Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences Partnership Advances New Ways of Addressing Health Care, Unveils New Brand

DETROIT, MI (Sept 15, 2021) – Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University (MSU) today unveiled the new unified brand of their partnership, Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences, celebrating eight months of rapid progress in advancing initiatives to improve health care in Michigan and beyond.

Launched in January 2021 with the bold purpose of advancing a new standard of health care, HFH+MSU Health Sciences has already created critical infrastructure and new pathways for pioneering research, cancer care, education and equitable care delivery and outcomes. The new brand logo unveiled today seamlessly blends the iconic colors of the two institutions and leverages a “+” to reflect this shared commitment, and the power of two national leaders joining forces to achieve this goal.

“Since coming together in January, we have mobilized a stellar team across our institutions that is already introducing changes to advance health care delivery and fight the health disparities that plague our most vulnerable communities, rural and urban,” said Wright L. Lassiter, president and CEO of Henry Ford Health. “Together, we are leveraging our best assets and expertise to further our mission and have the power to be truly transformational for our patients, practitioners and communities.”

“Preparing the medical community of today to address the health care needs of tomorrow begins with education. We’re excited about the innovative work already accomplished through our partnership and the support we are already providing to our students, alumni, faculty and staff,” said Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., president, Michigan State University. “This is an exciting time for reimagining how our two world-class institutions think about, innovate, and deliver health and wellness across the state of Michigan and the nation.”

During the past eight months, the HFH+MSU Health Sciences team has achieved significant progress across its clinical care, education and research initiatives, including:

• Advancing research and innovation: Michigan State University will be welcoming up to 115 researchers from Henry Ford Health to serve within the university, creating new synergies for collaboration and innovative research.
• Amplifying cancer research and care: The combined team has established collaborative cancer research task forces composed of more than 100 scientists and clinicians across both institutions, and identified approximately $8 million in active National Cancer Institute funding across both institutions. A joint symposium in August explored how harmony between cancer researchers, clinicians, and administrators will differentiate our Cancer Center capabilities.
• Embedding justice, diversity, equity and inclusion in the Health Sciences ecosystem: The team has articulated key goals and actions that seek to eliminate health disparities, address social determinants of health, and remove barriers to care and medical education opportunities. This includes a commitment to educate diverse health care providers and ensure equitable access to quality health care for historically disenfranchised and marginalized populations.
• Improving access to care: Health Alliance Plan (HAP) and MSU Health Care are joining forces to provide zero-dollar premium HMO and PPO plans to approximately 100,000 Medicare-eligible Michigan State University alumni.
• Combining leadership roles: Richard Leach, M.D., a national expert on in vitro fertilization and an academic researcher at MSU, has been appointed Chair of the Department of Women’s Health Services for Henry Ford Health. Dr. Leach is serving in this role while continuing as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology for Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
• Supporting COVID precautions on campus: Henry Ford Health screened MSU athletes for myocarditis and pericarditis, a common complication of COVID for young males, to clear them for sports participation, and provided quick and accurate covid screenings for the university to open safely.

“Opening the door to health care for more people across Michigan is essential to transforming lives and the future of our state, and we’re meeting this urgent need by increasing points of entry across the health care system and customizing care to meet unique patient needs,” said Steven Kalkanis, M.D., president of Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences, senior vice president and chief academic officer of Henry Ford Health and chief executive office of Henry Ford Medical Group. “This partnership was founded with the purpose of reimagining how we think about, innovate, and deliver health and wellness. Together, we can drive vital change.”

“To bring health, hope, and healing to all, with the urgency in which is needed, we are fully aligning prevention and care delivery with education, discovery, and innovation,” said Norman J. Beauchamp Jr., M.D., executive vice president for Health Sciences at Michigan State University. “We are doing so with an unprecedented scale and reach; committed to working together with communities across the state, toward substantial change for the next 30 years and beyond.”