via The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix
Mayor Gordon at the groundbreaking ceremony
The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix began construction today on the Health Sciences Education Building at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus (PBC), located at 600 E. Van Buren St. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, Councilman Michael Johnson and Stuart Flynn, M.D., Dean of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix moved the first dirt in the construction of the $129-million building, that will allow expansion of the medical education facilities.
“Even in a treacherously down economy, our city has remained committed to forging ahead when it comes to attracting bioscience research jobs, education jobs, and creating new doctors who will save lives,” said Mayor Gordon. “This building and our partnership with the university embodies the collaborative spirit that has made our success possible. When the Health Sciences building opens and we’re graduating 120 new doctors a year, we’ll look back on this day as a landmark.”
The College of Medicine – Phoenix anchors the PBC and currently hosts 168 medical students, admitting 48 per year, with the completion of this building the college will be able to grow its class size to 120 students per year to meet the demand of Arizona’s growing population.
“Today highlights the city’s commitment to building a knowledge-based economy in bioscience research and education,” said Dr. Flynn. “Located on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, this building embodies the collaborative environment where current and future doctors will learn side-by-side with pharmacists, nurses and allied health workers to advance science and improve patient care.”
“This is an important milestone; it marks our significant effort to create jobs and build a brighter future in our community though health care and scientific education,” said Councilman Johnson, in whose district the building is located. “Once this building is complete, all three state universities will have a presence in Downtown Phoenix.”
Also on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus are the UA College of Pharmacy and the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, the headquarters of the Translational Genomics Research Institute and International Genomics Consortium and the Arizona Biomedical Collaborative building.
DPR Construction and Sundt Construction will jointly build the new six-story, 264,000-square-foot facility, scheduled for completion in summer 2012. The building was designed by CO Architects and Ayers Saint Gross.
