Cleveland Clinic and Miami University are partnering to advance quantum computing education in health research.
Miami University will offer specialized degree programs in quantum computing with a focus on medical research, and establish a physical presence near Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Innovation District.
The Clinic houses the world’s first quantum computer fully dedicated to health care research. Quantum computing solves complex problems using quantum mechanics, or the study of nature at the level of atoms or smaller.
Students may be able to work on a dozen current Clinic research projects that have the potential to improve doctors’ understanding of health issues, such as how to detect a marker for cancer from a blood test.
The goal is to train students in both biomedical research and computational science at the same time, which are typically separate tracks, said Dr. Lara Jehi, Cleveland Clinic's chief research information officer.
She said it’s going to be a unique opportunity, because students will have six to nine months to learn how to use the technology and to collaborate on innovative research.
“This will give them time to really learn the material, interact with the research teams and gain a deeper level of knowledge than just some superficial course over the summer," Jehi said.
Students will have access to Clinic internships, and will collaborate on research there that could lead to a full-time job in one of the labs. She said students will also have the opportunity to develop their research into potential start-up ideas with Cleveland Clinic’s innovation team.
“We have a window now as physicians and biomedical researchers to shape how this technology is developed so that it helps our patients," Jehi said.
