The Delaware Health Sciences Alliance (DHSA) was established in 2009 with founding partners ChristianaCare, Nemours Children's Health, Thomas Jefferson University, and the University of Delaware. Since then, additional partners have joined including the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bayhealth Medical Center, and the Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association.
The alliance enables partner organizations to collaborate and conduct cutting-edge research, to improve the health of Delawareans through access to services in the state and region, and to educate the next generation of healthcare professionals.
The DHSA’s unique, broad-based partnership focuses on establishing innovative collaborations among experts in medical education and practice, health economics and policy, population sciences, public health, and biomedical sciences and engineering.
This report, and the work behind it, is an example of the fruits of collaboration. In this case, through our partnership with the Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association (Academy/DPHA). In addition, the original work conducted by DHSA and the Academy/DPHA which was the basis for the DIMER 50th Anniversary Report and subsequent annual reports, continues in this report as reflected in key data as well as the recommendations section.
As mentioned elsewhere in this report, Delaware Health Force is comprised of four programmatic components: the core data and research initiative upon which this report is based, the expansion of Delaware Mini Medical School, the expansion of Student Financial Aid for Delawareans, and the expansion of key graduate education and fellowship programs. The DHSA is pleased to support all these programs, in particular those which directly address the pipeline of Delawareans pursuing a career in the health sciences generally, and in medicine and dentistry in particular.