Part of our vision at Heersink School of Medicine is to make a global impact through innovative care, transformative discovery, and collaborative learning. This vision challenges us to create avenues that will positively impact our state, region, nation, and the world.
One of the many ways we are fulfilling our vision is through an exciting collaborative partnership with McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. The partnership began in 2021 when our medical school was named the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine because of the transformative gift of Dr. Heersink and his family. At that time, McMaster also received a philanthropic gift from Dr. Heersink that united us as partners. We engaged with them through a collaboration to develop biomedical innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as global health initiatives in partnership with other UAB schools. The Marnix E. Heersink Institute of Biomedical Innovation and the Mary Heersink Institute of Global Health were at the core.
In April 2024, we signed an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with McMaster to formalize our partnership and move forward with our collaborative goals of advancing global efforts and developing top-tier global health training programs, as well as innovation and entrepreneurship training programs.
We are also building on our endeavors in partnership with McMaster through clinical and research programs. This includes collaborations in women’s health on a global trial for peripartum cardiomyopathy involving UAB and McMaster investigators.
Additionally, the Sparkman Center for Global Health at UAB, Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health at UAB, and McMaster's Global Health program are ongoing partners in sharing knowledge and best practices in areas such as international partnerships, education, research, and community engagement.
In the same way, we are building our partnership in programs focused on radiopharmaceuticals.
The field of radiopharmaceuticals is one of the fastest-growing areas of research and medicine. Both McMaster and UAB have premier radiochemistry programs focused on the development of new radiopharmaceuticals. Suzanne Lapi, Ph.D., professor in the UAB Department of Radiology, is co-leading a pilot program with John Valliant, Ph.D., professor of Chemistry at McMaster University, creating the International Medical Isotope Collaboration Spanning Research, Training, Patient Impact, and Commercialization program which leverages the unique strengths of the two institutions.
Their collaboration focuses on preclinical imaging of targeted agents that will ultimately contribute to more accurate diagnoses and new therapy treatments for cancer.
As the National Cancer Institute states, targeting radiation therapy at the cellular level through radiopharmaceuticals may reduce the risk and harm of typical radiation treatment. It could also kill cancer cells throughout the body.
In the long term, this type of research is translational to patient care, possibly offering personalized treatments depending on the patient's individual cancer presentation.
Another significant impact of the collaboration in radiopharmaceuticals with McMaster is the opportunity for learners. The training program and international scope of new opportunities prepare the next generation of scientists, clinicians, and entrepreneurs while contributing to innovation and visibility.
The program aims to prepare students for careers in the industry and encourages entrepreneurship in this area. Many of Dr. Lapi’s graduates have gone on to successful careers in the radiopharmaceutical industry and Dr. Valliant’s radiopharmaceutical company, Fusion Pharmaceuticals, was recently acquired by AstraZeneca, further illustrating the excitement in the pharmaceutical community for highly trained scientists and this type of technology.
The team plans to build a collaborative program that will drive innovation and have an impact for decades.
Partnering with an exceptional institution like McMaster in a formal MOU expands and accelerates programs at UAB in motivating ways, potentially improving the health and well-being of our own communities in the South, where disparities are inequitably high. These programs will also enhance scientific advancements throughout the U.S., Canada, and the globe.
I am grateful for partnerships like these that put UAB on the global map.