Grand Valley and MSU announce health care partnerships

Grand Valley State University President Thomas J. Haas and Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon announced two new initiatives that will support clinical research and patient safety.

The two universities have agreed in concept to offer a joint graduate certificate in clinical research trials management. Simon spoke about the developments during her speech to the Economic Club of Grand Rapids this week.

“This online certificate program is an example of a partnership that provides the infrastructure to support clinical drug research trials in the region,” she said.

Simon and Haas emphasize that the agreements foster collaboration, something that is mandatory given the state’s economic climate.

“The location of MSU’s Human College of Medicine in Grand Rapids provides an opportunity for Grand Valley and MSU to work together on behalf of the region,” Haas said. “We’re obligated to the taxpayers of Michigan not to duplicate academic programs.”

The second initiative announced is an additional collaborative relationship between Grand Valley, the College of Human Medicine, Spectrum Health and Grand Rapids Medical Education Partners. It emerged in response to reports by the Institute of Medicine on the importance and challenges of providing safe, quality health care to patients.

“The partners are developing an interprofessional patient safety program to educate our health care students and providers in safety behaviors to improve patient care,” said Jean Nagelkerk, Grand Valley’s vice provost for health.

Grand Valley and MSU already have on-going cooperative programs, including the Early Assurance Program that links pre-med Grand Valley students to MSU’s College of Human Medicine in Grand Rapids. The first six Grand Valley students in the program have begun their studies.

Grand Valley State University attracts more than 24,500 students with high-quality programs and state-of-the-art facilities. Grand Valley is a comprehensive university serving students from all 83 Michigan counties and dozens of other states and foreign countries. Grand Valley offers 78 undergraduate and 28 graduate degree programs from campuses in Allendale, Grand Rapids and Holland, and from regional centers in Muskegon and Traverse City. The university is dedicated to individual student achievement, going beyond the traditional classroom experience, with research opportunities and business partnerships.

For Grand Valley State news on the Web, go to www.gvsu.edu/gvnow.