President's Message

The close relationship between Cleveland State University and the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic has never been stronger, as the two institutions launch new programs and initiatives to boost the quality of science and personnel in Northeast Ohio.

“We’re pleased to partner with Cleveland State University to reshape the economic destiny of Northeast Ohio,” says Delos M. Cosgrove, MD, CEO and president of Cleveland Clinic. “With its outstanding programs, Cleveland State University is training the leaders who will transform our region into a biomedical powerhouse.”

Today, Cleveland State University graduates form the backbone of Cleveland Clinic’s highly skilled patient care work force. From the nurses who have helped make Cleveland Clinic’s Heart & Vascular Institute number one in America (U.S. News & World Report), to the technicians and therapists who populate departments throughout the institution, Cleveland State University graduates are key providers of compassionate, professional patient care. Joint programs like the Accelerated Nursing Track, and specialized training for perfusionists (key technicians on the cardiac surgery team) are attracting more students every year to meet the high demand for these professionals.

“Cleveland State University graduates fill the upper ranks of our nursing and allied health programs,” says Dr. Cosgrove. “Their innovative ideas are making a real contribution to the health and well-being of our patients.”

In biomedical research, Cleveland State University partnerships add value to the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute’s $144 million research enterprise. Graduate programs in Applied Biomedical Engineering, Regulatory Biology, and Clinical/ Bioanlytical Chemistry are launching highly productive research products, as well as promising careers in cellular and molecular medicine. Externally funded partnerships in cardiovascular molecular research and diabetes research, and studies to prevent birth defects are well underway. Numerous research projects between the two institutions will boost the knowledge and expertise that is making Northeast Ohio a national center of biomedical investment and growth.

“The entire region benefits from the synergy between our institutions,” says Dr. Cosgrove. “Working together, Cleveland State University and Cleveland Clinic are creating the jobs and industries of tomorrow.”

Cleveland State University is Redefining the Rules of Engagement
within the Health Care and Biomedical Community

While the world watched as heavy manufacturing in the Midwest changed from a local and friendly enterprise to a globally competitive dogfight, Cleveland State University was working hard to establish the foundation and prepare for the next economic transformation—health care and biomedicine. Teaming up with partners like the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Health System, MetroHealth Medical Center, and St. Vincent Charity Hospital, Cleveland State University has helped strengthen the region’s growing reputation for biomedical excellence, and is helping launch its next era of growth and discovery.

What follows are three examples of how Cleveland State University is redefining the rules of engagement within the health care and biomedical community, and as a result, helping to redefine the economic landscape of northeast Ohio.

Redefining Patient Care:
In the typical health care system, patients come from a wide variety of global cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, and life experiences. Health disparities research has shown us that providing appropriate patient care that is attuned to these differences can positively alter the health outcomes of individuals. Through the Cleveland State University NIH-funded Center for Health Equity, faculty and their students are performing research and developing curricula that focus on different approaches to patient care. From projects on reducing child obesity in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood to methods of communication in ethnic minorities, significant advancements are being offered to the health care community.

Redefining Research:
As explained in the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research, many recent advances in our understanding of diseases have been in the area of molecular and cell biology, including understanding of proteins encoded in the genome and how they function in the body, and molecular imaging that shows the biochemical and physiological abnormalities that underlie disease. Cleveland State University faculty are at the forefront of this new research. Since 2003, the University has added 10 new faculty positions in the cellular and molecular medicine field, realizing an increase of $6.5 million in external funding from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and American Heart Association. From research on cancer cell birth and proliferation to work in understanding birth defects, Cleveland State University faculty are redefining ways for studying disease.

Redefining the Medical Work Force:
With over 22 health programs across the University, Cleveland State University is constantly redefining its role in preparing a work force to meet the medical needs of the region. We not only educate in the traditional fields of nursing, OT, PT, and physician assistants, but also in the emerging areas of medical ethics, medical physics, biotechnology, and science entrepreneurship, providing students in all of these programs with hands-on, practical experience that is aligned to employer needs. Our health career graduates pass national certification examinations at rates far above the national averages (ranging from 95-100%), and employers regularly praise their preparation to fill leadership roles in local health care organizations. What makes our graduates unique and highly praised is their understanding of community needs through engagement—they not only learn the cutting-edge techniques in their fields along with the need to constantly innovate and learn, but also how to practice their science in a community that is changing quickly and operating locally within a global context.

Cleveland State University is redefining patient care, research, and the medical work force, changing the way we engage our region and its needs in the biomedical and health care arenas. Through constant innovation and idea generation, Cleveland State University and its health care partners will continue to push Cleveland and the region into a new era of discovery and growth, an era that promises to be healthy for us all.

Michael Schwartz
President