Increased collaboration among Atlanta’s universities and hospitals—Eds and Meds—would greatly increase new research, startups and improved health practices for citizens. It would also spawn more job and economic development opportunities in industries that, with over 340,000 jobs created, already make a larger contribution to the metro Atlanta economy than all of its Fortune 500 headquarters, according to a new study by Sam Williams at Georgia State University.

For the report “Atlanta Eds and Meds: Collaboration or Competition,” Williams looks at 15 of largest metro area colleges and universities and its nine major hospital brands that account for more than 90 percent of the region’s capacity. It includes his analysis of proprietary institutional data and more than 125 interviews conducted with Atlanta university and health care stakeholders.

“While other industry clusters including supply chain, financial technology and film have a robust industry partnership where competitors work as a team to grow jobs and lobby for support, Atlanta’s Eds and Meds are not among best practice cities for this ‘co-opetition,” said Williams, assistant director for external relations for the Urban Studies Institute at Georgia State. “Best practice cities have a robust collaboration for specific research between universities and hospitals. Several cities have created a ‘Grand Plan’ where local governments and Eds and Meds actively collaborate and share assets to create innovation districts that foster startup ventures.”

Despite the lack of an organized cluster, medical research in Atlanta has found breakthroughs for HIV/AIDS, EBOLA and other diseases. Atlanta’s Eds and Meds got a glimpse of what collaboration can achieve with their participation in Operation Warp Speed, the federally funded initiative to develop COVID testing procedures and vaccines. 

The COVID-19 pandemic forced Georgia’s public health agencies, hospitals and universities to improve their cooperation with CDC’s encouragement. However, the historic separation of public health versus individual health care has exposed weaknesses in responding to pandemics.

A Grand Plan best practice would expand collaborations, encouraging local governments and Eds and Meds to develop and execute written agreements among themselves, committing to investment, collaboration and the creation of innovation districts where Eds and Meds and private companies operate in research and corporate buildings.

The University System of Georgia encourages state universities to collaborate. The Georgia Research Alliance funds 72 eminent scholars at Georgia’s research universities, the region’s largest collaborative

project. Among hospitals in metro Atlanta there is some collaboration, but the larger systems are more competitive. Emory Healthcare, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Grady and the Veterans Hospital have strong partnerships due to doctors caring for their patients, many of whom are professors or researchers from Emory and Morehouse Medical Schools. The potential is there.

The report offers proposals to significantly increase collaboration and the value of the Eds and Meds sector to the Atlanta economy, suggesting:

• Public health agencies, hospitals and public health schools develop a strong working relationship, learning from the current pandemic and preparing for the next crisis.
• Universities and hospitals work together to form a partnership to recruit entry-level employees to help fill current vacancies, which could also reduce income disparities in metro Atlanta.
• State and local governments and chambers of commerce recognize Eds and Meds as a business cluster, with a significant increase to state investment to the Georgia Research Alliance. 
• Atlanta learn from best practice cities and create a Grand Plan whereas local governments and regional economic development entities develop and maintain a formal agreement with the regions’ Eds and Meds leaders.
• Hospitals and universities who have not joined existing collaborations be invited to join them, without demands that they share research or clinical practices across the board. 
• Highly respected organizations, such as the Georgia Research Alliance, the Global Health Crisis Coordination Center or a new group help Eds and Meds leaders expand collaboration.