Wayne State University said Monday that it has signed an academic and clinical care affiliation with Oakwood Healthcare Inc. as part of a new strategy to expand connections with area hospitals and systems. The affiliation includes the WSU Physicians Group and marks the first formal clinical and educational affiliation outside of the group's primary tie to The Detroit Medical Center, the article says. Dr. Robert Mentzer, dean of the medical school, said the Oakwood affiliation will not affect that relationship, but rather reflects the need for the school to expand its regional connections. Mike Geheb, division president of Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center and Oakwood Heritage Hospital , said the National Institutes of Health are focusing heavily on boosting research that makes its way quickly to the patient and "we want to play a larger role in that."