The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), an NJIT corporation that applies the intellectual and technological resources of the state's science and technology university to challenges identified by industry partners, has announced that Hackensack University Medical Center (HackensackUMC) has become the first healthcare charter member of NJII and a partner in its Healthcare Delivery Systems Innovation Lab (iLab). HackensackUMC will also have a seat on the iLab's advisory board.
Tomas Gregorio, senior executive director of healthcare delivery systems for NJII, commented, "We are honored to have such a prominent research and teaching hospital partner with us in our efforts to develop innovative processes and programs for the healthcare industry across our region. We will be working closely with Andrew L. Pecora, M.D., vice president of Cancer Services and chief innovations officer at the John Theurer Cancer Center at HackensackUMC. Dr. Pecora is committed to developing novel ideas which promote open innovation and the use of tools and processes that encourage creative thinking."
"HackensackUMC is pleased to partner with NJIT on this important initiative," said Robert C. Garrett, president and CEO of the Hackensack University Health Network. "Our medical center has always been committed to partnering with other organizations who share in our mission of developing research and technology to better care for our patients. Through this iLab, we will be able to combine our collective resources to make meaningful advances in care."
"HackensackUMC has been focused on research and innovation for many years. In 2014, we had more than 700 active/open studies offering more than 1,000 patients new options in care," said Dr. Pecora. "Partnering with the New Jersey Innovation Institute is a natural fit for our two organizations. We will work together to bolster our research program and share ideas to continue developing solutions for tomorrow's healthcare industry."
"NJII is looking forward to supporting Hackensack University Medical Center's efforts to bring innovation to virtually every aspect of healthcare. At NJIT, we have a team of university representatives from various departments and disciplines expressly created to familiarize our industry partners with university assets and programs. We also have the ability to set up and run HackensackUMC-specific ideation platforms with the healthcare cluster incubator companies at our Enterprise Development Center, whose mission is to develop and pursue innovative healthcare programs. We will mobilize NJIT's intellectual capital and research resources to meet the specific R&D needs of HackensackUMC," said Donald Sebastian, president of NJII.
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The New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII) is an NJIT corporation that applies the intellectual and technological resources of the state's science and technology university to challenges identified by industry partners. Through its Innovation Labs (iLabs), NJII brings NJIT expertise to key economic sectors, including healthcare delivery systems, bio-pharmaceutical production, civil infrastructure, defense and homeland security, and financial services.