Research that Saves Lives is at the Core of What We Do Here

There’s a lot of buzz in the Roanoke Region’s life science sector. The burgeoning innovation ecosystem is one of the region’s strongest clusters. More than 41,000 people are employed in nearly 300 firms, and jobs are expected to grow seven percent by 2029. This diverse sector includes clinical, research, biotech, and medical devices. Here are just a few of the major players contributing to this regional cluster:

• Anchored by Carilion Clinic, one of the largest health care companies in Virginia and the region’s largest employer (10,000 + employees and 67 physician specialties).
• HCA VA Health System operates two hospitals in the region and provides the full scope of healthcare services. Specialties include heart and vascular care with an accredited chest pain center.
• Veterans Administration Center is a tertiary referral center and teaching hospital, providing a full range of patient care services, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education and research.
• Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, located in downtown Roanoke, is a unique public-private partnership between a cutting-edge research university and a major health care institution, educating physician thought leaders through inquiry, research, and discovery.
• Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC makes transformative scientific advances in understanding and addressing the fundamental processes of human health and disease; trains the next generation of leading biomedical scientists; facilitates discovery-based medical education; and sustains and strengthens the Virginia Tech – Carilion partnership in order to develop one of the nation’s premier biomedical research environments.
• Area colleges and universities graduate more than 600 students annually (including approximately 400 at Virginia Tech) at all levels in the life sciences.
• Radford University Carilion offers 12 baccalaureate and associate degree health care programs.
• Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine is a post-baccalaureate professional medical college, located in the New River Valley.