Page 15 - UD Research Magazine Vol5-No1

Physical Therapist
Tracy Stoner works
with 4-year old Maya on stability and walking in the harness system in the new Health Sciences Complex.
possible, so that as they exit our programs, they’re equipped to “hit the ground run- ning” when they move into the workforce.
Q.
The new health sciences building
is unique in the way it integrates the community and our partners with our learning environment—it’s about creating a place of discovery where we co-invent with our partners the solutions to real-world problems.
“health care” has be- come almost synon- ymous with “health insurance.” When
we talk about health care, we should really be talking about the kinds of care that will keep people healthy, not about the kinds of funding that will pay for treatment
of lifestyle-induced chronic illnesses.
allow our students to learn under the tutelage of not only our faculty but also our partners in the private sector.
We also hope to expand our outreach into the community by inviting medically related nonprofits, student clubs and or- ganizations, and support groups to locate on the STAR Campus.
Finally, our core research facilities will promote collaborative research with our clinical partners, which I think is critical. If our research is to have maximum impact, we can’t work in isolation and
we can’t live in silos. As health sciences research and training become increasingly complex, the need for costly high-tech research equipment grows. Core research labs on the STAR Campus will not only help to contain costs through resource sharing but also foster collaboration.
Q. Can you sum up in one sentence what most excites you about this
new facility on STAR Campus?
Check out the many public programs offered at UD’s Health Sciences Complex. Visit www. udel.edu/chs/star.
Q.
How will
the STAR Campus facilitate
partnerships?
A. One of the clear
advantages on the STAR Campus is the way this building is structured, with
a University side for our education, research and clinical programs, and a
tenant side for businesses and organiza- tions that will complement our mission— for example, a radiology lab, a behavioral health center, or a pharmacy. This set-up will create opportunities for collaborative research, offer a convenient “one-stop shopping” experience for clients, and
A.
What does the future of health care look like to you?
A.
will require bringing the right people to the table to identify problems, design solutions and implement solutions. The ultimate goal has to be better health out- comes at lower cost. We have to find ways to keep the people of Delaware healthier and safer, so that we spend less on chronic illness and catastrophic injury. This means putting people in control of their own health and creating communities to foster a healthy lifestyle. No sector or discipline will have all the answers to this problem, but I think the environment we create at STAR will foster the kind of collaboration that will move us in the right direction.
Also, in the past few years, we’ve put tremendous resources into determining how to pay for health care and who should pay for it—to the point where the term
We face tremendous challenges
in this arena, challenges that
The Nurse Managed Health Center delivers a wide range of services for adults, from immuni- zations, to occupational health, exercise and nutrition
counseling, and chronic illness management.
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KATHY F. ATKINSON
KATHY F. ATKINSON