By: Deborah Johnson Wood
The thriving life sciences development in Grand Rapids is positioning the city to attract young medical professionals from around the world. At Wednesday’s session of the University of Michigan Urban Land Institute Real Estate Forum, leaders from some of the medical community’s largest stakeholders addressed what's next for the Medical Mile when it comes to attracting and keeping young life sciences talent.
“In the next 10 years Spectrum will invest in human capital, creating a competitive marketplace,” said Matthew Van Vranken, president of Spectrum Health. “Once the buildings are completed we’ll grow our medical group to 500 to 600 physicians. In the last five years we’ve brought 2,000 employees into the system and the spinoff from that will be extensive.”
Dr. Marsha Rappley, dean of the MSU College of Human Medicine, noted that the college’s “research portfolio will be weighted here in West Michigan, and will create a new platform for translational research which will draw talent.”
At the end of the next decade, some 40 students will have graduated from Grand Valley State University’s early admissions partner program with the College of Human Medicine, others will be working in biomedical engineering positions, and still others will be physical therapists, nurses or have careers in other health care fields, said Thomas Haas, president.
“Our focus is to keep those students here after they graduate,” Haas said. “We have an influx of students who want to be in heath care or life sciences. This year alone, 5,000 of our nearly 24,000 students come from the east side of the state. Ninety-eight percent of our graduates are working or in grad school. Of those, 80 percent have stayed in West Michigan.”
Much of the biomedical talent that’s already here comes from other countries, including China, India and Zimbabwe, and that diversity, while just a beginning, is something that Millennials look for when deciding where to live and work.
Source: Dr. Marsha Rappley, MSU College of Human Medicine; Matthew Van Vranken, Spectrum Health; Thomas Haas, Grand Valley State University
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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