By Theodosia Spaeth
Medical Center Public Relations
The Cancer Center and Geriatrics Center Building now under construction at the Medical Center will “bring the fruits of research to the bedside,” said George D. Zuidema, vice provost for medical affairs at last week’s ground-breaking ceremonies.
Zuidema and several other University dignitaries joined guest speaker and U-M alumnus Samuel Broder in addressing a crowd of nearly 600 people. Broder is director of the National Cancer Institute.
The nine-story facility going up just west of University Hospital will integrate the patient care, teaching and research efforts of two Centers of Excellence: the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Geriatrics Center.
The structure will bring together faculty members and laboratories that are now scattered throughout the Medical Center and campus. In addition, the design will encourage greater innovation and collaboration among researchers and physicians within each discipline, according to program directors.
Slated to open in 1996, the centers’ ambulatory care component and commitment to integrating care in communities across the state will keep the Medical Center in line with the dictates of health care reform, said Hospital’s Executive Director John D. Forsyth.
“There are few parts of the University that touch as many people as the Medical Center, be it through education, research or patient services,” said President James J. Duderstadt.
He also expressed the University’s gratitude for the efforts of those who played important roles in making the new building a reality, including University leadership, donors, volunteers, and state and federal government representatives.
“You expect more from Michigan—and you get it,” said Broder, referencing a Standard Oil advertisement from his youth. “Cancer research works best when part of the fabric of a great university. The U-M is that fabric.”
Established in 1986, the Cancer Center has been designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, one of 27 nationwide.
The Geriatrics Center was established in 1987. In 1989, the National Institute on Aging funded the center as the nation’s first Claude D. Pepper Geriatric Research and Training Center.
