Talent & Workforce
Cleveland+ is the first and last stop for medical imaging companies looking for talent with the critical experience and expertise to translate cutting-edge imaging research into state-of-the-art clinical care and successful commercial products.
The region boasts a deep talent pool in medical imaging across the employment spectrum, developed through the founding of major imaging companies, as well as the acquisitions of Technicare and USA Instruments by GE Medical, and of Picker International by Philips Medical – who still maintain strong presence in the region because of their access to top Northeast Ohio researchers, scientists and employees.
Total imaging employment in Northeast Ohio is estimated at 8,000; including 3,000 employees serving the 55+ imaging companies in the region and 5,000 imaging faculty, researchers, clinicians, suppliers, technicians and direct care providers.
Additionally, Ohio employs over 81,000 workers in specialized occupations applicable to the biomedical industry, including computer software engineers, biomedical engineers, physicists, electrical and mechanical engineers.
There are also 40,000 manufacturing workers currently employed in the region that could meet future production workforce needs of medical imaging companies. Due to favorable commute times, an above average transportation system and a positive work culture, companies are also able to draw workers from a wider geography and deeper pool than other similar size markets.
To move biomedical imaging expertise to the next level, the State of Ohio’s Third Frontier program awarded one of its largest grants of $24 mm in the Ohio Research Scholars Program to the biomedical imaging arena. The grant supports a total of five endowed research positions including two at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University (CWRU).
Graduates of these programs are in high demand by imaging companies. Referring to his students in the Imaging Physics group, Professor Robert Brown of CWRU said, “I don’t even write letters of recommendation anymore – they just get hired.”
In fact, many of the area’s best medical imaging engineers, researchers and scientists are trained at CWRU, ranked as one of the top private research universities in the nation. CWRU is prominent in the field, with well established collaborations in biomedical engineering, medicine and industry.
Synergies in research and development have resulted in the formation of 20 regional companies based on CWRU technology and/or led by CWRU graduates – and the opportunity for more start-ups remains strong.
Other Cleveland+ colleges and universities also provide a pipeline of workers as well as customized training for medical imaging companies. In addition to CWRU, Cleveland State University and The University of Akron are known for their biomedical engineering expertise, while community colleges such as Cuyahoga Community College, Lakeland Community College and Lorain Community College develop technical capabilities for biomedical businesses.
A variety of programs and degrees, from certificates to Ph.D.s, allows Cleveland+ medical imaging companies to find the right mix of skill sets for their businesses, including: