LANCASTER, Pa. - Franklin & Marshall College and Clinic for Special Children (Strasburg, Pa.) and Lancaster General today announced a five-year partnership that will strengthen all three institutions. The announcement was made at The Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, Pa.
"Today we announce the beginning of a long, productive partnership," said Franklin & Marshall President John Fry. "Together, we are inaugurating a relationship that will help Lancaster sustain The Clinic for Special Children, while enhancing the quality of science education at Franklin & Marshall College and making a contribution to the applied sciences as they relate to the care of children at Lancaster General." Clinic co-founder (along with his wife Caroline) and MacArthur Fellow Dr. Holmes Morton also spoke at the event. "The children who come to the Clinic for Special Children medical care inspire students to learn," he said. "These children make students, and physicians, interested in complex subjects like genetics, biochemistry, physiology, and embryology. The children make all of us want to translate scientific knowledge into better medical care. We will find that this new collaboration will have inspired students, generated knowledge, and led to solutions to complex medical problems. In these, and other ways the collaboration will assure the future medical care for the children who have come to depend on the Clinic for Special Children. " Morton was awarded a five-year John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 2006. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grant-making institution dedicated to helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement in the human condition.
The partnership agreement between Franklin & Marshall and The Clinic for Special Children represents an ongoing commitment between the Clinic and the College and is highlighted by the following: • A series of "Clinic for Special Children MacArthur Lectures" These public lectures will be of general interest, but particularly addressed to students majoring in the sciences and to people from the scientific and medical professions.
Dr. Morton will give the inaugural lecture during the upcoming academic year. He will also give the keynote address in the College's opening festivities for its new $50 million Barshinger Life Sciences and Philosophy building that will bring together three distinctive departments--Biology, Psychology, and Philosophy--and two interdisciplinary programs--Biological Foundations of Behavior, as well as Scientific and Philosophical Studies of Mind-under one roof. Subsequent F&M MacArthur lectures already on the schedule will be given by Drs. Kevin Strauss and Erik Puffenberger, both of The Clinic for Special Children. Morton will also give a second McArthur lecture at a later date. • Biology 375 Seminar – Medical Genetics and the Plain People Drs. Morton, Puffenberger, and Strauss will teach a biology course at Franklin & Marshall that explores the effects of genetic diseases on the health of Amish and Mennonite children, and the effects of modern health care on the natural history of inherited diseases. The three taught this course at Franklin & Marshall in 2006 and it will now become a regular part of the College's curriculum. "Drs. Morton, Puffenberger, and Strauss have already enriched the curriculum at Franklin & Marshall through this course," said Dick Fluck, associate dean of the faculty at Franklin & Marshall. "Today's agreement ensures that these activities will continue." Morton, Puffenberger, and Strauss will also guest lecture in several other courses, including "Genetic Testing," and Franklin & Marshall's public health research course, and "Pregnancy Outcomes in American Women." Students who have completed Biology 375 will also be eligible to apply to do independent study and summer research at The Clinic. These studies can be projects that may involve laboratory work, in-depth study of a specific genetic disorder, or a paper on some aspect of population genetics or health care delivery. •Bioinformatics Program and Cell and Molecular Biology Teaching Laboratory Drs. Morton, Puffenberger, and Strauss will help establish a bioinformatics program at the College. Bioinformatics involves the integration of disciplines including genetics, computer science, and biochemistry to solve biological problems usually on the molecular level.
"We make constant use of bioinformatics as clinical and basic research tools at the Clinic for Special Children," said Dr. Morton. "F&M students and faculty would be able to become involved with our work in this area in many different ways. In addition, a new cell and molecular biology teaching laboratory will be established in the College's new Life Sciences and Philosophy building. A $500,000 gift from Lancaster General will support the partnership and the work of the teaching laboratory, including the kind of genetic research vital to work being done by Dr. Morton and the Clinic. "Lancaster General is pleased to partner with Franklin & Marshall College in yet another endeavor which will strengthen our mission of advancing the health and well-being of the communities of Lancaster," said Tom Beeman, President & CEO, Lancaster General health system. "It is not often we are presented with the opportunity to support an endeavor that recognizes one of our community's medical pioneers and advances clinical research and education." "Faculty and students from many disciplines at the College, the biology department in particular, are looking forward to working with these outstanding clinicians and scientists," said Fluck. • A Community Partnership The partnership between the College, the Clinic and Lancaster General will help to sustain all three institutions, enhancing the work of The Clinic by providing a strong community partnership while providing valuable resources for the applied sciences, including healthcare, that offer access to first-class scientists who have amassed a world-recognized record in genetics research. "This is an investment in our local community, in our Plain–sect neighbors, and also in world-class science being done right here in Lancaster County," said President Fry.
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