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>>Music
>>Bill Destler: Understanding
the ways technology transforms
our quality of life is a lot for
any of us to get our arms
around.
And, arguably, there is no area
where technology's impact is
greater than in the life
sciences.
RIT is no newcomer to this
field, so the university is
well positioned to exploit its
expertise in biomedical
sciences, on our way to
building the nation's first
innovation university.
Until recently, all we lacked
was a suitable partner...
but no longer.
In December, we announced plans
to develop a strategic alliance
with Rochester General Health
System. Both RIT and RGHS are
applied, community-focused,
not-for-profit organizations
dedicated to the highest levels
of customer service.
By working together, there is
greater opportunity to keep
tabs on the rapid pace of
advancements in biomedical
science.
In recent years, the field has
moved toward a predictive
science in which the decoding
of the genome, effectively the
software that determines and
operates living things, has
allowed us to understand and
manipulate organisms.
This presents an entirely new
world of medical treatment and
preventative therapies. Access
to facilities and expertise
available at Rochester General
Hospital, as well as the health
system's other regional
resources, provides obvious
benefits to our educational
programs.
But the broader impact of this
new alliance should prove
even more significant.
>>Mark Clements: "Our two
organizations are among the
largest employers in the
greater Rochester area. And
when you leverage the strengths
and capabilities of both
entities, a successful alliance
will likely create growth and
further opportunities for our
community."
>>Charles Brown: "Both
Rochester General and RIT have
earned reputations for
excellence among their peer
organizations at the national
level, and this effort could
bring the level of quality and
innovation within both
organizations to a
higher level."
>>RIT students studying the
life sciences, like these in
our physicians assistant
education program, thrive under
the instruction of highly
credentialed faculty -
all having access to
state-of-the-art resources here
on campus.
Teaming with health
professionals at RGHS provides
more avenues for students and
faculty to participate in
research activities offering
broad applications to the
biomedical field.
>>Richard Doolittle: "We've got
people working in fields of
immunology, infectious
disease, cancer biology,
genetics - much of that with a
medical emphasis. So I really
think there will be some great
opportunities to look at how we
might partner with RGHS to
expand some of those
capabilities.
I think having this
relationship puts us on the
map - puts RIT on the map as a
university that does get
involved in training future
health care providers and
allied health professionals."
>>Students are excited about
the educational aspects of this
alliance, and what that could
mean for their career prospects.
>>Lauren Barber: "Our teachers
told us we're always welcome at
the hospital, so we can go check
out the medical library or just
go and observe what goes on all
day long, and that really
helps."
>>Afton Branton: "They give us
a lot of access and more
hands-on practice, which is
going to be excellent when we
start our clinical rotations."
>>There are literally dozens of
academic programs at RIT that
stand to benefit from our
alliance with RGHS, not to
mention new programs that might
result from our collaboration.
Work is underway between leaders
of the health system and our
team on campus to formalize
marching orders that will make
this alliance a success.
I expect there will be much
more to report in the months
and years ahead, so I invite
you to follow our progress.
And, of course, I welcome your
feedback. I'm just a mouse
click away at
www.rit.edu/president.