New U of A Health Sciences Innovation Building to Foster Collaboration among Multidisciplinary Teams

The last steel beam was put into place recently at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Innovation Building project in Tucson, Arizona, a world-class center designed to be the vanguard for interprofessional, team-based health professions education in the United States.

Kitchell broke ground on the $165-million facility last year. Designed by CO Architects with Swaim Architects, the 10-story, 220,000-square-foot building is located on the west side of the Arizona Health Sciences Campus, north of the Bio5 building off East Helen Street and North Cherry Avenue. The project is envisioned to foster collaboration among multidisciplinary teams of students and faculty in all four colleges: medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Classrooms can accommodate as many as 150 people in a flexible “flipped classroom” format, which prioritizes group work over lectures. The building also includes a special events space that allows for more than 1,000 people.

Among other advances, the Health Sciences Innovation Building is designed to:

  • Close the gap between new technology and modern medical education by expanding the Arizona Simulation Technology and Education Center
  • Offer flexible, large, medium and small group/team learning areas and clinical labs and simulation centers for a broad spectrum of instructional applications
  • Improve human health by preparing collaboration-ready graduates who will advance medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health
  • Launch valuable public-private partnerships to tap cognitive diversity and expertise
  • Move healthcare forward by enhancing research and the development of specialized hardware and software
  • Attract and retain the best health sciences students, faculty, researchers and thought leaders

 

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