Medical research is good for the health of Ohioans

Special to The Vindicator

Today, some of us will be at a doctor’s appointment trying to understand what is wrong or sitting in a hospital with a loved one or friend. We seek answers, healing, and hope. Most of all, we seek the treatments and cures that we need to live healthy, productive lives.

These treatments and cures are made possible by the advanced medical research being conducted every day in Ohio’s universities, bioscience companies, and hospitals. Northeast Ohio is fortunate to have many great universities that engage in medically-related research, including Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), the University of Akron (UA), Cleveland State University (CSU), Kent State University (KSU) and Youngstown State University (YSU). These universities educate social and behavioral scientists, health professionals and researchers who conduct advanced medical research that impacts patient care and the health of our citizens.

New discoveries

At NEOMED, researchers are making new discoveries that support developing novel therapies to treat heart and liver diseases, arthritis, autism, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia and other major health issues. As a world leader in polymer research, The University of Akron develops functional biomaterials for the development of artificial organs, innovative drug delivery systems and bio-substrates. NEOMED and UA also foster collaborative initiatives, like the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron, which is supported with $80 million in committed investments and leverages the strengths of five regional institutions and The Knight Foundation.

Cleveland State University researchers are identifying therapeutic targets and improving the efficacy of existing drugs relative to the treatment of arthritis, heart disease, muscular dystrophy, infectious disease and cancer.

Kent State University has made substantial investments in the health sciences, developing broad medical research and public health initiatives including advanced imaging, genomics, proteomics and liquid crystals in order to address important medical challenges such as obesity, aging, addiction and mental illness in a coordinated multidisciplinary fashion.

At Youngstown State University, faculty are immersed in research initiatives involving management of chronic diseases, childhood obesity, infectious disease control, health care delivery systems in K-12 schools, stroke rehabilitation, and biomedical studies addressing stem cell research.

Medical research not only impacts patient lives, but also provides a significant boost to the Ohio economy. Research leads to the start up of new companies, attracts companies from other regions and countries, creates new jobs, and grows the Ohio workforce. Ohio universities, companies, and hospitals need to work together to highlight our successes in medical breakthroughs and job creation so that Ohio will be recognized as a top-tier state for medical research and development.

State’s economy

Ohio’s citizens recognize the value of medical research. In a statewide poll conducted in April 2011 by IBOPE Zogby for NEOMED and Research!America, a national organization committed to research advocacy, a strong majority of Ohioans (86 percent) think medical and health research is important to the state’s economy. Nine out of 10 (92 percent) think it is important for the state to be a leader in medical and health research. Nearly as many (88 percent) say it is important for the state to be a leader in science and technology. Unfortunately, funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and others is projected to decline at a time when there is strong public support for medical research. This trend must be reversed — for the sake of Ohio and for our nation.

Ohioans also believe that science education and opportunities for our citizens to have health care careers are important. Six out of 10 believe it is important for Ohio to encourage young people to pursue careers that require a solid education in sciences. In addition, 57 percent think it is very important that Ohio create more opportunities for careers in science and research, and 85 percent of those polled say it is important for Ohio to support the education of health professionals for rural and urban communities. These poll results show the strong priority Ohio’s citizens place on medical research and education.

In this time of economic difficulty, it is more important than ever that all areas of the state work to connect our health care, business, and medical research enterprises to attract more companies, gain national exposure and grow our research assets. We need to partner effectively, highlight the strengths and opportunities we provide in medical research and education, and show the nation and the world that the state of Ohio is the “go to” place for medical research and the biomedical industry.

Quite simply, every Ohioan benefits from medical research. We encourage you to share your support for this important enterprise with our policymakers. It is good for the health of Ohioans and good for the health of the Ohio economy.

This column was submitted by Jay A. Gershen, D.D.S., Ph.D., president of Northeast Ohio Medical University, and co-signed by Cynthia E. Anderson, Ed.D., president, Youngstown State University; Ronald M. Berkman, Ph.D., president, Cleveland State University; Lester A. Lefton, Ph.D., president, Kent State University; Luis M. Proenza, Ph.D., president, The University of Akron , and Mary Woolley, president of Research!America