With an estimated cost of $280 million, the building represents the largest single-project funding package in UofL’s history. The State of Kentucky has allocated $260 million toward the project, with the university providing the remaining $20 million.

“Today marks more than the start of a new building. It reflects a bold commitment to the future of health in our community and across Kentucky,” said President Gerry Bradley. “This new health sciences facility will accelerate discovery, strengthen our workforce and expand access to high-quality care. It’s an investment in people, in partnership and a powerful step toward building healthier lives, stronger families and a more resilient region.”

The , located along Preston Street from Chestnut to Gray, will be a connecting point for the UofL Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing and Public Health and Information Sciences. The building features extensive medical simulation facilities, along with dedicated spaces for learning, research and work. The six-story, 257,000-square-foot structure will enable UofL to increase enrollment in health professions programs to meet existing and future health care workforce demands.

“Investing in the UofL Health Sciences Center is a direct investment in the future of Kentucky’s economy. By modernizing how we train our next generation of nurses, doctors and dentists through simulation training, we are ensuring that our commonwealth remains a leader in health care innovation,” said Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers. “A healthy workforce is the backbone of a strong economy, and this facility will provide the critical infrastructure needed to train the next generation of health care professionals to serve the people of the commonwealth.”Ěý

The space is designed to facilitate interdisciplinary learning, instilling a collaborative, interprofessional approach to health sciences. The goal is to advance health professions education, empowering the next generation of health care providers to improve health and health care for people in Louisville, across Kentucky and beyond.

“Building a strong and resilient economy for Kentucky families starts with investing in people – those including our health care workforce. This state-of-the-art simulation facility will give students the hands-on training they need to master complex clinical skills before ever entering a hospital room,” said David Osborne, speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives. “By modernizing health care education, we are strengthening the pipeline of highly trained professionals ready to meet the demands of a 21st-century economy. Ultimately, this investment will lead to better care, improved outcomes and healthier communities across the commonwealth.”

The building’s modular classroom and conference spaces, research labs and workspaces are designed with the needs of learners and instructors in mind. UofL’s School of Public Health and Information Sciences will be completely housed within the building, while other spaces are customized for the Schools of Dentistry, Medicine and Nursing.

Extensive simulation facilities will incorporate the latest technology where health professions students, residents and clinical professionals can gain practical skills training. Jarrod Young, , is leading the development, integration and strategic direction of the simulation spaces.

“This groundbreaking is an investment in Louisville’s future,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. “By uniting education, research and hands-on training, UofL’s new Health Sciences Building will grow the next generation of health care professionals, strengthen our workforce, improve health outcomes for people across Kentucky and reinforce Louisville’s role as a leading medical and education hub for Kentucky and beyond.”

The structure is infused with an emphasis on collaboration, engagement and wellbeing for those who use each space, with formal and informal working and gathering spaces, natural light and easy access to landscaped outdoor spaces. Casual dining and seating options encourage personal interaction. Abundant windows are enhanced with a unique scrim to prevent glare and heat gain, while still taking advantage of sunlight. The space provides multiple opportunities to access nature with plantings along the perimeter, terraced outdoor space and a microforest of dense natural landscaping on the building’s south side.

The building sits along the main corridor of the and borders the , which is improving walkability, health and safety by enhancing walkways and adding trees and green spaces to the streetscape.

The building design is a product of architects Champlin | EOP with Perkins&Will, and Messer construction is the general contractor. Construction is expected to be completed in 2029.

To learn more, visit the .ĚýView a of the construction site.

See the complete gallery of photos from the .

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Jennifer E. Thompson, a pediatrician and May 2022 graduate of the health profession certificate, says she has found new ways to improve her teaching through the coursework offerings.

“I have learned so much and have been so impressed with the quality of instruction, dedication to education, and inspiration to ’magnify the impact’ with our own learners,” Thompson said. “I have been set up to succeed with teaching tools that I can use in the clinical setting, and I have new knowledge about the science of learning to help my students learn.”

Through a collaboration between the College of łÉČËÖ±˛Ą and Human Development and the School of Medicine, the new master’s degree program is delivered through flexible online courses and is designed for those already teaching in the health care field who want to hone their educational leadership skills.

Program director Staci Saner noticed there were opportunities to revise the curriculum to include more clinically relevant scenarios and expand the certification to a full-degree option.

“We needed to bring in more evidence-based information to help these faculty-students understand why we do simulations and how we teach on the fly,” Saner said. “Medical education is often a revolving door, and a medical student may spend no more than three days with an attending physician who is completing their service rotation.”

She went on to explain how a doctor may have several residents, medical students, and perhaps a fellow assigned to them, as they conduct patient care. The students may spend very little time with the attending physician before a new doctor comes in for their service rotation.

“So how do we make these moments educational and make sure that teaching takes place – that’s what I felt we wanted to address,” Saner said.

Saner, an alumna of the College of łÉČËÖ±˛Ą and Human Development, began her work on the curriculum as a course project.

“My final course project as a student was to revamp the curriculum to add more of the things that were missing based on my previous experience as a teacher-educator and based on what I saw in my role as director of Health Sciences Center faculty development,” she explained. “I wanted to bring in more applied pieces and make sure that at the end of every class, there was one takeaway the faculty-students could use the following day in the hospital setting.”

Partnering with Laura Weingartner, research director for Health Professions łÉČËÖ±˛Ą and Marie Brown, interim associate provost for Teaching and Innovation, the curriculum was redesigned to include competencies and assessments to ensure students reach specific proficiencies. Since medical education and training varies from one discipline to another, the renewed goal of the program is to provide more opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and to introduce new ways of teaching and assessing for health professions faculty.

Graduates of the certificate program will be able to apply their coursework toward the newly launched master’s program. Learn more on the

Nina Marijanovic contributed to this article.Ěý