Grand Rapids’ Medical Infrastructure
Grand Rapids has seen more than $2 billion of investment in health sciences and biomedical research facilities in the past two decades, transforming the city into a hub of healthcare research, education and infrastructure. You’ll find some of the most significant developments listed below.
Grand Rapids’ 500+ hospitals, research facilities, and academic institutions attract some of the world’s brightest minds and elite medical professionals. Each of these specialized institutions gives planners access to a valuable pool of medical leaders and experts that make impactful session and keynote speakers.
You can even host a meeting in the heart of downtown GR’s Medical Mile, one of the nation’s hottest life-sciences corridors. The Daniel and Pamella DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health, located on Grand Valley State University’s Medical Mile health campus, can accommodate groups from 16 to 180.
The Experience Grand Rapids team can help you leverage the region’s medical infrastructure to support your meeting, conference or convention. Contact EXGR National Sales Manager Laura Greiner for more information.
Hospitals and Centers of Care
- Corewell Health is one of the nation’s top 15 health systems. Its downtown campus on the Medical Mile is home to Butterworth acute-care hospital, the Lemmon-Holton Cancer Pavilion, Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center, and the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
- Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital is the nGrand Rapids Women’s Healthation’s most comprehensive rehabilitation provider. It is partnering with Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital to open the Joan Secchia Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital in 2026.
- Trinity Health Grand Rapids is located a mile south of the Medical Mile campus. This bed acute care hospital is also home to the Lacks Cancer Center, and the Hauenstein Neurosciences Center.
- University of Michigan Health-West, part of the 170-acre Metro Health Village, is an acute-care osteopathic teaching hospital affiliated with Ann Arbor’s award-winning health system.
- Grand Rapids Women’s Health is the largest independent OB/GYN practice in West Michigan, offering a comprehensive array of services.
The MSU Grand Rapids Research Center serves as a hub for biomedical research, providing a platform for collaboration and innovation within the Big Ten Academic Alliance.
Photo by Nick Irwin for Experience GR.
Research and Academic Institutions
- Van Andel Institute (VAI) is an independent biomedical research institution that jump-started a multi-billion dollar investment in the Medical Mile. The medical-research facility is dedicated to research in cancer, Parkinson’s, and other chronic diseases.
- Michigan State University (MSU) Grand Rapids Research Center is a biomedical research facility designed as a collaborative space to help MSU students and partners tap into the Big Ten Academic Alliance (one of the best-funded research alliances in the world).
- The Doug Meijer Medical Innovation Building is a seven-story facility housing office space, collaborative spaces, clinical areas and a world-class radiopharmacy at BAMF Health, all aimed at driving synergy among academic medicine, healthcare delivery systems and industry partners.
- Ferris State University College of Pharmacy is home to third- and fourth-year pharmacy students and serves as a hub for collaboration among other educational institutions.
- Grand Valley State University Cook-Devos Center for Health Sciences houses the Kirkhof College of Nursing, in partnership with the Van Andel Institute.
- MSU College of Human Medicine – Secchia Center is home to more than 300 first- and second-year medical students and 20 principal investigators who research women’s health, Parkinson’s, and other chronic diseases.
- Calkins Science Center at Grand Rapids Community College is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories for students and researchers to engage in scientific exploration and experimentation.
- Calvin University Department of Nursing focuses on holistic wellness and academic excellence, with 100% of the department’s nursing graduates in graduate school or employed within a year of graduation.
Medical Device Manufacturers
The area’s 50+ medical device manufacturers and affiliated businesses include:
- Autocam Medical, a contract manufacturer of orthopedic implants, spinal implants, precision instruments and orthopedic cutting tools.
- LaCroix Electronics, ranked among the world's Top 50 Electronics Manufacturing Services.
- Medbio, providing premier and innovative manufacturing solutions to customers in the medical and biotech industries.
- Medisurge, offering specialty device manufacturing, sterilization management, warehouse and distributions services.
- Packaging Compliance Labs, serving the medical and pharmaceutical industries with packaging validation, engineering solutions and contract packaging.
- World Class Prototypes, delivering a comprehensive suite of services to bring medical device concepts to life.
These businesses are members of MIDevice, the only Michigan-based organization dedicated to medical device design, development, manufacturing and distribution.