The University’s internationally acclaimed blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) program has established a research and clinical care partnership with Manipal Hospital in Bangalore, India—the first arrangement of its kind for the University’s physician practice plan, University of Minnesota Physicians.
Led by Daniel Weisdorf, M.D., professor of medicine and chair of the University’s adult BMT program, the partnership aims to increase scientific collaboration and training opportunities for students and physicians from Minnesota and India and to provide state-of-the art cancer care for patients in Bangalore.
“This is a great opportunity for global collaboration at a very high level,” says Weisdorf. “We’re pleased to have our partners at Manipal join in providing high-quality transplantation therapy for their patients.”
University of Minnesota Physicians helped Manipal Hospital develop transplant protocols and provided training in Minnesota for the program’s physicians and in Bangalore for the nursing staff. Weisdorf also meets regularly with Manipal’s BMT physicians via teleconference.
Frank Cerra, M.D., senior vice president for health sciences, and Jonathan Ravdin, M.D., head of the Department of Medicine, attended the ceremonial opening of the new BMT program in Bangalore in October. They were among a delegation of leaders from the Medical School and School of Public Health who visited India last fall to facilitate research and clinical partnerships with a number of the country’s medical and health-care institutions.
