CWRU and City of Cleveland launch new partnership; establish The Center for Health, Science and Society
Courtesy of CWRU News, June 2002, http://www.cwru.edu/pubaff/univcomm/2002/june/berger.htm
Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell and CWRU has announced the creation of the Center for Health, Science and Society, a significant new collaboration in which CWRU will provide a conduit for the city and its residents to shape components of the area's health care delivery system through community outreach, health education and health policy.
"This new center demonstrates a higher level of partnership between the city of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University," said James W. Wagner, CWRU interim president, who, along with incoming President Edward M. Hundert joined Campbell in making the announcement.
"While our School of Medicine already collaborates with several community agencies to help improve the health of Cleveland-area residents, this is the first partnership with direct ties to the city itself," Wagner added.
The city of Cleveland, currently conducting a search for a new public
health commissioner, is working with the University to create a "Partnership for a Healthy Cleveland." This collaboration would bring the city's department of public health to the CWRU campus with the new commissioner also serving as a member of the School of Medicine faculty as well as provide the community with more and better access to CWRU resources.
Nathan A. Berger, current dean of CWRU's School of Medicine, will serve
as director of the new Center for Science, Health and Society. According
to Berger, the new center will focus on what he calls "The Four E's:"
- Engage the community by keeping them abreast of exciting
new developments and opportunities in science and
health care.
- Excite the community with opportunities
to improve their own health status and to inform
them about career opportunities in health science
and health care delivery.
- Educate the community about
the availability and accessibility of health care
resources to become more knowledgeable consumers.
- Empower the community to lead healthier lifestyles,
pursue careers in biomedical research and healthcare delivery, and
to become better informed advocates for policy development.
"I'm looking forward to my new role at Case Western Reserve University, as well
as serving the citizens of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio," Berger said. "The Center
for Health, Science and Society is an exciting opportunity for me and the university
to tackle significant health issues on several fronts."
Wagner and Hundert also announced that Jerold Goldberg,
dean of CWRU's School of Dentistry, will serve as
interim dean of the medical school effective July
1. University Vice Provost Lynn T. Singer also will
serve as interim vice president for medical affairs
while a national search is conducted for a successor
who will, once again, serve in both capacities, as
Berger did.
"I'm delighted that Nate Berger has agreed to serve as director of the new center," Wagner
said. "This represents a new and exciting opportunity for him to apply his leadership
skills and vast medical knowledge to the important work of the center. Nate has
devoted his career to medical education and research and I know he will bring
the same commitment to his new position."
Berger became dean of the CWRU School of Medicine
in 1995 following 10 years as the founding director
of the Ireland Cancer Center at University Hospitals
of Cleveland. During his tenure as dean, the medical
school has achieved new levels of accomplishments,
including, most recently, receiving the highest marks
possible from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education
in its latest accreditation report.
He also spearheaded
a recent major curriculum revision initiative which
resulted in strengthening the CWRU organ systems
approach to medical education by further integrating
basic and clinical science and introducing important
thematic components of genetic and preventive medicine.
He also led the development and introduction of an
innovative computer-based electronic curriculum-the "eCurriculum"-at
all levels of medical education and evaluation.
Several pioneering
dual degree programs were established under Berger's
leadership, including those allowing CWRU medical students
to earn a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering through the
Physician-Engineer Training Program, health services
research, or a master's degree in public health or
bioethics while working toward a medical degree.
Construction
of the Wood Research Tower is underway, with the last
beam being placed last month. The tower will add 50,000
square feet of state-of-the-art space to the medical
school, primarily for research laboratories, "solidifying
Nate's commitment to generating the development and commercialization
of research to create tomorrow's medical discoveries," Wagner said.
Currently, the CWRU School of Medicine ranks 14th among the nation's
medical schools with $174 million in research funding from the
National Institutes of Health.
Berger launched a new capital campaign,
the Campaign for the Future of Academic Medicine, in
October 1999. Due to his leadership, three-fourths
of the $300 million goal has already been realized,
and the campaign is not scheduled to conclude until
June 2006.
Theodore J. Castele, a member of the CWRU
Board of Trustees and chair of the Campaign for the
Future of Academic Medicine, had high praise for Berger.
"He is as fine a dean as I've ever seen," said Castele. "Under his leadership,
we have taken the development function of the medical school to new
heights. His leadership qualities are among the reasons he has been chosen for
this new opportunity."
|
