Wayne State University School of Medicine and Henry Ford Health System have announced a partnership to provide medical education and collaborate on medical research, establishing Henry Ford as a Wayne State core academic affiliate. The affiliation agreement will be signed at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov.20, by Wayne State University President Irvin D. Reid and Henry Ford Health System President and Chief Executive Officer Gail L. Warden, culminating months of discussion between the Detroit metropolitan area's only medical school and one of its largest health providers. By bringing together their considerable resources, WSU and Henry Ford expect to enhance their shared missions of improving the health status of the surrounding community, by providing superior training for physicians and by joining forces in conducting research. Under the agreement:

• Henry Ford Health System physicians and researchers who teach WSU students will receive academic appointments as faculty;
• Researchers from both institutions will share facilities and research studies;
• Basic science graduate students in doctoral programs and faculty will collaborate in training and research.

"This agreement formalizes a long-standing partnership between two of Detroit's most important institutions," noted Reid. "Through this partnership, we intend to strengthen our commitment to our community by coordinating efforts in medical education and research." "With our shared goals of providing high-quality health care and education to our community, it is both beneficial and responsible to work together to conduct research and teaching activities to meet these goals," said Warden." Combining efforts and sharing resources will strengthen both our community-based programs and complement our existing areas of excellence." "This partnership will offer an extraordinary opportunity to build upon complementary strengths and strategic emphases," said WSU School of Medicine Dean John Crissman, MD. "We expect this collaboration will greatly enhance existing programs and create new programs of national and international impact." "Henry Ford Health System has had a long academic culture backed by a national leadership in clinical care and research," said Mark Kelley, M.D., executive vice president and chief medical officer at Henry Ford. "The agreement with WSU will strengthen this academic culture with joint programs in medical education and research." Currently, Wayne State University has a long-standing affiliation with the Detroit Medical Center, including Children's Hospital of Michigan and the Kresge Eye Institute, as well as the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, for clinical care as well as education and research. The 750 full-time faculty members of the School of Medicine will continue to conduct patient care activities and clinical trials research within these facilities. The new agreement with Henry Ford does not alter this partnership, according to Dr. Crissman. In addition, the WSU School of Medicine is aligned with many of the area's largest health providers through a consortium at 14 sites throughout southeastern Michigan. Through the OHEP/WSU School of Medicine consortium, medical students are offered elective rotations through these facilities, where many staff physicians have voluntary staff appointments. With more than 1,000 medical students, WSU is among the nation's largest medical schools. Together with its clinical partner, the Wayne State University Physician Group, the school is a leader in patient care and medical research in a number of areas, including cancer, genetics, the neurosciences and women's and children's health. Henry Ford Health System, one of the country's largest health care systems, integrates primary and specialty care with research and education. Supported by internal and external funding exceeding $50 million, 150 medical specialists and research scientists, including 55 full-time researchers, are involved in more than 1,500 studies annually. Henry Ford ranks in the top 6 percent of all institutions in funding granted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Public Health Service. Alert: Media are invited to attend the formal signing of the agreement announced below. WSU President Irvin D. Reid and Henry Ford President Gail L. Warden will sign the document at 3 p.m. at the Detroit Athletic Club.