Newly Formed Institute to Transform How Research Becomes Patient-Relevant Practice
Four
notable medical and educational institutions have formed a landmark
consortium that is expected to streamline the way bench science is
translated into bedside practice that could benefit millions of people.
Christiana Care Health System, Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for
Children, Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Delaware
will pool their talents and expertise as the Delaware Valley Institute for Clinical and Translational Science(DVICTS).
The
Institute brings together the capabilities of four primary medical and
educational institutions with close affiliations to three other
academic institutions, 33 hospitals, over 130 research and clinical
specialty centers and 14 schools and colleges. Innovative
collaborations will be established between experts in medical practice,
health economics and policy, population sciences, public health, and
biomedical and materials sciences. The primary goal will be not only to
develop new therapies and programs but also to improve when, how and
where healthcare is delivered. The DVICTS will be led by a steering
committee of 12 individuals—three representatives from each of the four
lead institutions.
“We’re
using our strengths, sharing our data, involving the communities and
eliminating the usual compartmentalized infrastructure to open the
doors to new ideas,” explains Robert L. Barchi, MD, PhD, President,
Thomas Jefferson University. “Our education plan is a key
component—being jointly developed with our partners. We’re training a
new cadre of scientists who will understand both the clinical and
translational side of medicine.”
“Discoveries
that could fuel groundbreaking, real-world practices are limitless,”
emphasizes Robert Laskowski, MD, President and CEO, Christiana Care
Health System. “The DVICTS will have a direct impact on the lives of
people in Delaware, southeastern Pennsylvania and southwestern New
Jersey.”
Joint
projects of member institutions are already underway. Molecular genetic
markers are being developed to tailor and individualize cancer therapy
and research is being carried out on the use and applications of proton
beam therapy (housed at Jefferson) for cancer treatment. A
biomathematics initiative is investigating the movement of fluid in
bone tissue—an innovation that could revolutionize orthopedics. Medical
informatics is giving patients a way to save all of their medical
records on a single microchip. New devices such as a robotic
exoskeleton will give individuals with limited movement freedom from
their disabling conditions.
Tom
Ferry, Senior Vice President, Hospital Operations for Nemours and CEO
of the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, believes this
partnership is a natural extension of the collaboration that many of
the Institute’s members have enjoyed for years. “Expanding the
collaboration of our four institutions and including the many other
organizations will enable even greater achievements in the future.”
One
of the goals of the DVICTS is to acquire new grants that could
collectively fund greater research discoveries. “This is team science
and team medicine,” says Patrick T. Harker PhD, President, University
of Delaware, “that most certainly will have national and international
implications. This institute will combine the best doctors and
researchers at these leading medical institutions with the University’s
researchers and scientists across a broad range of disciplines. What we
can do together could change the practice of medicine.”
About Thomas Jefferson University
Thomas
Jefferson University, the largest freestanding academic medical center
in Philadelphia, is comprised of Jefferson Medical College, Jefferson
College of Graduate Studies, Jefferson College of Health Professions
and the Jefferson School of Health Policy and Population Health.
Jefferson is regarded nationally as one of the best universities
offering a range of comprehensive programs for the education of health
professions. Jefferson Medical College serves as the medical school for
the state of Delaware.
About Christiana Care Health System
Christiana
Care Health System, based in Wilmington, Delaware, is one of the
largest health care providers in the mid-Atlantic region, serving all
of Delaware and portions of seven counties bordering the state in
Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey.
About Nemours
Nemours
is one of the largest children’s health systems in the nation and owns
and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children as well as the
Nemours Children’s Clinic with multiple locations in Delaware,
Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr, Newtown Square, and Lancaster),
New Jersey (Voorhees and Atlantic City) and Florida (Jacksonville,
Orlando and Pensacola).
About the University of Delaware
The
University of Delaware, located in Newark, Delaware, was founded in
1743 and offers over 100 academic majors with a distinguished faculty
that includes internationally renowned scientists.
Media Only Contact:
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Phone: (215) 955-6300
Published: 10/28/2008