University Hospitals, NEOMED announce newly expanded affiliation agreement
Jun. 11—University Hospitals and Northeast Ohio Medical University have announced a new affiliation agreement that supports the joint aim of "developing leadership and deploying a transformational workforce who heal, teach and discover, and care for the underserved populations" within both Cuyahoga and other Ohio counties.
The agreement expands an affiliation that began in 2012 and has included clinical rotations for NEOMED students enrolled in its Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy and among various specialties such as emergency medicine, family medicine, OB-GYN, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery.
UH also supports programs in NEOMED's College of Graduate Studies, including its Master of Medical Science in Anesthesia and Master of Leadership in Health Systems Science.
According to a news release, the five-year agreement, effective July 1, establishes joint oversight of financial investment and program development in six key areas of collaboration that extend beyond providing program rotations and other learning experiences for students, including:
—Educational activities
—Leadership and faculty development
—Innovation and research
—Clinical activities
—Workforce development
"Collaboration, with a focus on diversity, is the only way to improve health for all communities, particularly in Ohio where health disparities continue to be a critical problem," said NEOMED President Dr. John Langell.
"This new level of collaboration will allow us to provide a better educational experience, conduct more impactful research, and deliver better service to our communities," he added.
Under the agreement, UH will increase the number of clinical rotation opportunities and practice experiences at UH locations and invest in on-site facilities for students and faculty at the UH Cleveland Medical Center main campus.
"Through this new affiliation agreement, more NEOMED students will have exposure to learning experiences that are possible within our expansive health system, where we have many leading health care professionals who are dedicated to teaching our next generation of clinicians," said Dr. Daniel Simon, president, academic and external affairs and chief scientific officer.
Together, UH and NEOMED views the new affiliation as a means to bring positive change to the health care workforce shortage that is impacting access to care locally and nationally, the release stated.
"We expect students who complete their rotations at UH will be more likely to join our health system or practice here in Northeast Ohio following their graduation," Simon added.
An innovation advisory committee, comprised of leaders of UH, NEOMED, and joint faculty will be formed to identify best practices and opportunities to innovate further across the key areas of collaboration, including advances in education for students and care for patients.
UH and NEOMED will also collaborate on research to grow and enhance respective research portfolios and establish a joint research enterprise.
The two institutions will also develop practices and procedures that optimize research funding, including grant sponsorship, submission, and compliance functions for joint research.
University Hospitals is honored to be selected by NEOMED as their major affiliate, Simon said.
"We are excited to work with them on broader aspects of the evolving future of health care and growing our community of caregivers to serve Northeast Ohio," Simon added.
In addition to NEOMED, UH has academic affiliations with the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Oxford University, and the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology.
NEOMED collaborates with many major health systems and pharmacies in Northeast Ohio to provide clinical training and practice experiences for its students, officials noted.
"By training even more health professionals, we will advance access to care and improve quality — which is everyone's business," Langell said. "University Hospitals' commitment to education, discovery and service helps make that possible. And the scope of the agreement makes them a major affiliate for NEOMED."
