ASU and Mayo Clinic Forge New Ties In Research and Education

Wednesday, June 02, 2004

Media Contact:
Lynn Closway
Mayo Clinic
480-301-4222
closway.lynn@mayo.edu
and
Skip Derra
ASU
(480) 965-4823
skip.derra@asu.edu

Source:
Kathy Matt, ASU, (480) 965-7906
Nancy Lashutka, Mayo Clinic (480) 301-4222

For Immediate Release - June 2, 2004

TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Ariz., are joining forces on several new and exciting collaborations in medical research and education.

The new collaborations include the potential development of joint education programs involving law, business and nursing; setting up a joint seed-fund program to pursue cutting-edge research and technology; collaborative research in bioinformatics and bioengineering; and shared office space on each campus.

Some specific provisions of a potential agreement include:

• Establishment of a seed fund to support the interdisciplinary and translational research projects that are collaborative efforts between ASU and Mayo Clinic scientists. ASU and Mayo will each contribute an equal amount of money to the fund.
• Development of joint education programs.
• Provisions for shared faculty and appointments for Mayo Clinic and ASU faculty at both institutions.
• Shared graduate students and involvement of Mayo faculty in ASU graduate programs.
• Establishment of ASU-Mayo Clinic collaborative partnership offices, one at Mayo and one at ASU.

The collaborations draw from the major strengths of each organization - ASU's recognized leadership in basic research and its advanced programs in biodesign and biotechnology with the Arizona Biodesign Institute, and Mayo's extensive clinical experience, medical education programs and its vertical integration of research spanning basic science, laboratory based clinical investigation, clinical trials and population sciences.

"A great university is one that not only advances scholarly and research activities but also meets the needs of society," said ASU President Michael Crow. "This new agreement will have broad, positive impact on the greater Phoenix community, it will help us better serve our communities through medical, clinical and educational advances, and it will allow us to better serve the region and nation."

"This collaborative effort with our colleagues at ASU will be an important component in achieving success in our educational mission," said Dr. Anthony Windebank, dean, Mayo Clinic Medical School. "It will provide unique opportunities for medical professionals to translate their knowledge and leadership to clinical practice, research and education to benefit communities in the Valley, the nation and the world."

ASU and Mayo Clinic have a long history of collaborations over the years. Last year the two institutions signed an agreement to advance specific areas of research, including neuro-imaging, receptor biology, microdevices and vaccine development.

"We believe the new agreements will strengthen existing bonds and forge new partnerships leading us into a new and exciting directions for the future," said Milton Glick, ASU's executive vice president and provost.

"We are committed to working closely with our partners at ASU as we continue to increase our ongoing collaborations in education and research," added Dr. Victor Trastek, chair, Board of Governors, Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale. "This will ultimately support the care that we provide to patients, and strengthen health care here in the Valley and throughout Arizona."

Educational collaborations include potential combined degree programs between Mayo Clinic and the ASU School of Law, the W.P. Carey School of Business, the ASU Graduate School and potential development of an ASU-Mayo joint nursing program. Shared graduate students will help provide new experiential learning opportunities, and shared faculty appointments will foster interdisciplinary research and educational opportunities.

"Our educational collaborations with ASU will combine the strengths of two outstanding institutions," said Dr. William Stone, chair, Educational Committee, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale. "We look forward to being able to provide greater opportunities for medical professionals, adding to the body of medical knowledge and attracting more students and patients to the Valley."

"The intellectual synergy created by this partnership provides incredible opportunities for graduate students and faculty from both institutions to work together on some of the most pressing biomedical health care issues facing the world today," added Maria Allison, ASU's vice provost and dean of Graduate Studies.

The joint seed fund will be used for teams of ASU and Mayo Clinic researchers to explore and test the feasibility of new and exciting medical areas or technologies before moving on to a larger scale research program.

As a result of agreements in place, Kathy Matt, ASU's director of clinical partnerships, will be appointed to an administrative post at Mayo Clinic, and Dr. Keith Kelly, Mayo's co-director of the ASU-Mayo Partnership for Collaborative Research has been appointed to a faculty position at ASU.

The agreements are the first negotiated through ASU's Office of Clinical Partnerships, said Matt. She added that these collaborations are a sign of the future in research, where interdisciplinary teams will have a distinct advantage.

"The bottom line is that if we are going to be successful in securing larger grants, such as the National Institute of Health roadmap grants, then we need to have teams of scientists working together," Matt said. "ASU provides the basic research expertise and Mayo Clinic provides the clinical expertise. It is a perfect partnership to accomplish interdisciplinary translational research."

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