On Dec. 6, the Broad College of Business hosted officials from Henry Ford Health for a discussion on the intersection of business and health care. This Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences meet and greet, held at the Minskoff Pavilion, brought together academic and business leaders from both the MSU Broad College of Business and Henry Ford Health. Its purpose was to foster collaboration, build strategic connections, and explore innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of the health care industry.

Led by the Henry Ford + MSU Innovation Committee, the meet and greet focused on emerging opportunities in health care product and labor markets, providing a platform for attendees to share insights and discuss market trends. It also highlighted the potential for future collaborations to address the sector’s challenges. The gathering was part of a larger effort to strengthen the partnership between Henry Ford Health and Michigan State University, a key element of the MSU Strategic Plan.

“The greatest challenges in health care can only be addressed through our combined efforts across disciplines, and the innovation committee is seeking to build the intellectual bridges that will integrate innovative thinking from all academic fields to improve human health,” said Chris Contag, Ph.D., Henry Ford + MSU Innovation Committee vice chair and MSU Quantitative Health Science and Engineering director. “A strong partnership with the Broad College will contribute significantly to this mission.”

John Hollenbeck, MSU Broad College associate dean of research and Henry Ford + MSU Innovation Committee member, noted the significance of the ongoing collaboration between MSU and Henry Ford Health. “We are proud that the Broad College was honored to host the first of many planned Meet and Greets between these two great institutions in our state,” Hollenbeck said.

Signed in 2021, the 30-year agreement between Henry Ford Health and MSU focuses on fostering innovative, groundbreaking research, providing best-in-class cancer care, interprofessional training, increasing diversity among the upcoming generations of health care professionals, and addressing the needs of traditionally underserved populations.

Through this partnership, Henry Ford Health and MSU are dedicated to working together to achieve more and transform the lives of patients and health care professionals alike. Sriram Narayanan, the Eli Broad Professor in Supply Chain Management attended to share perspectives from his work in the supply chain management industry. “These meet and greets provide a great platform for opportunities to explore and solve difficult problems that require interdisciplinary perspectives. To me, the meeting demonstrated that translatable solutions to problems not only require perspectives across multiple disciplines but also intensive collaboration with practice. This is what a collaboration between MSU and Henry Ford Health can actually do”.

See photos of the event on the Broad Flickr album.

This story originally ran on the College of Business website.

Read an inspiring story about Caroline Flynn, an MSU student, who received care and treatment at Henry Ford Health in Detroit.