The largest private gift for cancer research in the Health System’s history will allow U-M to lead the way in developing innovative, targeted treatments for the 1.6 million Americans diagnosed with cancer each year.

In 2016, Madeline and Sidney Forbes pledged $17.5 million to create the Forbes Institute for Cancer Discovery. The goal of the institute—to be housed in the Comprehensive Cancer Center—will be to encourage scientists across the university to undertake high-risk, high-reward initiatives with the potential to drive new advances in research.

“Defeating cancer will take victors to move the process along and continue the fight toward conquering this dreadful disease,” said Sidney Forbes. “There is no better place to lead this fight, than the University of Michigan.”

“There is no better place to lead this fight, than the University of Michigan.”

– Co-donor Sidney Forbes

One early goal of the gift has already been met: the establishment of the Madeline and Sidney Forbes Professorship in Oncology, which was recently awarded to Max S. Wicha, M.D., founding director emeritus of the cancer center. Another goal is to create Senior Forbes Scholars and Emerging Forbes Scholars programs to support cancer discovery.

A third goal is to offer team research awards for cross-disciplinary efforts, bringing together faculty from across the university. “The biggest advances in cancer will come at the intersection of disciplines,” noted Wicha. “It’s not medicine alone, but medicine working with engineering, pharmacy and other schools [that will] create true innovation.”

Technology transfer is expected to be a key focus of the Forbes Institute. Institute faculty will work with industry to transfer ideas into marketable cancer therapy solutions, and pursue models of venture philanthropy that could further invigorate the Michigan biotech economy.

U-M is one of 10 institutions selected by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to establish a center to study the application of advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to the treatment of oral tissue anomalies.

The Michigan Regenerative Medicine Resource Center is being led by School of Dentistry Professor William Giannobile and College of Engineering Professor David Kohn. “The center will transform how clinicians in the not-too-distant future repair, reconstruct and regenerate dental, oral and craniofacial anomalies due to injury or disease,” Giannobile said. Crucial to achieving that objective, Kohn noted, will be assembling teams of specialists in dentistry, medicine, biology, materials science, technology and other fields from across the university, industry and private practice. “Our teams will take promising discoveries and provide the resources to advance [those discoveries] to apply them more quickly than in the past.” This approach, he added, is uniquely suited to Michigan’s broad scientific, clinical and engineering strengths, and its interdisciplinary culture.

“The center will transform how clinicians in the not-too-distant future repair, reconstruct and regenerate dental, oral and craniofacial anomalies due to injury or disease.”

– School of Dentistry Professor William Giannobile

Among the groups that will assist the Michigan Regenerative Medicine Resource Center in its work will be the Harvard University’s Wyss Institute, a multidisciplinary research institute that specializes in developing new materials with applications in health care, manufacturing and other areas, and the McGuire Institute in Houston, which focuses on delivering clinical applications based on research using new or improved technologies.

In the summer of 2015, 170 students became the first to enter U-M’s Medical School under a new curriculum designed to better prepare them for the modern world of patient care. Highlights of this new educational experience include:

• Immersion in the clinical care world of the U-M Health System from their very first semester.
• A new “doctoring” course to help them learn the many intangible skills that physicians need, along with new opportunities to build leadership skills.
• A choice of an expanding offering of Paths of Excellence, a way to focus their passions in areas such as ethics, health policy, global health, medical humanities and scientific discovery.
• More chances to learn about, from and with students enrolled in U-M’s other health professions schools, including Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Public Health, Kinesiology and Social Work.
• The opportunity to enter one of four new houses within the M-Home, the learning community newly launched by the Medical School to build ties among classmates, members of other class years and dedicated faculty advisors and coaches.
• And access to a new and much larger medical learning space, in a renovated Taubman Health Sciences Library.

Rajesh Mangrulkar, M.D., associate dean for medical student education and Joseph Kolars, M.D., senior associate dean for education and global initiatives, led a team of more than 300 faculty and students in developing the new educational model.

President Mark Schlissel and the head of the U-M Health System, Marschall Runge, M.D., Ph.D., recently outlined a series of leadership changes intended to increase integration and collaboration across the health system.

Runge, currently the university’s executive vice president for medical affairs, assumed additional responsibility as dean of the Medical School on Jan. 1, 2016—an action intended to increase collaboration between faculty and staff at the two entities.

Also announced was the creation of two new positions to the health system, as proposed by Runge. David Spahlinger, M.D. was promoted to executive vice dean for clinical affairs and president of the hospitals, health centers and the U-M Medical Group. T. Anthony Denton, J.D., M.H.A. was promoted to senior vice president and chief operating officer for hospitals, health centers and the U-M Medical Group.

In recommending these changes, Runge said that strong leaders are essential for the future of the health system. “Critical to our success,” said Runge, “is our ability to attract and cultivate strong leaders. We must have leaders who are change agents, willing to take risks, encourage innovation, and who can turn new ideas into daily practice.”

“We must have leaders who are change agents, willing to take risks, encourage innovation, and who can turn new ideas into daily practice.”

– Marschall Runge, executive vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Medical School

As the U-M Health system continues a process of assessment and review of priorities, additional top leaders will be named in academic affairs and education programs, the research enterprise and information technology.

Runge said that since coming to the university in March 2015, he has learned “that Michigan is a great institution with exceptional people at all levels of faculty and staff.” But he said he also believed U-M can be better.

West side Ann Arbor and Brighton residents will soon benefit from the construction of new UMHS health centers in their neighborhoods. In fiscal year 2016, the Regents approved two health center projects totaling $221 million.

A 75,000-square-foot facility will greatly expand U-M’s capabilities on Ann Arbor’s west side, including specialty services in areas such as allergy, cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, ophthalmology and psychiatry, along with infusion, radiology and diagnostic imaging services. The new Brighton facility will include adult and pediatric specialty care, infusion, a comprehensive musculoskeletal center, sleep lab, ambulatory diagnostic and treatment center, radiation oncology, operating rooms, medical procedure unit, pharmacy, radiology and lab services.

“These projects will allow us to meet increased demand for our high-quality care and improve our patients’ experience.”

– Jeanne Rizzo, executive director for ambulatory care services at UMHS

“The number of patients visiting our clinics has increased steadily over time and is now nearing 2 million visits each year,” says Jeanne Rizzo, executive director for ambulatory care services at UMHS. “These projects will allow us to meet increased demand for our high-quality care and improve our patients’ experience.” The west Ann Arbor and Brighton facilities are expected to open in 2017 and 2018, respectively.