National Jewish Makes Ambitious Plans

Plan calls for more research funds and faculty recruitment

National Jewish Medical and Research Center has launched a new strategic vision and plan that will increase by 40 percent the size of its faculty and increase the funds available to its research programs over the next several years.  The National Jewish Board of Directors recently approved the 10-year plan, dubbed Decade of Innovation: Strategic Plan 2017. The plan will accelerate the integration of scientific research and medical care on behalf of patients.

The strategic plan will increase funding of basic, translational and clinical research to more than $60 million by 2012 and will pioneer individualized medicine programs for asthma, emphysema and COPD, cardiology, lung cancer, immunologic diseases and allergy towards a vision of personalized healthcare for patients. The combined research, patient care and educational efforts will enhance the reputation National Jewish has as the premier institution for the treatment and research of those diseases. To support increased patient visits and expanded treatment and research programs, National Jewish plans to recruit more than 100 physicians and scientists.

The strategic plan was formulated after a seven-month process and hundreds of interviews with National Jewish faculty and staff, Board of Directors, Council of National Trustees, local healthcare leaders and practitioners, and international leaders in medicine, science and business.

New commercial ventures, philanthropy, cash reserves and increased clinical revenue will fund the ambitious plan. "Our number one priority continues to be the patient through clinical care and research done on their behalf. We seek to transform patient care from reactive to proactive and personalized to detect disease and intervene early to keep people healthy before illness interrupts their lives," said Michael Salem, MD, President and CEO of National Jewish.  "We are energized by the prospect of introducing novel and innovative new ways to research and treat disease in order to benefit physicians and patients throughout the world."

"National Jewish is grateful for the sustained support that we have received throughout the nation for over one hundred years," said Stephen Arent, Chairman of the National Jewish Board of Directors. "As we execute our new strategic plan for the future, we are following a bright line vision that will expand our ability to treat patients and enhance the scope of our world-renowned research programs."

National Jewish’s mission since 1899 is to heal, to discover and to educate as a preeminent healthcare institution.   National Jewish serves by providing the best integrated and innovative care for patients and their families; by understanding and finding cures for the diseases we research; and by educating and training the next generation of healthcare professionals to be leaders in medicine and science.