Universities are learning they need to do more than educate students.
The “new synergy” for higher education requires colleges to work with government entities, businesses and other institutions and groups “to positively impact the economy and quality of life of a region,” Dr. Jay A. Gershen, president of Northeast Ohio Medical University, said during a speech at the Akron Roundtable luncheon in downtown Akron on Thursday.
He said Northeast Ohio Medical University (Neomed) is continuing to look for ways to join with regional partners for educational, research and job-creation initiatives.
The university, for example, wants to establish a greater presence at Cleveland State University and within Akron’s biomedical corridor, an area surrounding the city’s three downtown hospitals that has been designated for medical-related development, he said.
Neomed also is having discussions with Kent State University about working more closely together to create new models for patient care and for research projects in the areas of auditory neurosciences, public health, mental health, regenerative medicine and bioengineering, he said.
“Higher education also needs to build bridges between organizations in education, government and industry in different geographic areas to create a critical mass of assets that will attract new companies and talent to foster creativity and innovation,” he said. “I believe higher education in Northeast Ohio has the opportunity and the ability to accomplish these goals, driving the region toward economic prosperity.”
Neomed, formerly known as NEOUCOM, was founded as a collaborative effort of the University of Akron, Kent State and Youngstown State universities and, more recently, Cleveland State University.
About half of the 3,000 graduates since 1981 are now practicing physicians in Ohio, Gershen said.
“This community-based model leverages the strengths of multiple entities and has resulted in education and retention of local students in health-care careers who are now contributing to economic development and providing excellent care to patients in our region,” Gershen said.
Neomed, with its main campus in Rootstown Township, has taken numerous steps in recent years to spawn collaborative efforts that benefit the entire region, Gershen said.
These are among the initiatives he cited:
• Participation with the University of Akron and Akron’s three hospital systems in the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron, an ongoing partnership to encourage medical-related research, education and economic development.
• Work to create a Neomed Academic Campus at Cleveland State University to develop health-care teams to care for patients in urban neighborhoods.
• Involvement in Healthcare in Progress, an initiative with Akron Public Schools, the University of Akron, Kent State University, the BioInnovation Institute and Akron’s three health systems to encourage students from underrepresented groups to pursue a health-care career.
• Establishment of the Bio-Med Science Academy, a high school program being developed with Rootstown Local Schools that will be housed on the Neomed campus.
• “As a higher-education institution, we and other academic partners want to contribute to the economic and talent build for our region,” Gershen said.
Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Powell on Twitter at twitter.com/abjcherylpowell.
