Local opinion: Academic medicine partnership drives $59 billion in economic impact

Ten years ago, the University of Arizona and Banner Health formed a transformational partnership with a clear purpose: to strengthen health care delivery, medical education and clinical research across the state.

It brought together the state’s preeminent public research university and its largest nonprofit health system — two distinct institutions aligned around a shared mission to serve Arizona’s growing needs. Together, we set out to train more physicians and health care professionals, expand access to care and accelerate discoveries that improve lives.

As Arizona’s population grows, so does the demand for physicians and nurses, along with advanced care closer to home. Together, we are working to meet this demand by educating nearly 1,000 medical students annually and training more than 1,300 residents and fellows each year across more than 80 programs and six hospitals — operating one of the largest graduate medical education programs in the country.

Our commitment to strengthening Arizona’s health care workforce has resulted in Banner becoming the largest private employer in Arizona, with its academic division supporting 33,000 direct and indirect jobs, and the University of Arizona deepening its role as Southern Arizona’s largest employer with more than 14,000 faculty and staff — a keystone of the region’s economy and workforce.

In addition to strengthening health care delivery, we have made a significant economic impact in Arizona. In its first 10 years, the partnership has generated $59 billion in economic output and tens of thousands of jobs. Comparatively, that is three times the cumulative impact of all Major League Baseball spring training activities in Arizona over the past 80 years.

During the past decade, Banner has invested more than $2 billion in capital projects supporting more than 12,000 construction jobs to build some of the most advanced health care spaces in the state with new hospital expansions in Tucson and Phoenix. Educational, training and simulation spaces have been built and improved thanks to more than $400 million in investments from the University of Arizona.

Building on this economic foundation, we’ve also recruited nationally recognized talent and developed the most sophisticated tools and research to provide comprehensive cancer services, the state’s highest-rated heart transplant program and extraordinary neuroscience advancements. And we’ve seen new treatments and technologies come to life through 600 joint clinical trials, with medical and scientific breakthroughs reaching Arizona patients faster than ever.

We may impact millions of people, but it is the care of each individual Arizonan that matters most — from the newborn twins who received the state’s first fetal surgery to the young mother whose cancer was cured with a personalized immunotherapy vaccine.

These lives improved, careers launched and communities served are why the economic data carry such weight. This is academic medicine in action — not just on campuses or in hospitals, but across a state with growing needs and boundless potential for health care innovation. Our model for academic medicine supports the health care demands of the state while also driving economic development through jobs, construction, taxes and innovation.

Ten years ago, this partnership was a vision with strong support from the Arizona Board of Regents. Today, it’s an impactful model. And tomorrow, we’ll keep moving forward together. Our next decade will leverage pioneering technologies to improve patient experiences and outcomes. We’ll continue building access, world-class clinical care and life-saving research, and educating and training the next generation of health care providers.

Our collaboration is rooted in service, shaped by science and strengthened by people who care deeply about Arizona. This shared commitment, coupled with such a strong record of accomplishment and significant clinical, societal and economic contributions, sets a very bright future for Arizona.