president for research
at UHS and UH, has been named chairman of the committee. Dr. Michael
Lieberman, director of TMHRI, has been named vice chairman.
“This affiliation between a comprehensive
research university and an academic medical center is the model
for the future,” said Lieberman. “It is through such
partnerships that we can quickly and effectively translate cutting
edge biomedical science into new therapies and prevention strategies
for patients.”
“This collaborative relationship is unlike
any other in the state,” added Vailas. “This will
lead to more efficacious patient care and increases the probability
of making greater discoveries that can be applied to medical care
through our joint ventures in clinical and basic research.”
The affiliation between UHS and TMH is intended to augment current
relationships that both have with other institutions. TMH’s
primary academic affiliation with Weill Cornell Medical College
is recognized as a valuable asset to the UHS/TMS affiliation as
well, and efforts will be made to include Weill Cornell in UHS/TMH
programs when appropriate. For example, on March 3 and 4, physician
scientists from Weill Cornell will meet with their counterparts
from Methodist and UH at a research planning symposium at The
Methodist Hospital.
The University of Houston System is substantially involved in
a number of scientific fields, including pharmacy, optometry,
clinical psychology, social work, health law, business and administration,
bioinformatics, bionanotechnology, biomedical engineering, nutrition
and fitness, communication disorders, imaging and biotechnology
training programs. The University of Houston conducts more than
$90 million a year in sponsored research, placing it third among
the state’s comprehensive research universities. Current
funding for health-related research and development activities
is more than $77 million, which supports approximately 230 projects.
Construction is near completion on the $81 million Science and
Engineering Research and Classroom Complex, which includes five
floors of research space that will accommodate approximately 40
laboratories, including a state of the art “clean room”
with a static-free environment insulated from vibrations and air-filtered
to remove dust particles.
Similarly, The Methodist Hospital board of directors
recently committed $100 million to launch the new Research Institute,
reflecting the importance it places on expanding its translational
research abilities. The Methodist Hospital Research Institute
is a place where scientists from diverse specialties and backgrounds
can share ideas and work together to translate the latest laboratory
discoveries into effective new treatment strategies. The Institute
will begin with research programs that build on Methodist’s
historic strengths, such as the fields of cardiovascular disease,
neuroscience, cancer, transplant, cell and gene therapy and orthopedics.
This affiliation will allow the two institutions
to capitalize on such mutual resources.
While there are a number of current collaborations
under way between UHS and TMH, these have generally been undertaken
on an individual basis. Moving forward, the formal affiliation
will permit strategic planning at the highest levels, stimulate
greater overall interaction with a broader range of potential
projects and allow for combined solicitation of third-party research
funding. For example, UH has been unable to apply for any substantial
research projects requiring clinical trials. But the affiliation
with The Methodist Hospital will now allow the university to successfully
attract such funding.
“The UH System Board of Regents made a commitment,
beginning with our own strategic plan, to bring our universities’
resources to the Texas Medical Center,” said Morgan Dunn
O’Connor, board chairman. “This affiliation with The
Methodist Hospital, with increased opportunities for revolutionary
research and education, will bring that dream to reality. The
real beneficiary will be the health care community and the general
public.”