Henry Ford Health, Michigan State to offer joint research, clinical, education programs

Henry Ford Health System and Michigan State University signed a final primary affiliation agreement to conduct joint research and clinical care, collaborate more on health student education and develop a long-term plan to build a research institute and a regional health campus in Detroit.

Henry Ford would annually pay about $11.25 million and Michigan State approximately $3.75 million, totaling $15 million annually for the first 10 years, to fund the health sciences center, according to the 75-page final master affiliation agreement.

The deal, reached after more than a year of talks, will allow the two partners to conduct joint research and clinical care, collaborate more on health student education and develop a long-term plan to build a research institute and a regional health campus in Detroit.

“For Henry Ford, (the agreement) solidifies our 100-plus year history with academic research and education, and formalizes and prioritizes (our plans) with a major medical school,” said Wright Lassiter III, Henry Ford’s CEO.

Dr. Samuel Stanley Jr., MSU’s president, said the partnership will increase university’s presence in metro Detroit and enhance both partners’ statewide capabilities in clinical care, education and research.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to further our mission of providing health care in Michigan, but also particularly to deal with some of the issues around health care disparities that have really been shown by COVID-19,” said Stanley, an infectious-disease physician. “It’s also a great opportunity for us to expand our clinical enterprise and that includes public health. This is a chance to take it to the next level.”

Under one of six definitive agreements as part of the partnership, MSU and Henry Ford will create a joint operating company to oversee a new health sciences center that would undertake cancer and other research, education and clinical activities between the two partners.

In March 2019, it was a joint operating company concept that scuttled a proposed deal between Henry Ford and Wayne State University.

The new company and health sciences center would be led by Dr. Steven Kalkanis, Henry Ford’s chief academic officer and CEO of Henry Ford Medical Group.