Baylor College of Medicine, Baylor Scott & White Health Announce Collaboration on Biomedical Research
Baylor College of Medicine and Baylor Scott & White Health have entered into an agreement to expand biomedical research in North and Central Texas.
The largest not-for-profit health care system in Texas, Baylor Scott & White Health was born from the 2013 merger of Baylor Health Care System and Scott & White Healthcare. Baylor College of Medicine is one of the nation’s top health sciences universities and research institutions, and home to one of three NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the state.
“With this joint operating agreement, we bring together the strengths of both institutions, which no doubt will result in more research of the highest quality,” said Dr. Paul Klotman, president and CEO of Baylor College of Medicine. “The clear winners are the residents of Texas, who will see an acceleration of efforts to provide new therapies.”
“This collaboration is exciting for many reasons, the most important of which is the positive impact we expect it will have on patient care as we’re able to translate findings from the laboratory to the bedside,” said Joel T. Allison, president and CEO of Baylor Scott & White Health. “It’s also gratifying to see two strong Baylor brands coming together to advance biomedical research.”
Baylor College of Medicine has the most NIH funding of any medical school in Texas. In 2015, the College received $227.8 million in NIH funding and $348.9 million in total funding for sponsored projects.
Baylor Scott & White Research Institute collaborates with the medical industry to develop its technology and intellectual property to bring novel treatments to its patients. BSWRI has a more than $100 million operating budget, conducting 2,000 research studies in more than 60 medical specialties in 250,000 square feet of research space.
“We’re proud of the research we’ve done to provide advanced treatment options to our patients, and are thrilled to take those efforts to the next level by collaborating with one of the largest, most respected biomedical research programs in the United States,” said Dr. Michael A.E. Ramsay, president of Baylor Scott & White Research Institute. “This collaboration raises our profile in the research community and will ultimately mean we’re able to positively impact even more lives.”
A search committee is now being established to recruit a Chief Scientific Officer, who will oversee the collaborative effort and serve as a section chief in the Baylor College of Medicine Department of Medicine. The leader will report to Dr. Adam Kuspa, Baylor College of Medicine senior vice president, dean of research and dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and will work closely with the Baylor Scott & White Research Institute.
The collaboration will be governed by a Research Oversight Council, composed of eight members, equally representing both institutions.
New faculty will be hired in both Dallas and Temple as Baylor College of Medicine faculty and current faculty will transition to Baylorfaculty appointments over time.
“We expect by growing the number of research faculty and staff, and incorporating Baylor College of Medicine’s research model, we will be able to substantially increase the level of scientific innovation and the number of new therapies available to patients,” said Kuspa. “This model also will provide educational opportunities in the future.”
