FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2004

Contact: Eric Gerber, UH System
713/743-8189 (office)
713/617-7130(pager)
egerber@uh.edu

Contact: Stefanie Asin, Methodist
832/667-5809 (office)
281/735-9547 (pager)

HOUSTON, Oct. 11, 2004 – The University of Houston System and The Methodist Hospital have taken the first step in forming a long-term affiliation, expanding health science and medical education programs as well as enhancing health care for the community.

The parties have signed a memorandum of understanding and are working out the details of the affiliation. The affiliation between these long-standing, leading Houston institutions will allow them to share resources, educational opportunities and participate jointly in research efforts and technology transfer.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Methodist, complementing our existing academic medical affiliations with Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital,” said Ron G. Girotto, CEO and president of The Methodist Hospital System. “The University of Houston System’s excellence in basic sciences makes for a perfect partner as we grow The Methodist Hospital Research Institute to improve health care for Houstonians and the world.”

“We are very excited by the possibilities created through this memorandum,” said Morgan Dunn O’Connor, chair of the UH System Board of Regents. “Research and partnerships in the health sciences are among our highest priorities. This new collaboration will build on the many joint programs already under way between the UH System and the Texas Medical Center. The real beneficiary from this affiliation ultimately will be the health care community and the general public.”

An affiliation such as this between a university and an academic medical center is a key to the translation of biomedical science into new therapies and prevention strategies for patients, said Dr. Mike Lieberman, director of The Methodist Hospital Research Institute. The strong ties between mathematical and physical science and academic medicine are vitally important, he said.

“The great wealth of talent at UHS complements many of the clinical programs and clinical research at Methodist,” Lieberman said. “This allows us opportunities for joint recruiting and partnering across the spectrum of disciplines necessary for modern research.”

The collaboration also will enhance research under way by the Cullen College of Engineering and psychology, vision science and biology/biochemistry departments at UH, which have extensive programs to study the neurosciences. By affiliating with Methodist, UH will have ready access to some of the most advanced technology available in the country. In addition, UH’s pharmacy, social work, psychology and optometry students can participate in internships at Methodist, an important resource for both institutions. And in the spring 2005 semester, the UH Bauer College of Business will begin offering its executive MBA program on site at Methodist, with the program available to institutions throughout the Texas Medical Center.

“Having a world-class hospital partner with UHS offers the potential for a collaborative relationship unlike any other in the state,” said Arthur Vailas, vice chancellor and vice president for research at UHS and UH. “This enhances the likelihood for more efficacious patient care and increases the probability of making greater discoveries that can be applied to medical care through our joint ventures in clinical and basic research. Such an affiliation should lead to a significantly more comprehensive and integrated delivery of medical education, medical services and medical research.”

One prime example of the affiliation’s value is in the realm of collaborative clinical research. The University of Houston has enjoyed a significant increase in its grants for health research, largely focusing on the basic sciences. The Methodist Hospital recently established the Research Institute, which focuses on rapidly translating research from the lab to the patient’s bedside. One area of particular interest is in infectious disease, including the study of drug-resistant tuberculosis and other antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

“Through these joint efforts, we believe we can further our contributions to the advancement of education, professional development, medical research and health care for our community,” said UHS Chancellor and UH President Jay Gogue. “It just makes good sense.”

The proposed affiliation between the UH System and The Methodist Hospital is not intended to replace current relationships that either has with other institutions. Representatives from The Methodist Hospital and the UH System are now discussing the particulars of the affiliation agreement and devising a basic organizational structure.

THE METHODIST HOSPITAL
The Methodist Hospital is one of the nation’s largest private, non-profit hospitals with 935 operating beds. The Methodist Hospital is affiliated with Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Dedicated to providing the highest level of patient care, Methodist is the site of numerous medical breakthroughs, such as the world’s first multiple-organ transplant in the 1960s, gene therapy for prostate cancer, and the first islet cell transplants in Texas. The hospital is named among the country’s top hospitals for heart and heart surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, urology, otolaryngology, ophthalmology, gynecology, psychiatry, orthopedics, and nephrology in U.S. News and World Report’s annual guide to America’s Best Hospitals. Methodist was recently named one of Solucient’s top 15 major teaching hospitals. Methodist’s medical staff includes hundreds of physicians listed in The Best Doctors in America.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM
The University of Houston System is the state’s only metropolitan higher education system, encompassing four universities and two multi-institution teaching centers. The universities are the University of Houston, a nationally recognized doctoral degree-granting, comprehensive research university; the University of Houston-Downtown, a four-year undergraduate university beginning limited expansion into graduate programs; and the University of Houston-Clear Lake and the University of Houston-Victoria, both upper division and master’s-level institutions. The centers are the UH System at Sugar Land in Fort Bend and the UH System at Cinco Ranch. In addition, the UH System includes KUHF-FM, Houston’s National Public Radio and classical radio station, and KUHT-TV, the nation’s first educational television station.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.