51ĀŅĀ×, OhioHealth agreement expands medical and health research collaborations
OhioHealth and 51ĀŅĀ× have entered into a memorandum of understanding that encourages and streamlines their medical research collaborations.
The organizations have long conducted joint medical and health research. āThe agreement smooths the startup process, essentially easing the administrative burden at both institutions so we can focus on the science and the patients,ā said Joe Shields, Ph.D., 51ĀŅĀ× vice president for research and creative activity.
ā51ĀŅĀ× has strength in its academics, and we have a large patient population, as well as physicians and other providers who want to conduct research from a clinical or patient care perspective,ā said Doug Knutson, M.D., vice president for quality and patient safety at OhioHealth and lead for the OhioHealth Research Institute. āOur staff benefit from the research expertise, infrastructure and support of 51ĀŅĀ×, and their staff benefit from an access to patients, patient data and the clinical environment.ā
The agreement builds on their longstanding relationship, especially in training medical and health sciences students. OhioHealth is the preeminent education partner for the 51ĀŅĀ× Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicineās Dublin campus. Many OhioHealth physicians have faculty appointments with 51ĀŅĀ×.
āThis collaboration provides a framework that allows us to join our research strengths with the resources of a large medical system,ā 51ĀŅĀ× President M. Duane Nellis said. āOur relationship with OhioHealth has the potential to yield research results that can have regional, national and global impacts on health care.ā
OhioHealth researchers have worked on projects with faculty and students from the Heritage College and the College of Health Sciences and Professions. Joint endeavors have included areas of population health/health disparities, direct patient care and patient-reported outcomes. OhioHealth has also provided research mentorship for medical and graduate nursing student projects.
āWeāve achieved so much with OhioHealth in training physicians and health professionals who serve our communities,ā said Kenneth Johnson, D.O., 51ĀŅĀ× chief medical affairs officer and executive dean of the Heritage College. āThis agreement furthers our ability to serve Ohio.ā
āThe agreement also makes it easier for more researchers throughout the University to collaborate with OhioHealth,ā Johnson said.
āOur collaborations have been important in furthering health in the populations we care for,ā Knutson said. āWith this agreement, weāve removed barriers. Weāve made it so much easier for our physicians and faculty to conduct locally relevant research that gives us insight and creates solutions to the health issues faced by our patients and by our communities.ā
The memorandum of understanding governs issues of confidentiality; regulatory compliance; sharing of data, biological samples and facilities; intellectual property; and publication of research findings. āWe now share common language. We now have agreed-upon templates, so weāre not starting from scratch with our legal departments with each new project,ā Shields said. āIf someone is sending biological samples from OhioHealth to 51ĀŅĀ×, the basic agreement is there, and we fill in the details specific to that project.ā
51ĀŅĀ× maintains a high level of research activity on a wide variety of medical and health-related areas, including clinical research and trials. The participates in regional, national and international research clinical trials, networks and research studies.
āEngaging in high-quality research plays a vital role in OHIOās mission to advance knowledge and supports creative activity,ā said 51ĀŅĀ× College of Health Sciences and Professions Interim Dean John McCarthy, Ph.D. āCHSP is proud to continue its collaborative efforts with OhioHealth, and we look forward to leveraging our collective research to better understand the global dimensions of health and healthcare issues while further addressing the needs of underserved populations.ā