Office of the Dean
and Executive Vice President
STATEMENT REGARDING THE POTENTIAL LEASING OF LABORATORY SPACE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ON THE MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE CAMPUS
Presented at the July 12-13, 2017 meeting of the VA National Academic Affiliations Council
Overview
The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) is very fortunate to have a longstanding and strong partnership with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Milwaukee to provide the best healthcare possible to our country’s veterans.
Leadership in MCW’s School of Medicine and the VAMC have long recognized the power and mutual benefits from this collaboration, which is similar to that of many other academic medical centers. Over the past several years, however, we have endeavored to findadditional ways to strengthen this partnership and to become increasingly more efficient and effective in serving our veterans. One such opportunity would be transformative for our collaborative research programs: the ability for the VAMC to lease wet lab research space – for VA research – on MCW’s main campus in Milwaukee. Although the benefits for the VA, MCW and, most importantly, our veterans are numerous, we have not been able to realize this plan despite many efforts.
The VAMClaboratories and MCW’s main campus are five miles apart, which impedes the collaborative environment necessary for faculty to maximize outcomes for our veterans. Leasing space at MCW would serve to improve and expand research for our veteran population by co-locating the facilities in which MCW faculty are engaged in biomedical research. Also, the distance and time needed to travel between our lab facilities causes economic inefficiencies and creates an obstacle for VA faculty to utilize the cores and scientific expertise at MCW. The bottom line is that the current configuration is preventing dollars from being used in the most efficient and effective means possible.
Elizabeth R. Jacobs, MD, MBA, Associate Chief of Staff for Research, Milwaukee VAMC and MCW’s Associate Dean of Research, has been coordinating efforts within MCW to support the potential for VA-leased lab space at MCW’s Milwaukee campus.
ChallengesDue to the Current Location of Wet Labs
The current laboratory space at the Zablocki VAMC for VA-funded investigators is outdated and, in some cases,not well-suited for wet lab research. The VAMC building housing the labs is at least 80 years old and the laboratories themselves are situated in converted hospital wards. Proper ventilation is challenging, especially when toxins are involved in research. Further, the VAMC complex itself is crowded, and the laboratory space would be better suited for much-needed office space.
The distance between MCW’s main campus and the Zablocki VAMC is approximately five miles, but the commute requires half-an-hour each way (door-to-door). Between 15-20 investigators utilize the VA labs, and most of them make three to four round trips per week from MCW – resulting in a significant amount of lost time that could be better used on research activities to improve veterans’ health.
Benefits to the VAMC
The benefitsto the Zablocki VAMC of leasing wet lab space at MCW are numerous. Relocation of the labs would offer better opportunities for scientific collaboration as well as enhanced facilities – which likely would result in a larger pool of investigators applying for VA-funded grants. It also would open up space at the VAMC for additional offices and/or other priorities. Further, relocation would provide access to a substantially larger pool of scientists and resources at MCW, including genetically modified animals and core equipment in state-of-the-art research facilities. Security for personnel and information technology systems at MCW would be identical to the security available at present at the VAMC.
Benefits to MCW
MCW faculty investigators would benefit from the leasing of wet lab space due to reduced travel time/greater efficiencies, access to shared equipment purchased with VA Central Fundsor other federal sources, collaboration with colleagues in closer proximity, utilization of core facilities and enhanced mentorship opportunities between junior and more seasoned investigators. In addition, MCW has wet lab space that is available for use at present; thus, this lease would improve efficient use of resources for both institutions.
Past Barriers to Leasing
MCW has pursued the opportunity for leasing wet lab space to the VAMC for the past four years – but has faced several barriers including a national freeze on VA spending (fiscal years 2014 and 2017); a memorandum precluding the spending of VA Strategic Capital Investment Planning (SCIP) funds on off-site leases (fiscal year 2017)and a VAnational freeze on hiring (winter/spring 2017),which has been a barrier to research in general.
Conclusion
Precedent has been set for such a leased research space arrangement at other academic medical centers around the country.
Relocating VA-funded research laboratories to leased space within MCW-Milwaukee would result in better biomedical research to improve the health of veterans, greater productivity and enhanced scientific outcomes in a collaborative and cost-effective manner. Better science equals better health for veterans.
MCW and the Zablocki VA leadership suggest commencing a pilot program in which the labs of five investigators would be moved from the VAMC to the MCW-Milwaukee campus under a sole-source lease arrangement. Should this move be successful, the remainder of the investigators could relocate to MCW over a certain period of time.
As a reflection of the longstanding and critical partnership between the VAMC and MCW, MCW is willing to lease state-of-the-art research space at a very competitive rate of $25 per square foot. For the pilot program described above – involvingapproximately 2,700 square feet of lab space currently being used at the VAMC, the cost would be a very reasonable $67,500 annually (approximately).
MCW is extremely grateful to the Veterans Administration for its commitment to partnering with Academic Medical Centers to benefit the health of our nation’s veterans and looks forward to continuing the dialogue on leased wet lab space on MCW’s Milwaukee campus.