Wright State, Premier Health formalize academic affiliation pact

Wright State University and Premier Health continue to advance a shared mission of providing quality health care and medical education to the local community through a new academic affiliation agreement.

The institutions will continue to collaborate on the training of medical students, physicians, nurses and other health care professionals in Southwest Ohio, as well as partner on academic, clinical and research initiatives.

The academic affiliation agreement formalizes a longstanding working relationship that educates and retains physicians and other health care providers; elevates the quality, consistency and cost efficiency of patient care; creates opportunities to develop new or improved educational and clinical programs; and advances economic development locally.

The agreement includes Boonshoft School of Medicine programs and Wright State’s nursing and health sciences programs.

Premier Health trains most Boonshoft School of Medicine residents, medical students and many graduates who work in the Miami Valley, and employs numerous Wright State nursing graduates.

Mary Boosalis, president and CEO of Premier Health, said the academic affiliation agreement will ensure the two institutions align their goals, where appropriate, and work together to leverage each other’s expertise.

“Collegiality and alignment can get you further faster,” Boosalis said. “We can leverage what’s been a successful model for even greater achievements in initiatives we haven’t even thought of yet.”

Wright State President Sue Edwards said the agreement strengthens the relationship between Premier Health and Wright State while also enhancing communication between the institutions so they can collaborate more effectively.

“Wright State is proud to call Premier Health an instrumental partner that helps our university make a difference in our communities,” Edwards said.

The agreement frames Wright State and Premier Health as preferred partners and the two institutions will prioritize working with each other on new initiatives. Leaders from both Premier Health and Wright State also emphasized that they value their relationships with other community partners.

A new Joint Strategic Planning Committee creates a formal communication structure through which Premier and Wright State can discuss emerging needs, opportunities to partner, and consider how the organizations can help one other.

The ongoing collaborative relationship between Wright State and Premier is expected to have a positive impact on the local economy through a commitment to train students from Ohio and out of state to remain in the state, Edwards said.

“As one of the largest employers in the region, Premier Health is providing career opportunities for our students,” she said. “Our job is to support them in this mission, and at the same time provide our students with high level experiential learning opportunities so that following graduation they are employed and remain in the region.”

For Premier Health, it’s a pipeline strategy, Boosalis said. “We want to be able to recruit and retain the best possible doctors and nurses for our communities,” she said.

As a community-based medical school, the Boonshoft School of Medicine relies on academic partnerships, and its most expansive relationship in support of its education, clinical and research programs with Premier Health. The agreement also underscores Premier Health’s commitment to help the Boonshoft School of Medicine increase student enrollment.

The Boonshoft School of Medicine will continue to act as the academic sponsor of the residency program at Premier Health facilities. The Boonshoft School of Medicine sponsors residencies in 13 medical specialties and fellowships in 10 subspecialty fields.

Edwards said the launch of the university’s new College of Health, Education and Human Services, which includes the Nursing Program and other allied health programs, presents an opportunity for the two institutions to expand the collaboration.

The Boonshoft School of Medicine and Premier Health share key faculty and clinicians who have provided leadership and care in the local community during the pandemic.

Wright State and Premier Health are partnering to create a rural family medicine residency program to train physicians who will establish medical practices in rural Ohio, where health systems struggle to find enough physicians to meet their communities’ needs.

The Wright State University and Premier Health Clinical Trials Research Alliance (CTRA) conducts clinical trials throughout Southwest Ohio in a variety of health care areas. The Wright State and Premier Health Neuroscience Institute unites the university’s advanced biomedical research capabilities with the clinical resources of the largest hospital system in the Dayton region.

Wright State’s Institutional Review Board provides approval for Premier clinical trials and studies involving human subjects.

The Nursing Program at Wright State provides scholarship assistance for Premier Health nurses to pursue a bachelor’s degree through the university’s RN-BSN completion program.