 "Photo: Steve Anderson / UCD Advocate")
Like the proverbial Wonder Twins, UC-Denver and the Anschutz Medical Campus are trying to join together in order to defeat the forces of evil—illness and ignorance.
In 2006, UCD created the Aurora Health Center and named it after the foundation that donated the more than $91 million needed to turn the facility from a sketch into a structure: Anschutz.
Since then, both campuses were and have been connected in various ways. But it wasn’t until recently that they were fully joined together.
The purpose of the consolidation is to create more links between the two campuses via research and funding. The more formal connection will hopefully allow for greater communication and facilitation of research.
But for quite some time now, the consolidation of the two campuses has been an on-again-off-again process since their creation.
In spite of that, both UCD and Anschutz have contributed a tremendous body of work: the discovery that founded immunology, the study of diseases; developing the first chromosome numbering systems for humans; and finding out how the human cancer gene works.
By smoothing out the rough connections between the two, the eventual outcome should help integrate the two facilities to maximize researching and treating power together.
In the mission goals listed for the consolidation process, the hopes are that it will “provide more efficient and effective services to faculty, students, residents, fellows and staff through the adoption of best practices, resource sharing and elimination of duplication.”
Another major focus of the original process was to promote unity, trust, and respect—aspects that may be considered necessary in order to have effective communication between the two.
The original goal was to have all decisions involving the consolidation—who delegates what, which priorities are most important—made by July 1, 2007.
And though the two aren’t fully linked yet, programs that already exist between the two have been a major attraction to some.
“I chose to do my undergrad through [UCD] based purely on the fact it is in association with the medical campus,” said Emily Lich in an interview on the UCD Network website. “I plan on going to medical school when I graduate.”
Another undergraduate student benefitting from the UCD and Anschutz consolidation is David Baldwin, a researcher for the Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young.
“I cannot stress enough how important this job has been to me and my future, not only for employment, but also allowing me to work in Colorado hospitals,” said Baldwin. “[It has given] me insight as to what the world of health care is like.”
Even non-science related programs have benefitted from the consolidation.
The UCD College of Arts and Media was able to start a medical illustration program in order to help surgeons “see” the operation before actually having to partake in it.
And as it stands, Anschutz already serves more than half a million patients per year through the hospital on location. Yet treatment is only part of the facility, which also includes more than 227 acres of education and research buildings.
The Center of Innovation and Discovery at Anschutz gets around $350 million worth of grants annually, creating more than 13,000 jobs.
With success from both sides of the coin—Anschutz and UCD—connecting the two will hopefully enhance students’ educational experience.
And, if everything goes as planned, their bond may create a mighty powerful duo.
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