The quality of health care in Wisconsin is often touted as a vital asset to the state’s short- and long-term economic growth. While the impact of the Affordable Care Act is yet to be determined, it’s certain that as the world’s population continues to age, health care and the way it’s delivered will play an even more integral part in Wisconsin’s economy.
The state’s top performing health care systems, research institutions, and the growing biotech industry are working – often together – to help solidify Wisconsin’s position as a leader in the new age of health care.
Pure research
The Madison region has developed over the years as a biotechnology hub, anchored by the University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center and the University Research Park. The Center is designed to be a catalyst for biotechnology research and industry throughout the state. It currently invests approximately $16 million per year in biotech and employs 154 people. The primary focus is on DNA sequencing and genomic profiling, but has facilities dedicated to several areas of biotech.
Marshfield is home to the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation. Founded in 1959, it employs 25 Ph.D. and M.D. scientists and 160 other staff. An additional 150 physicians and other healthcare professionals throughout the Marshfield system are engaged in medical research.
MCRF focuses on clinical research, agricultural health and safety, epidemiology, human genetics, and biomedical informatics, with around 450 active clinical trials and other research projects at any given time. Clinic investigators publish extensively in peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals addressing a wide range of diseases and other health issues, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, eye disease, neurological disease, pediatrics, radiology, women’s health, agricultural safety and genetics.
Patient-centered
In SE Wisconsin, the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is the largest research institution in eastern Wisconsin and is Wisconsin’s second largest research center. In FY 2012-13, MCW received $144 million in external funding for research, including $88.7 million from the National Institutes of Health.
MCW conducts more than 2,100 research studies annually, including clinical trials. It is the home to five federally-designated research centers and one international research center (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research.) MCW is internationally recognized for its research in human genetics, hypertension, bone marrow transplantation, imaging, obesity, traumatic brain injury, pancreatic cancer, cardiac resuscitation, AIDS intervention, vehicular crash injury prevention, and both pediatric leukemia and heart surgery.
The Aurora Research Institute (ARI) is the administrative hub for scientific research and innovation throughout the Aurora Health Care system. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Aurora serves more than 90 communities in 31 Wisconsin and Illinois counties via its 15 hospitals (14 medical and one psychiatric), 159 clinics, 82 pharmacies and the largest Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) in Wisconsin. With a medical staff of 3,000 physicians, of which more than 1,500 are full-time employees, and approximately 30,000 caregivers, Aurora is the largest private employer in Wisconsin.
ARI conducts over 750 research projects, including 450+ clinical trials. The institute partners in collaborative research with industry and academic institutions, focusing on research that transforms new discoveries into practical ways to improve patient outcomes.
Bioscience’s major economic impact
Wisconsin is ranked in the top 15 states for U.S. biotechnology clusters and is home to nearly 9 percent of the country’s clinical trials.
BioForward, the state association for Wisconsin’s bioscience industry and a state chapter of the national Biotechnology Industry Organization, indicates Wisconsin’s biotech industry has an annual economic impact of approximately $8 billion and growing.
Also according to BioForward, bioscience companies exist in 53 Wisconsin counties and employ 24,000 workers statewide.
The organization lobbies on behalf of the biotechnology industry in Wisconsin. Last year, the group spent over $128,000 lobbying the state on issues regarding biotechnology, including introducing the Next Generation Jobs Act to the Wisconsin legislature. The bill would improve funding for biological research and stimulate bioscience job growth in the state.
BioForward hopes the legislation will help build on the success of the existing bioscience industry. Companies include giants like Cellular Dynamics International, started by Dr. James Thomson, the father of stem cell research and discovery; GE Healthcare and Cedarburg Pharmaceuticals Inc., as well as newer companies like Medical Companion LLC, Exact Sciences and Quincy Bioscience.
These companies continue to utilize science and technology to improve patient care and health care delivery while driving growth for Wisconsin’s economy.
