Inova and UVa. announce research and education partnership

Inova Health System in Falls Church and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville announced today, Nov. 2, that they have agreed to form a comprehensive research and education partnership.

The institutions will collaborate on research, medical education, and the recruitment of eminent researchers, scientists and investigators to the Commonwealth of Virginia to facilitate health innovations.

Together, the two institutions say they “will put Virginia at the forefront of discovery, working to advance the science of precision medicine and improve the health of the Commonwealth’s citizens,” according to a news release.

The planned affiliation includes:

• A research partnership to develop the Global Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Institute located at the Inova Center for Personalized Health (ICPH).

The Institute will recruit researchers, scientists and investigators who will engage in collaborative research focused on genomics, functional biology, bioinformatics, biologically driven engineering, precision medicine, translational research, development of targeted therapeutics, and commercialization of new discoveries.

• A cancer research partnership between the Inova Schar Cancer Institute and UVA Cancer Center, including efforts to achieve designation by the National Cancer Institute as a Comprehensive Cancer Center.

• A regional campus of the UVA School of Medicine at Inova, which would enable UVA medical students to complete their clerkship and post-clerkship education in Northern Virginia at Inova facilities, with an opportunity for a differentiated medical education experience during the post-clerkship phase.

• UVA and Inova will explore the creation of a biomedical investment vehicle to advance discovery through to commercialization, the news release said.