Baylor intends to expand global reach
By Lori Williams
Baylor College of Medicine has a long history of involvement with global health, starting with Dr. Michael E. DeBakey's pioneering heart surgeries that reached patients around the world.
More recently, the Baylor Pediatric AIDS Initiative founded by Dr. Mark Kline, chair of pediatrics at BCM and physician-in-chief at Texas Children's Hospital, has changed the face of the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
BCM's global reach is poised to expand with the establishment of the Center for Globalization, launched with a $5 million gift from BCM Trustee Wallace S. Wilson.
The center will serve as an umbrella for BCM's existing international programs, as well as new global initiatives in education, research and patient care.
"We have outlined a strategy for extending Baylor's reach around the world," said Dr. Paul Klotman, BCM President and CEO. "Mr. Wilson has been extremely supportive of this vision and is ensuring that we recruit the best leaders and develop the right structures to strategically coordinate all of our activities."
Wilson, the retired chairman of the board of Wilson Industries, has been a member of the BCM board since 2000.
"My hope is that the Center for Globalization will broaden Baylor's worldwide presence and impact," Wilson said. "New collaborations and partnerships are essential and I'm proud to be part of this effort."
The college has existing academic partnerships in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe and research projects in 33 countries. But as the world has become flatter, Baylor's global impact should be greater, according to Klotman.
"Along with the expertise in research, education and patient care we offer, we will explore all avenues of sharing the medical advances we are developing at Baylor throughout the world more efficiently."
Dr. Navneet Kathuria, BCM's chief performance improvement officer, is leading the College's establishment of the Center for Globalization. Working with an advisory group appointed by Klotman, he has begun the search process for a director for the Center for Globalization.
