Research is defined as the careful and diligent search for knowledge and experience to help expand basic scientific understanding, grow the practice of medicine, and ultimately improve the delivery of healthcare.

The addition of a small laboratory in 1926 marked the beginning of research at Akron General Medical Center. In 1987, the Kenneth Calhoun Research Laboratory officially opened to facilitate resident projects. Today, residents and staff have access to this 10,000 square-foot facility for gaining advanced experience with basic science and biomechanical research, with a focus on clinical issues - the real life problems that physicians encounter in practicing medicine.

Akron General physicians, residents and medical students benefit from collaboration with a team of research professionals, who are available to assist in all areas of the research process. These include project development, technical procedures, data analysis, grant applications and preparing presentations and publications. Patients benefit from access to preventive and cutting edge therapies and devices. The community benefits because we continually strive to incorporate research into everyday practice and use research to identify the most up-to-date treatments for patients.

Akron General Medical Center has over fifty years of graduate and undergraduate medical education experience with hundreds of physician academicians trained in an atmosphere of academic inquiry, scholarly activity and patient centered care. That legacy continues today with over one hundred and fifty resident physicians participating in training, an affiliation with a major medical school, and over one hundred medical students per year participating in one of our many academic teaching teams.

Basic Science Lab Studies
Basic science research is conducted in areas such as biomechanics, wound healing, cancer, immunology, physiology and biochemistry. The laboratory has technical staff available to perform a variety of cellular and molecular procedures including tissue culture, fluorescent microscopy, high performance liquid chromatography, immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting. The lab also has materials testing devices (Instron) and a prototype machine shop. Computer capabilities include computer modeling and image analysis/digital imaging.

The Kenneth Calhoun Lab performs a variety of services with Kent State University, The University of Akron, and the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Pharmacy. We actively collaborate with major area teaching institutions (Children’s Hospital of Akron, Summa Health System) as well as biomedical companies requiring specific extpertise in our core research areas.

Our core areas of basic science research include:

• Biomaterials and Biomechanical Testing
• Bone and Joint Computer Modeling
• Tissue Engineering
• Tumor Cell Invasion and Metastasis
• Wound Healing

We are also proud to play an important role in the Consortium for Wound Healing and Research which helps tie all these organizations together.