Empower Health for Our Urban Neighborhoods
Since our founding as a medical college in 1868, Wayne State has played a vital role in the health of Detroiters. More than just a collection of buildings in the heart of Detroit, our institution is a caring, collaborative community that is intertwined with the life, growth, well-being and progress of our city. Our position as a top-tier urban public research university offers opportunities to understand and confront real urban health challenges facing our urban families who we live, learn and work alongside.
Approximately one-third of our students are enrolled in health-related programs, and 40% of all physicians in Michigan received all or a portion of their training through Wayne State. Our health sciences faculty, students, researchers and providers learn, work and deliver care in every one of our major health care systems to improve access to treatments for metro Detroiters. What’s different about Wayne State is that we are immersed in the community, too. We provide care in churches, recreation centers, grocery stores, community hubs and more, addressing asthma, preterm birth, addictions, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions that are overrepresented in our urban neighborhoods.
From the Taylor Street Primary Care Clinic — which opened at the height of the pandemic and delivers care to local residents, many of whom are uninsured — to our partnership with local faith-based networks through the CHECK-UP program, to the street-level care being provided by the Wayne Health Mobile Unit, Wayne State is actively improving the health, well-being and quality of life for individuals and families throughout Detroit.
Despite the substantial impact of our efforts to date, there remains much unmet need in Detroit and throughout urban areas across Michigan. We must put our research into action to empower health and drive prosperity for our community. We must embrace the opportunity to embed in and with our community to positively alter the trajectory of lives around us through innovative partnerships, novel technologies and collective thinking. By unleashing our outstanding faculty to engage meaningfully with our community partners, we can expand cutting-edge care and address health disparities to build healthier, more resilient urban families and neighborhoods in Detroit and beyond.
