The University of Miami (UM) School of Nursing and Health Studies (SONHS) has received a generous gift from Jorie Healthcare Partners to create The Jorie Healthcare Partners Biobehavioral Research Laboratory Endowed Fund. The endowment will fuel research innovations at SONHS through an enhanced laboratory serving students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty—an investment that will provide sustainable support for consequential scientific inquiry in biobehavioral healthcare.
The cutting-edge, 1,100-square-foot biobehavioral research laboratory at SONHS, located in the M. Christine Schwartz Center for Nursing and Health Studies on the UM Coral Gables campus, will be named The Jorie Healthcare Partners Biobehavioral Research Laboratory. The laboratory includes a cell culture room, microscopy room, and wet laboratory space where investigators can test biomarkers, perform cell and bacterial cultures, study phenomena using preclinical models, work with human subjects, and much more. The laboratory is equipped for conducting blood assays, determining gene expression, genotyping, and measuring telomere length, as well as assessing redox indicators and proteomics.
The Jorie Healthcare Partners endowment will provide a stable source of funds to support research activities, personnel, supplies, and equipment for the laboratory, as well as future renovations and current enhancements to the already-planned 400-square-foot expansion project that will increase the laboratory’s footprint to 1,500 square feet. The gift’s inclusion of a generous “endowment accelerator” will provide immediate access to current-use funds to extend the work of the laboratory without delay, allowing for an immediate positive impact from the gift while the endowment is being fulfilled.
“This extraordinary gift from Jorie Healthcare Partners will supercharge the capacity of the laboratory and strengthen the research experience for students, postdocs, and faculty for decades to come,” says SONHS Dean and Professor Cindy L. Munro, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, FAAN, FAANP, FAAAS. “The endowment ensures that the lab is forever outfitted with the equipment and resources to conduct groundbreaking, world-class scientific research that will drive advances in holistic, patient-centered healthcare strategies with the potential to generate profound and lasting change.”
Sal Lo, Jorie Healthcare Partners CEO and co-founder, states, “We are excited to leverage our technology to transform and relieve administrative burden of patient care by finding savings and improving the patient experience.”
This endowment and newly enhanced laboratory will become the driving force and nucleus of the SONHS Biobehavioral Technology Core, a key priority of the University of Miami’s Ever Brighter campaign, ultimately leading to novel treatment options, new data to fuel innovations in the science of holistic, patient-centered care, and lasting improvements for public health. Complementing the SONHS’ leading-edge facilities, the laboratory will attract top-flight faculty and postdoctoral fellows; facilitate research collaborations with renowned scholars, practitioners, and external partners in industry and academia; and support emergent lines of research in a wide-range of critical areas.
“Jorie Healthcare Partners’ tremendous generosity will benefit the lives of countless families, students, and healthcare professionals across Florida and the nation,” says Dean Munro. “We will educate the next generation of healthcare researchers, bridge existing gaps in knowledge, and promote collective wellness. We also will find answers to pressing questions about patient health and translate those evidence-based answers into potentially lifesaving care improvements.”
About the University of Miami School of Nursing & Health Studies (SONHS)
Committed to the belief that nursing lies at the core of all patient interactions, SONHS is a hemispheric leader in education, research, and practice where faculty researchers draw on years of clinical experience and deep scholarly expertise to improve health outcomes. With a focus on patient-centered care, researchers at SONHS explore prevention and treatment options to meet patient needs and produce optimal results. Located in Miami, a thriving, diverse city and Gateway to the Americas, the School develops dedicated healthcare leaders who provide exceptional care and who strive to improve our region, nation, and hemisphere. For more information, visit http://www.miami.edu/sonhs.
About Jorie Healthcare Partners
Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, Jorie Healthcare Partners is an industry leader in healthcare technology. Its team of innovators and entrepreneurs is pioneering work in robotic process automation, data analysis integration, revenue cycle management, business process re-engineering, and holistic practice management. They continually demonstrate how astutely managed business solutions can produce exponentially positive effects, opening exciting possibilities and enabling path-breaking fields of inquiry. To learn more about Jorie Healthcare Partners, visit https://www.joriehc.com.
