A MESSAGE FROM UH SYSTEM CHANCELLOR AND UH PRESIDENT JAY GOGUE

The University of Houston System and The Methodist Hospital will formally sign an agreement of understanding later today, February 15, making Methodist Hospital the UH System's preferred affiliate in the Texas Medical Center. As a member of the UH System community, I wanted you to have this information before it is made public.

We are very excited about this partnership that will be of great benefit to our faculty, researchers, and students, as well as to our strategic plans to build a stronger presence in the Texas Medical Center.

Following are some of the long- and short-term benefits of this affiliation.

• The UH System and Methodist plan to establish and develop a Research and Education Center, to be known as the "University of Houston System-The Methodist Hospital Research and Education Center." Methodist will also assist the UH System in our plans for future development of a Health Sciences Center or Health Sciences Institute at the Texas Medical Center, and will serve as the hospital affiliate for such a center.

• The Research and Education Center will be jointly managed, and faculty members from both institutions will be eligible for joint appointments. Both parties also agree to make their respective research and education facilities available for use by faculty and students of the other institution.

• Future academic programs may be developed jointly following a review of current programs and needs. The UH System and Methodist also agree to collaborate in the delivery of health services as well as extending and expanding research partnerships.

While the affiliation paves the way for important and productive future developments, there are a number of immediate benefits.

• Discussions are underway with top researchers about joint appointments to Methodist and the UH System, which will bring some of the world's best scientists to Houston and Texas.

• Arrangements are being made to share space in each other's facilities - including the Methodist's new Hospital Research Institute scheduled for opening in 2007, and UH's state-of-the-art Science and Engineering Research and Classroom Complex due to open in 2006, along with other existing space at both institutions.

• UH conducts nearly $90 million in research annually and is currently third in research grants among the state's comprehensive research universities, but has been unable to apply for any substantial research projects requiring clinical trials. The affiliation with Methodist will now allow UH to seek such funding.

• UH is the largest producer of Ph.D. graduates in the region and this affiliation allows additional UH educational resources to be made available to employees of the Texas Medical Center, from joint degrees to certifications and continuing education offerings.

The complexities of today's health care and medical research require a broad array of scientific expertise, particularly in university-based sciences such as math, physics, engineering, super-computing, pharmacy and optometry, as well as key areas like business, law, social sciences. UH brings that expertise to Methodist in fields as varied as bionanotechnology, drug development, molecular design, imaging, cardiovascular medicine, molecular medicine, nano-medicine, neurosciences, cancer biology, infectious diseases, stem cell and gene therapy-all ready for potential applications.

As you can appreciate, this hospital affiliation provides the final necessary element to allow the UH System to begin the process of creating a comprehensive Health Science Center, strengthening our expanding mission as one of the state's top tier research universities.