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Posted 8-15-01
CLEVELAND -- Case Western Reserve University and the MetroHealth System (MetroHealth) announced an affiliation agreement August 15 that reaffirms a relationship between the two institutions that dates back to 1914. Their previous affiliation agreement was signed in 1993.
"As we move forward with our relationship, we believe even greater shared achievements that will benefit society await us," said CWRU Interim President James W. Wagner, noting that MetroHealth plays a vital role in CWRU's teaching and research activities.
"Academic medical inquiry is key in our continual efforts to provide MetroHealth patients with the highest possible level of care," said MetroHealth President and CEO Terry R. White. "We are pleased to renew this longstanding agreement with Case Western Reserve University to share in the knowledge that it will benefit the medical community and, ultimately, our patients for many more years to come."
As in the former agreement, CWRU designates MetroHealth as its MetroHealth System Campus of and as a major hospital affiliate for education and research activities primarily at the University's School of Medicine, but also at CWRU's Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, School of Dentistry, College of Arts and Sciences, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case School of Engineering, and Weatherhead School of Management.
The agreement, which is non-exclusive and may be amended, ensures coordination between the two institutions in forming or modifying programs, provides guidelines for research activities, and spells out the process for appointing directors of clinical services at the hospital and chairs of academic departments at the University, responsibilities for chairs of medical departments at the MetroHealth Campus, and the appointment process for the position of associate dean for the MetroHealth Campus.
Under the agreement, MetroHealth continues to make available space for CWRU education and research activities to be carried out by persons holding appointments at both institutions, although the hospital will retain ownership and liability for its facilities and grounds and for providing clinical services.
All basic biomedical science departments will be based at the University, although by mutual agreement, basic science faculty offices, laboratories, and/or research programs may be located at MetroHealth. For clinical departments, the leaders of the institutions will work to ensure that the director of a clinical service at the hospital and the chair of the corresponding academic department at MetroHealth are the same person. MetroHealth-based faculty will report academically to CWRU through their respective MetroHealth chairs.
MetroHealth department chairs will be responsible for organizing and administering the departments and will ensure that each faculty member is available to provide up to 100 teaching hours annually. The chairs, after a vote by eligible members of the appropriate MetroHealth committee, will recommend candidates for appointment, promotion, and tenure, and these recommendations will be considered for approval by the appropriate committees at the University and ultimately the University's board of trustees.
Unless specifically agreed otherwise by both parties, the University will serve as the grantee institution and administrative home for all federal research and training grants and contracts for which MetroHealth medical faculty members apply. The hospital and University will share recovery of indirect costs related to research grants and contracts originating with MetroHealth-based faculty, with MetroHealth receiving two-thirds and CWRU receiving one-third.
Decisions regarding commercialization of intellectual property arising from research conducted by MetroHealth-based faculty will be made jointly by both institutions.
General oversight for the affiliation between CWRU and MetroHealth will be provided through discussions, scheduled at least annually, by an "Affiliate Council" consisting of the chairs of the board and presidents of both institutions, the vice president for medical affairs of CWRU, the dean of CWRU's School of Medicine, and the School of Medicine's associate dean for the MetroHealth Campus. By mutual agreement, council members may invite others to attend these meetings as appropriate.
The University's affiliations with several area hospitals expose students to an impressive variety of clinical experiences and also provide sites for advanced medical research. CWRU currently is negotiating a new affiliation agreement with University Hospitals of Cleveland. The University also is affiliated with the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, and maintains program-related collaborations with other hospitals.
The MetroHealth System is one of the nation's largest and most successful public health care providers, offering a complete continuum of care, from the most acute trauma to home health care and skilled nursing. Renewing its 86-year affiliation with CWRU, MetroHealth continues its long-standing teaching reputation, offering vital training and research opportunities for students and physicians.
CWRU traces its origins to the founding of Western Reserve College in 1826 in Hudson, Ohio. The college's Department of Medicine was founded in 1843 in Cleveland and has developed into one of the nation's leading medical schools. The "new curriculum," which the school developed and introduced in 1952, has been adopted as the international standard for medical education. CWRU also includes a full range of undergraduate, graduate, and other professional programs, including the arts and sciences, engineering, dentistry, law, management, nursing, and social work.