KeyBank Grants $2 Million to Cleveland Medical Schools for Integrated Learning Model

Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and CWRU School of Medicine to expand minority fellowship and interprofessional education

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KeyCorp

Jun 09, 2015, 08:30 ET

CLEVELAND, June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The KeyBank Foundation has announced a grant of $2 million to Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) which will support a combined effort to enhance and expand medical students' interprofessional education experiences. The interprofessional education model, which focuses on integrating all disciplines in teaching and learning environments, is "a necessary step in preparing a 'collaborative, practice-ready' health workforce," as well as improving patient health outcomes, according to a report by the World Health Organization.

"With this grant, we are excited to expand our relationship with Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University," said CEO of KeyBank Foundation Margot Copeland. "The interprofessional model is the future of medical education, and supporting two top medical institutions as they transform how medicine is taught and delivered is an honor."

The grant support is two-fold. At the Cleveland Clinic, it will renew and grow the KeyBank Minority Medical Student Fellowship currently in place at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine by doubling the number of scholars to a total of 10 during the grant period. The scholarships allow the students to receive support throughout their education towards graduation and help to ensure the student body is diverse and reflective of the communities served. Additionally, the grant will help fund Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine's (CCLM) outreach initiatives aimed at underserved communities, including the annual Minority Men's Health Fair and Celebrate Sisterhood.

"We are committed to making sure that all students, especially underrepresented minorities, who want a career in healthcare have access to the best education opportunities," said James Young, M.D., Executive Dean Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of CWRU. "A diverse pool of students is essential to delivering quality healthcare. It enhances our ability to understand and effectively communicate with all of the patients and families in the communities that we serve. Through the generosity of KeyBank, scholarships of this kind are making a big difference."

The KeyBank Foundation-endowed scholarships are awarded to incoming students each year and provide support throughout their education towards graduation.

"I am both honored and grateful for KeyBank for believing in me. Their generous gift through the KeyBank Minority Medical Student Fellowship has allowed me to focus my energy on my medical education without the added stress of financial burdens," said Noble Jones, a second year medical student. "Furthermore, their faith in me through their gift encourages me to press forward in my dream to serve the community as a physician."

Secondly, the grant will support the KeyBank Health Education Program, a compilation of new and existing services aimed at supporting the interprofessional educational model. The model will be the focus of both a soon-to-be-built 11-acre Health Education Campus and the current CWRU Student-Run Free Clinic. The KeyBank Health Education Program will allow KeyBank Minority Medical Student Fellows to learn and work alongside interprofessional teams from CWRU, including students from the university's School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. This model allows medical students to learn in an integrated environment -- rather than in the silos that comprise a traditional medical education -- promoting interdisciplinary learning, creating holistic views of patient lives and providing students with team-based, practical experience.

"We deeply appreciate KeyBank's recognition of the importance and opportunities inherent in this educational collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, as well as their generous support of our efforts to enhance diversity and engage more students in our community," said Pamela B. Davis, M.D., Ph.D. dean of the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs. "The Student-Run Free Health Clinic provides extraordinary learning experiences for our students across the health professions, and at the same time allows local residents to receive high-quality care under the supervision of experienced clinicians. We see enormous potential in this program, and cannot thank KeyBank enough for its support."

"The more that our students interact with one another in health care settings, the more they understand about one another's disciplines and knowledge," said Mary E. Kerr, Dean of the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. "By emphasizing inter-professional experiences during their time with us, we prepare our graduates to practice effectively with one another as they engage in an increasingly integrated health care system. We are immensely grateful to KeyBank for its generous support of this important work."

About Cleveland Clinic:

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S.News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. More than 3,000 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. The Cleveland Clinic health system includes a main campus near downtown Cleveland, eight community hospitals, more than 75 Northern Ohio outpatient locations, including 16 full-service Family Health Centers, Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and, scheduled to begin seeing patients in 2015, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In 2013, there were 5.5 million outpatient visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 157,000 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 130 countries. Visit us at www.clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic.

Editor's Note: Cleveland Clinic News Service is available to provide broadcast-quality interviews and B-roll upon request.

About Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine:

Founded in 1843, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is the largest medical research institution in Ohio and is among the nation's top medical schools for research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The School of Medicine is recognized throughout the international medical community for outstanding achievements in teaching. The School's innovative and pioneering Western Reserve2 curriculum interweaves four themes--research and scholarship, clinical mastery, leadership, and civic professionalism--to prepare students for the practice of evidence-based medicine in the rapidly changing health care environment of the 21st century. Nine Nobel Laureates have been affiliated with the School of Medicine.

Annually, the School of Medicine trains more than 800 MD and MD/PhD students and ranks in the top 25 among U.S. research-oriented medical schools as designated by U.S. News & World Report's "Guide to Graduate Education."
http://casemed.case.edu

About KeyBank Foundation:

The KeyBank Foundation, a 46-year old nonprofit charitable foundation funded by KeyCorp, makes philanthropic investments in organizations and programs that build thriving communities. The Foundation's funding priorities are fostering thriving students, through grants to academic programs, and fostering a thriving workforce, through grants made to workforce development and job creation programs. The Foundation also supports thriving communities through service, including employee volunteerism, contributions to the civic good, and charitable sponsorships. All grant-making takes into consideration how grantees and programming incorporate the values of diversity and inclusion. For each of the past eight years, KeyBank Foundation has given approximately $18 million to nonprofit organizations across the nation, in the form of philanthropy, corporate contributions, and volunteerism.

About Key:

KeyCorp was organized more than 160 years ago and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. One of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, Key had assets of approximately $94.2 billion at March 31, 2014. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management and investment services to individuals and small and mid-sized businesses in 12 states under the name KeyBank National Association. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.

SOURCE KeyCorp