Research is a vital component of the mission of the Henry Ford Medical Group and Hospital.
Henry Ford Hospital is the major academic and research component of the Henry Ford Health System. Since 1915, Henry Ford Hospital physicians and scientists have focused their efforts in a wide variety of research areas critical to understanding the mechanisms of disease and bringing new, viable treatment options to the patients' bedsides.
Henry Ford Hospital research mainly focuses on:
Diseases of the heart, blood vessels and kidney
Diseases of the brain
Diseases of the bones and joints
Cancer
Population and health sciences and healthcare financing
Much of Henry Ford Hospital research is translational in nature - from bench to bedside. To support this, our basic sciences studies run the gamut from whole animal physiology to cell and molecular biology to bioengineering. The departments with the largest basic sciences programs are Medicine, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics and Radiation Oncology.
Our health sciences research focuses on disease screening, prevention and management, health outcomes, disparities in care and health economics. Such studies are housed in the departments of Biostatistics and Research Epidemiology and the Center for Health Services Research.
Henry Ford Hospital scientists and physicians participate in and lead many clinical trials which help us understand how to best treat diseases. This is also the mechanism by which new and potentially life-saving drugs are tested for safety and therapeutic efficacy. The Clinical Trials Office, one of our core services, manages the clinical research projects of several departments. Clinical trials are run by research nurses and physicians in all of Henry Ford Hospital departments. Altogether, there were more than 1,300 active studies in our medical and surgical departments in 2007.
Our basic and translational research studies are directed by a group of senior scientists (80 senior research staff) and their support personnel, as well as physician-scientists and Ph.D.s engaged in clinical activities. New research initiatives in 2007 included 139 clinical trial studies ($19.8M), 80 different clinical research projects ($12.7M) and 50 basic research projects ($16.3M), and 38 population and health sciences and healthcare financing projects ($7.3M). The department of Clinical Systems Research and Integration at Henry Ford also had $1 million in funding.
