The findings of the review, which was a seven-month long process, offer several options for MSU’s health sciences strategy:

• Creating a new College of Health Professions
• Combining the Colleges of Human Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine
• Launching disease-focused institutes 
• Strengthening relationships with clinical partners 
• Enhancing Henry Ford + MSU Cancer Center and MSU Cancer Research
• A Health Sciences Council made up of representatives from various colleges to ensure strategic alignment and effective governance
• Aiming to reduce health disparities by 2030, ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare for all communities in Michigan

The options mentioned in the report are part of what Guskiewicz called "One Team, One Health."

"Our strengths in human, animal and environmental health will position us at the forefront of the One Health movement, allowing us to better anticipate the next pandemic and tackle emerging infectious diseases," Guskiewicz said. 

Guskiewicz said he was "particularly interested" in exploring a possible merge of the College of Human Medicine and the College of Osteopathic Medicine, while maintaining the identities and strengths of each medical degree.

"This would allow a unified and collaborative institutional strategy for enhancing inter-professional medical education and research to advance health care," Guskiewicz said. "This could create economy of scale and promote operational excellence while leveraging the unique attributes of each college."

Guskiewicz also emphasized the move would create one of the nation’s largest combined medical colleges — the only one that would offer two medical degrees — and enhance the university’s potential to lead.

Detailing the benefits of such a move, Guskiewicz said a combined college would include a united research agenda, interdisciplinary collaboration, enhanced student experiences and unified leadership.

"Integrating our health sciences in these ways promises to strengthen internal and external connections and help us realize our full potential as a leader in One Health," Guskiewicz said. "We are excited about exploring the ideas of one Michigan State College of Medicine, a new College of Health Professions and an Institute for Collaborative Biomedical Research."

Before a final decision is made, Guskiewicz said, the university will engage with additional stakeholders, including during town halls, to ensure "comprehensive consideration of each potential option."

"As we continue these conversations, I’m encouraged by the enthusiasm with which many health care leaders on and off campus have embraced this vision for rewriting the playbook for inter-professional medical education and reframing the way we train physicians, other health care providers and biomedical researchers for the future," Guskiewicz said.