DU scientists care deeply about clear vistas and clean air

Not all public schools are created equal. Some operate in areas supported by robust tax bases that underwrite everything from a rich menu of course offerings to multifaceted arts programs and enhanced counseling services. Others struggle to afford routine maintenance, much less offer programs for students speaking English as a second language.

With an eye toward addressing disparities in rural and underserved communities, the Morgridge College of Education implemented ECHO DU, a pilot program created in partnership with Project ECHO, a groundbreaking provider of distance education. In the coming years, ECHO DU will aim to ensure that children and schools get the right services and interventions in the right place at the right time.

“Students across our great state—from our cities and suburbs to our mountain towns and most rural regions—deserve access to high-quality education,” Chancellor Rebecca Chopp explained, adding that the Project ECHO/DU collaboration allows the college to explore “how 21st-century technology can improve lives and set all of Colorado’s students on a path for success.”

Morgridge—one of the only entities outside the field of medicine to partner with Project ECHO—hopes to demonstrate the improved outcomes and reduced costs that can result when world-class distance learning is combined with DU expertise.

To help accelerate innovation in the health care ecosystem, the University of Denver announced plans in summer 2018 to lease space in a biotechnology hub operated by Denver’s new Catalyst HTI (Healthcare Technology Initiative), the first facility of its kind in the U.S.

DU is one of three academic institutions to join this collaboration among private enterprise and academic and nonprofit partners. Expected to use the space are faculty and students from five DU programs: Daniels College of Business, Graduate School of Professional Psychology, Graduate School of Social Work, Morgridge College of Education and University College.

Look for DU talent to contribute to projects focusing on social entrepreneurship possibilities in the health and well-being sectors; ways to increase engagement in mental health services; and cross-disciplinary care coordination, workflow and cybersecurity in population health.

Other Catalyst tenants include Kaiser Permanente, the American Heart Association, Hitachi Consulting and dozens of health-tech startups.