Several Pamplin administrators visited Carilion Clinic’s Transfer and Communications Center (CTaC) in Roanoke, Virginia in July. The command center facilitates patient admissions and transfers and spearheads policies that improve patient flow and communications through the clinic’s system.

The visit was an opportunity for Pamplin to see the Carilion center in action and to explore opportunities for working together as another natural extension of the ongoing Virginia Tech Carilion partnership, said Joe Simpson, a faculty member in the Department of Management and director of Virginia Tech’s Integrated Security Education and Research Center (ISERC).

“CTaC has become a model for centralized hospital command centers not only in the United States but around the globe,” said Melanie Morris, senior director of CTaC. She added that the center has hosted about 100 visiting groups, including many from abroad, seeking to learn more about its operations.

Collaborations with ISERC, Morris said, could include promoting job opportunities at Carilion for Virginia Tech graduates in such areas as business intelligence, data analytics, and fintech; creating and coordinating mock crisis scenarios with ISERC as learning opportunities for students and faculty; and sharing expertise that could help improve the command center’s operations.

Carilion Clinic officials reciprocated with a visit to ISERC on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg in September to continue the discussions about potential partnerships.