Fall/Winter 2006 - University of Rochester Medical Center

My father-in-law, Dr. Earle Mahoney,
was an alumnus and faculty member
here. So I have great loyalty to the institution
and a strong sense of what a great
place this was, what a great place
it is and what a great place it can be.
But other places have grown faster,
in terms of NIH grants, for example,
than we have. The bottom line is that
What can a medical center do to
improve an economy
We have to be willing to take risks,
prudent risks. That means using venture
capital. That means investing in companies
with new ideas. This is a community
where, because the big three companies
were here and successful for so long, you
could always get a job. There was really
country and even to the people here, so
they can take advantage of it.
There is nothing broken here.
What we are talking about is leveraging
opportunities for the future. That is
really my job. What I need to do is make
strategic decisions with respect to the
best investments to grow our clinical
and academic enterprise over the next
We need to create an environment that
makes young people stay here because they
are excited about the job opportunities...
our reputation has slipped some, as has
the University’s. And I certainly would
like to recapture the recognition we
deserve. The city of Rochester does not
have the vibrant economy it once had.
The area is not as appealing to our
young people. We need to create an
environment that makes young people
stay here because they are excited about
the job opportunities, the prospects for
growth and the business opportunities
that exist here.
no need for many people to take large
risks — but now we need to. We need
to change the nature of the economy.
Today, health care and the biomedical
research community can provide opportunities
to bring about that change.
We have a superb workforce here. The
Medical Center has top notch technical
people, physicians and scientists — all of
whom are tremendous assets to Rochester.
What we’ve got to do is advertise that
asset, make it known to the rest of the
Construction on the Robert B. Goergen Biomedical Engineering and Optics Building.
10 years. I will talk about entrepreneurship
frequently over the next 10 years.
My job also is to create an enthusiasm
for change and progress. My job is invigorating
the atmosphere.
Does this mean you want to see more
researchers and physicians who are
actually starting companies
Yes, I want to see members of the faculty
developing companies that make drugs,
devices and software. I want to see
faculty reaching out to the community
to develop new programs for health
and fitness. Across the board, the goal
is to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship.
There’s a very large effort underway
to change the perception of the Ivory
Tower. We need to get out of the Ivory
Tower and down in the fields raising
crops. We should contribute to the
economy and community by doing more
than teaching.
How do you begin changing that Ivory
Tower perception How do you begin
getting people to go out into the fields
You recruit people who’ve been
successful. You make the process for
developing new companies easier.
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