A signing ceremony held at the University of Guelph earlier this week as the two institutions completed a memorandum of understanding. (From left, front row) Dr. Charlotte Yates, President & Vice-Chancellor at the University of Guelph and Mark Walton, President & CEO at Guelph General Hospital. (From left, back row) Pavel Mercer, Co-op Student, Zack Koulovasilopoulos, Co-op Student, Jason Moreton, Vice President, External at the University of Guelph, Mellissa McDonald, Assistant Vice President, Government Relations & Community Engagement at the University of Guelph, Dr. Mazyar Fallah, Professor and Dean, College of Biological Science at the University of Guelph, Terry Campbell, Vice Chair of the Board Directors at Guelph General Hospital, Karen Suk-Patrick, Vice President, People, Culture, & Community at Guelph General Hospital, Julie Byczynski, CEO at The Foundation of Guelph General Hospital, Mitchell Wood, Co-op Student, and Giovanna Graham, Co-op Student.
Guelph General Hospital (GGH) and the University of Guelph (U of G) have proudly formalized their partnership through a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The MOU signifies an important milestone for Guelph-Wellington as the organizations seek to positively impact community health and sustainability, foster innovation in healthcare delivery, and enhance educational programs.
Both GGH and U of G are uniquely positioned to address the challenges that are impacting the health of the community. While the organizations share a rich history of collaboration, the MOU sets the framework for leveraging one another's strengths to overcome community challenges. Key areas of focus include:
- Enhanced research and development efforts in healthcare, medicine, life sciences and related fields;
- Improved clinical care, patient outcomes, and healthcare delivery methods;
- Supporting education and training programs for medical professionals, students, and researchers and explore opportunities for inter-professional education;
- Fostering innovation and technology transfer between the healthcare and academic sectors;
- And addressing community health needs through joint outreach and engagement activities.
As part of the MOU, U of G's commitments range from contributing its expertise in One Health and team-based care to help solve health problems that can't be easily addressed in traditional disciplinary silos, to sharing its expertise and leveraging its research in rural community development to address inequities for rural centres.
GGH has committed to looking at accelerated learning and student placement models, including recently welcoming four students as part of U of G's President's Summer Co-op Initiative and two students as part of co-op work terms.
Going forward the organizations will continue to work together to shape future generations of community leaders through education, mentorship, and hands on experience.