Elevating research
Courtesy of the Medical Center The 10-story, 373,000-square-foot Biomedical Research Tower will double the amount of biomedical research space on campus.

University breaks ground on new Biomedical Research Tower

By RANDY GAMMAGE, onCAMPUS staff

Ground soon will be broken for a 10-story, 373,000-square-foot Biomedical Research Tower that will double the amount of biomedical research space on campus and symbolize Ohio State's commitment to world-class research.

University and OSU Medical Center leaders are heralding the event with a week of activities (see sidebar below) from Sept. 29-Oct. 3, highlighting innovative medical research and the economic benefits the tower's new research activities will bring to Ohio. Events include a keynote address by Nobel Prize-winning chemist Thomas Cech and a groundbreaking ceremony at 2 p.m. Oct. 2 at the future site of the tower, on 12th Avenue in the heart of the health sciences campus.

"Our investment in a facility of this magnitude sends a strong signal that Ohio State University is poised to support the most advanced biomedical research programs in the world," said Fred Sanfilippo, senior vice president for health sciences and dean of the College of Medicine and Public Health.

The $151 million biomedical research and education facility is designed to advance research programs in cancer and cancer genetics, heart and lung diseases, high-field medical imaging, biology, biotechnology and biomedical informatics.

It is expected to further expand research funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other national as well as private agencies, said Caroline Whitacre, associate vice president for health sciences research and vice dean for research in the College of Medicine and Public Health.

"Since 2000, the growth of OSU College of Medicine and Public Health research funding has been phenomenal," Whitacre said. "We went from $61 million in 2000 to $115 million in 2004."

The goal is $170 million in 2006.

The predominant funding source for construction will be bonds issued through the university for $126.8 million, to be supplemented with private fund-raising dollars, Whitacre said. A portion of the indirect costs on each grant will go to pay debt service on the bonds.

The planned growth in research funding will be accompanied by the addition of 122 new researchers/scientists, she said, with nearly one-fourth of them already hired.

Set for occupancy in December 2006, the tower will be located in the 400-block of W. 12th Avenue, with a bridge connector to the Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute. Neighboring facilities also include University Hospitals, OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center-James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, and the Ross Heart Hospital, scheduled for completion by October 2004.

The location will allow interdisciplinary research groups to work from a central location, Whitacre said.

"What this tower allows us to do is locate people according to their research interests. That allows them to be more interactive and more focused on research goals," she said.

The partnership with the surrounding medical facilities will help turn scientific discoveries into an increased quality of patient care, said Peter Geier, senior associate vice president for health sciences business and administration.

"It answers the question ëwhat actually happens to all this research and how does it translate to better patient care?'" Geier said.

It will be the largest research facility on campus. But the real attraction is that it is "a pure research machine," with more usable space than the national average.

"This should be one of the most efficient bio research facilities in the country, based on the architect's assessment, and that already is a huge recruitment tool," Geier said.

Outstanding features of the new facility include:

• Approximately 151,000 square feet of lab and lab support space

• Research laboratories dedicated to experimental therapeutics (cancer), heart and lung disease, neurobiology of disease, imaging, microbial pathogenesis, pharmacogenomics, bioinformatics, diabetes, structural biology and tissue engineering

• Core labs for shared use in genomics, proteomics, mass spectrometry, viral vector, flow cytometry, histology, cryogen storage and microscopy

• Space for 400-600 university employees, including 122 faculty and their teams

• A 250-seat multi-use auditorium plus seminar rooms and a cafÈ.

Whitacre said the new facility is a vital tool in their quest to move the medical schools up from their current ranking of 37th in the country to the top quartile by 2008 -- based on rankings by U.S. News & World Report.

By Nick Szewczyk From left, Robert Brueggemeier, dean of the College of Pharmacy joins the first three graduates of the PharmD program -- Tonya Dauterman of Fostoria, Jerry Siegel from Columbus, and Hye Weon Lee, from Seoul, South Korea -- and Dennis Mungall, director of virtual education for the program, at a reception at the Faculty Club following commencement. The first of its kind at Ohio State, the PharmD program allows students to complete their course work online from their home state or country, while interacting electronically with their classmates from all over the world. Current students in the program reside as far away as Saudi Arabia, Canada, Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

'Be a storyteller,' Battelle leader tells graduates

By JONI BENTZ SEAL, onCAMPUS staff

Proclaiming him a leading voice for science and education and for promoting a new era of partnership with Ohio State, President Karen Holbrook introduced summer commencement speaker Carl Kohrt, president and CEO of Battelle, who encouraged 1,845 graduates to deliver value at work and to share their observations of the changing world through storytelling. The ceremony was Aug. 29 in the Jerome Schottenstein Center.

As the head of a global research and development organization headquartered across King Avenue from campus and boasting 100 locations and more than 16,000 staff worldwide -- including 600 Ohio State alumni in central Ohio -- Kohrt conveyed Battelle's past, present and future role in the ever-changing world: "Officially, our mission is to translate discovery into innovative applications that advance society and improve our quality of life," he said. "Put more simply, we believe that we open doors to the future."

Carl Kohrt

Kohrt acknowledged that today's graduates -- having completed the first fifth of their lives -- have witnessed a majority of these societal advances and improvements, especially in the areas of health care, homeland and personal security, energy usage, environmental and climate concerns, and the apparent necessity of cell phones, he said, as the audience chuckled. He then challenged them to consider how the remaining four-fifths of their lives will change; how they may bear witness to the days when digital eyes restore sight; brainwave taps bypass damaged spinal nerves and control prosthetic limbs; energy becomes more mobile, renewable and contained in new fuel cells; global climate changes are better understood and predicted; morals and ethics drive the use of technologically gathered consumer profiles; and in other ways that, today, are beyond anticipation.

It is the contribution to these advances, and the observation and sharing of them that will be the significant role of today's graduates, Kohrt said.

"First, in life, be a storyteller," he said, reminding them that "long before the advent of the written word -- or Internet chat rooms -- storytelling was and still is a means to transmit knowledge, impart wisdom, and instruct upcoming generations.

"And second, at work, deliver value," he said.

Adding value to a product or service means delivering on expanded expectations, Kohrt said, and in a competitive global marketplace, the products and services -- even the individuals -- that deliver the best value are the ones that will succeed.

"It's fair to say you have already increased your value to a future employer by earning a college degree," he said. "If your Ohio State education expanded your capacity to learn, enabled you to sort through and analyze information, encouraged you to cooperate with others whose expertise is very different from your own, and made you willing to be perpetually inquisitive, you will be able to deliver value."

Encouraging them to think how tomorrow will be unimaginably different than today, Kohrt challenged the graduates: "What stories will you tell your children and grandchildren? Tell them about the changes you've witnessed in your world, and point out what may change in their lifetimes. But don't forget to tell them how you helped bring about positive change through your family, your career and your community. That is your challenge; that will be your legacy."

Commencement awards

Honorary doctorates were presented to:

• William Francis Ganong, Doctor of Science

• Dennis J. Greenland, Doctor of Science

• Kenneth L. Coleman, Distinguished Service Award

• Ralph A. Rockow, Distinguished Service Award

Medical Center a top choice for workers over 50

By DAVID CRAWFORD, Medical Center Communications

The OSU Medical Center, one of central Ohio's largest employers, is now recognized as one of the best places in the country for workers over 50.

The AARP made the announcement Sept. 23 based on several criteria, including workplace culture, continued opportunities for success and benefits. Only 25 employers in 17 states made AARP's list of Best Employers for Workers over 50. The Medical Center was the only employer on the list from Ohio.

The honorees represent a diverse group in terms of size, ranging from internationally known firms to those with a few hundred employees, according to AARP President Jim Parkel. "The awardees were recognized for their outstanding efforts to give employees age 50 and older greater flexibility and to promote training of older employees to upgrade their skills. This is a sure indicator of the growing importance of the older worker to the success of individual companies," Parkel said.

R. Reed Fraley, CEO of the OSU Health System, said older workers have been major contributors to the overall success of the Medical Center. "Each staff member has a value to the organization and our patients and visitors are the direct beneficiaries of their expertise, enthusiasm and life experiences," Fraley said. "We use several approaches to measure our success at providing positive work experiences for our staff, the most telling being when staff members retire and return as volunteers."

Of the 6,800 employees at the Medical Center, more than 1,500 are age 50 or over.

Joining the Medical Center on the list of 25 Best Employers for Workers over 50 are: Adecco Employment Services (Melville, N.Y.), Augusta Health Care Inc. (Fishersville, Va.), Baptist Health South Florida (Coral Gables, Fla.), Bon Secours Richmond Health System (Richmond, Va.), Brethren Village (Lancaster, Pa.), Children's Health System (Birmingham, Ala.), Deere & Company (Moline, Ill.), Farmers Insurance Group of Companies (Los Angeles), First Tennessee National Corp. (Memphis, Tenn.), Freeport Health Network (Freeport, Ill.), Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.(Nutley, N.J.), Lincoln Financial Group (Philadelphia, Pa.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Mass.), Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (Phoenix), Principal Financial Group (Des Moines, Iowa), Scottsdale Healthcare (Scottsdale, Ariz.) SSM Health Care -- St. Louis (St. Louis), St. Mary's Medical Center Inc. (Huntington, W.Va.), The Aerospace Corp. (El Segundo, Calif.), The MITRE Corp. (Bedford, Mass./McLean, Va.), Ultratech, Inc.Ý(San Jose, Calif.), Volkswagen of America, Inc. (Auburn Hills, Mich.), West (Eagan, Minn.) and Whirlpool Corp. (Benton Harbor, Mich.).

AARP invited employers to apply for the Best Employer designation by describing their innovative practices toward 50 and over workers in an extensive questionnaire. A panel of five outside judges -- including human resources experts, academics and experts on aging workforce issues -- selected the finalists.

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to making life better for people 50 and over.

Ohio State's academic medical center includes the College of Medicine and Public Health, University Hospitals, The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, University Hospitals East, OSU Harding Behavioral Healthcare and Medicine, the Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, a federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a network of community care sites and the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital, to be completed in 2004.