A sweeping community development sponsored by Henry Ford Health, Tom Gores and the Detroit Pistons, and Michigan State University intends to invest $2.5 billion over the next decade to turn Detroit’s New Center neighborhood into a vibrant, walkable community with state-of-the-art residential, commercial, retail, recreational and health care components.

The development will be anchored by a reimagined Henry Ford Health academic healthcare campus, the highlight of which is a major expansion of Henry Ford Hospital including a brand new one-million-square-foot plus facility and patient tower. It also includes a new, cutting-edge medical research facility for Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences, part of Henry Ford Health’s 30-year partnership with Michigan State University.

Michigan State University’s Executive Vice President for Health Sciences Dr. Norman J. Beauchamp Jr. joins me to talk about MSU’s partnership with Henry Ford Health. He also updates the evolution of the Sustainable Health theme of MSU Strategic Plan 2030, for which he is the executive sponsor.

Conversation highlights:

(1:35) – “What’s wonderful about it is the first thing this creates is this world-class destination for healthcare where you have fully integrated the very best in care with all the strengths and discovery that you find at a place like Michigan State.”

(4:54) – “We’re going to go directly at earlier detection of cancer, treatment when it’s responsive, and access to the very best care.”

(6:03) – “What will define our effort is bringing these clinical trials to all communities and also to overcome some of the barriers to communities of color in terms of access to participation in clinical trials. By bringing in people of all backgrounds into these clinical trials you then discover you will be able to help people of all backgrounds.”

(7:13) – “There are moments in the history of a university where there’s a transformation. In coming together with Henry Ford, and particularly the work we’re going to do in Southeast Michigan, Michigan State will be seen as one of the leaders in the transformation of lives and the future of healthcare for Southeast Michigan. And Michigan State forevermore will be seen as a leader in healthcare.”

(10:38) – “The goal of (the sustainable health theme of MSU Strategic Plan 2030) is to enhance the quality of life for people everywhere by comprehensively leveraging the expertise and research activities that improve health and systems, and to do that by bringing together the strengths together across the campus.”

(16:00) – “What brought Henry Ford into this partnership with MSU was the realization of the breadth of our strengths. What we now have to do as part of our strategic plan is to mobilize the entire university.”

(17:18) – “We want to identify Michigan State as the place to go as a student if you want to improve human health. And because of our depth and breadth, you can choose so many different ways to get there.”

(18:10) – “This strategic plan builds bridges, not moats, and it connects us. Because this is an institution that has been built around collaboration, these bridges become superhighways really quickly.”

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