Rowan, Virtua Health and community partners celebrate new research center

Rowan University marked a major milestone in its research enterprise Wednesday as leaders from Rowan, Virtua Health and local government gathered to cut the ribbon on the new Virtua Health College Research Center, an advanced facility designed to accelerate biomedical discovery and innovation in South Jersey.

A major investment in research infrastructure
The VHC Research Center includes more than 20,000 square feet of laboratory space and will house multidisciplinary teams from across the University. The facility is home to the new Institute for Orthopedic & Neuromuscular Research and the Institute for Transplant & Regenerative Medicine Research, both focused on developing new approaches to disease treatment and patient care. 

Home to two new institutes and NJ AIM
The center also will support the New Jersey Accelerator for Innovation in Medtech (NJ AIM), a multi-location Strategic Innovation Center in Camden and Mullica Hill focused on the research, development and commercialization of novel medical technologies and devices.

President Ali A. Houshmand said the center represents another significant step in Rowan’s growth and development as a magnet for innovation and investment in South Jersey.

“We have all the resources to make South Jersey a new Silicon Valley,” Houshmand said. “This building will serve as a catalyst for future development in biomedical sciences and technology. Rowan’s West Campus will be a regional hub for health care innovation, advanced manufacturing and workforce development.”

Rowan-Virtua partnership reaches new heights
In 2021, Rowan partnered with Virtua Health, the region’s largest health care provider, to create the Virtua Health College of Medicine & Life Sciences of Rowan University. The college includes three schools: Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine; Rita & Larry Salva School of Nursing & Health Professions; and Rowan-Virtua School of Translational Biomedical Engineering & Sciences.

Jennifer Khelil, D.O., executive vice president and chief clinical officer for Virtua Health, said the center reflects the continued growth of the partnership between Rowan and Virtua, which began five years ago with a shared goal of transforming health care education and expanding research in the region.

“This research center represents what happens when institutions refuse to rest on reputation and instead stay relentlessly focused on the future,” Khelil said. “The discoveries made here will move directly into clinics, hospitals and communities, helping patients across South Jersey and beyond live longer, healthier lives.”

Research with direct impact on patients and communities
Khelil said the facility also demonstrates how collaboration between academic and health care partners can accelerate scientific discovery and improve patient care.

“Five years ago, a building like this felt like a distant goal—a dream, really,” Khelil said. “Today, we stand in front of physical proof that anything is possible when you have a vision and you put in the work.”

Dianne Langford, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor of Virtua Health College of Medicine & Life Sciences and dean of the Rowan-Virtua School of Translational Biomedical Engineering & Sciences, highlighted the real-world impact the facility is expected to have on patients and communities.

“I want you to envision the amazing discoveries that will be made here that will have a very positive impact on your life and the lives of your loved ones,” Langford said.

Engineered for interprofessional collaboration
Richard Jermyn, D.O., vice chancellor of VHC and dean of Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, emphasized the center’s role in advancing a unified, interprofessional approach to health care education and research.

“This new research center is the heartbeat of our mission—a place where faculty, clinicians and students come together to drive discovery and turn it into real care,” Jermyn said.

He noted that the facility was intentionally designed to foster collaboration across disciplines, preparing students for team-based care while accelerating innovation.

“When you bring together mission-aligned partners committed to excellence in education, patient care and research, the possibilities are limitless,” Jermyn said.

N.J. Assemblyman Bill Moen, a 2009 Rowan alumnus, highlighted the University’s growth over the last decade.

“Rowan is growing faster and farther than many people could ever have imagined, and today, alongside our elected officials, we know that this celebration of another tremendous milestone is one of many,” Moen said. “The Virtua Health College Research Center is a partnership that will elevate Rowan, elevate South Jersey and biomedical innovation.”

Following the program, speakers and guests gathered for the ceremonial ribbon cutting. The event concluded with guided tours of the facility, offering attendees a first look at the center’s state-of-the-art laboratories, imaging technology and collaborative research spaces.

Part of Rowan’s growing West Campus vision
Among the nation’s top 100 public universities and the fastest-growing public research university in the Northeast, Rowan recently announced plans for a transformative $690 million, 220-acre West Campus Development Project—an integrated district for health, manufacturing innovation and workforce development that is expected to generate more than 5,000 jobs and reshape economic growth in South Jersey.