MSU offers unique opportunities for innovation in both health sciences research and training of professionals for the human and veterinary health care needs of statewide, regional, national, and global communities. MSU is the only institution in the State of Michigan training nurses, physicians, veterinarians, and veterinary technicians. It also is the only member of the Association of American Universities that graduates allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) physicians. MSU CLIP will further expand MSU’s impact in Health Sciences and make new, progressive contributions, as well as garner more respect for the University’s long-term investments in talent and treasure.

Clinical researchers with access to a supportive infrastructure can expedite discovery, improve healthcare delivery, and more easily integrate these elements into clinical practice. MSU’s clinician veterinarians collaborate with physicians and public health experts to prevent and control diseases transmitted from animals to people and advance medical technology and practice through research and education.

Clinical research has been shown to improve participants’ health outcomes because they receive extra attention from clinical teams. In veterinary clinical trials, close contact between clients/owners and veterinarians guarantees active engagement regarding the animals’ health.

MSU’s Veterinary Medical Center strives to deliver the best-possible care to patients, and maintains the utmost respect for clients. This past year, the Hospital saw a caseload of 30,854, which included 14,460 new patients. Additionally, the College is well-networked, closely affiliated with veterinary practices and clinics throughout the Midwest, many of which are led by the College’s alums.

The veterinary profession becomes more complex as trade barriers shift, new (and old) zoonotic diseases (re)emerge, human travel increases, and food is produced and distributed in more concentrated, large-scale operations. As a national leader in veterinary science, the College has expertise in public health and biomedical and comparative medical research. This offers a competitive advantage to MSU’s Health Sciences researchers, who can extend their work’s scope and reach through collaboration with the College.

CLIP will advance discoveries and technologies in a variety of disciplines including, but not limited to, oncology, pharmacology, infectious disease, cardiology, surgery, physical therapy, and wearable monitoring and other types of medical devices. The ability to translate scientific discovery into clinical advancement relies on a robust clinical trials infrastructure, which is largely dependent on a critical mass of patients and clinicians willing to participate in clinical trials.

Through high-quality clinical research with its partners, CLIP will be part of, and further develop, MSU’s world-class biomedical research and development ecosystem. This will ensure knowledge and technologies can be rapidly translated to advance the standard of care in veterinary and human medicine with improved health outcomes for all.

Each year, MSU’s Veterinary Medical Center sees a high number of patients that present with diverse disease conditions eligible for enrollment into clinical trials. Collaboration with private practices allows for enrollment of more patients, as well as enrollment from different sites. Participation by nonacademic study sites enables those providers to offer treatments or devices for their patients before availability in the marketplace. This fosters increased credibility for the site through established collaboration with the University, a dynamic that promotes innovation and knowledge and enhances overall prestige and patient volume for MSU CLIP.

The development of clinical research collaborations with private practices and clinics is intellectually rewarding to clinicians. MSU CLIP will keep clinicians and staff on the leading edge of change and development in veterinary medicine, while it provides patients and communities with care they may not otherwise receive.