DETROIT (WXYZ) — Michigan State University and Henry Ford Health System announced Tuesday they signed a letter of intent to expand their partnership which will include a new fully-integrated cancer program and expand research.
According to Henry Ford, the two organizations will build a joint research institute in Detroit that will focus on health inequalities and disparities, social determinants of health, primary care, implementation sciences, precision health and cancer.
“Partnerships with the potential for greater impact are more important than ever before,” said Wright Lassiter, III, president and CEO, Henry Ford Health System. “The COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing injustices and recent protests in cities across our nation have amplified the importance of and urgency for innovation and discovery that radically improves the health of all of the communities we serve.”
“Health care is one of the most important building blocks of a strong community, and for that we believe every individual deserves accessible, affordable, compassionate, quality care,” said Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., MSU’s president. “We must seek solutions to address disparities across cultural, racial and socioeconomic lines. This pandemic has demonstrated the willingness of individuals from multiple disciplines and from different organizations to unite – the time to build upon that is now.”
The two will also launch the fully-integrated cancer program which will combine research and clinical applications with the hopes of getting a National Cancer Institute designation.
Now, the organizations will work toward a series of agreements with hopes of finalizing them by fall.
