UNLV School of Medicine Founding Celebration; Architects Selected

UNLV School of Medicine Founding Scholarship Donors at our Founding Celebration

(At event but not in photo: Richard and Jerry Crawford)

Issue 13 - Sept. 22, 2015

Making the Rounds with Planning Dean Barbara Atkinson

Friends and Colleagues,

L to R: NSHE Regents Andrea Anderson, James Dean Leavitt and Kevin Page, Chancellor Dan Klaich, Regents Sam Lieberman and Mark Doubrava, and Vice Chancellor Marcia Turner

Last night, we celebrated the founding of the UNLV School of Medicine and the many people who have made it possible. Our school was officially established Aug. 22, 2014 when the Nevada System of Higher Education (NHSE) Board of Regents approved our two-year budget to cover start-up costs and submitted it to Gov. Brian Sandoval and the Nevada legislature.

Among the many guests in attendance were those who donated 60 four-year scholarships for our inaugural class. Their generous gift will help us recruit the best and brightest students. Then it will be our job to encourage these young doctors to establish their practices in Las Vegas or Nevada.

Dr. Atkinson and Hope Anstett

Along with state senate and assembly members who were essential in helping secure our legislative funding, the NHSE Board of Regents and staff, mayors and city council members from all three cities in the valley, the Clark County commission, and our Community Advisory Board were present at the celebration.

Finally, deep, personal thanks to the faculty and staff, who are remarkable individuals and who have worked tirelessly to build our school from the ground up. There's nothing like having a strong foundation when you're building a new medical school. I'm looking forward to many more celebrations as we achieve more milestones together.

Architects Selected for UNLV School of Medicine Building

Health Science Education building, Phoenix Biomedical Campus of the University of Arizona

I have more exciting news to share. We have selected architects to design the future UNLV School of Medicine building.

Following an exhaustive search and interview process, we are pleased to announce Tate Snyder Kimsey (TSK) from Henderson, Nevada, under the guidance of Windom Kimsey, FAIA, was selected as the principal design firm for our medical school. Teaming up with TSK is CO Architects from Los Angeles. James Simeo, lead architect with CO Architects is a well-known expert in medical education space design.

The process was comprehensive. Twelve local architecture firms submitted their qualifications. From this prestigious group, we narrowed it down to five. The finalists presented their designs to a committee composed of David Frommer, UNLV executive director of planning and construction, Bob Dincecco, director of planning and design, Lisa Schock, project manager, Kevin Raschko, assistant director of facilities management, Brandy Candelaria, purchasing contract administrator, my chief of staff, Maureen Schafer and me. We were enormously impressed with the quality and ideas of all the applicants. This wasn't an easy decision.

Ultimately, we chose TSK for their knowledge of the Las Vegas market, experience with managing sizable projects in the U.S., China and other countries, and design vision.

Once we had TSK on board, we turned our attention to firms with specific design experience in medical educational facilities. TSK participated in the day-long interview process of four national firms. We selected CO Architects based on the depth and breadth of their experience in the medical education space. In the past decade, they have designed 14 medical and health science educational buildings, five of which are new medical schools. Their creative designs recognize and celebrate the environment and region of each facility.

Throughout the process, we emphasized the importance of integrating our novel curriculum with effective design. Unlike other medical schools, we won't need big lecture halls or auditorium seating. Instead, we need thoughtful spaces designed for small group and team learning, and for individual study. Our hands-on curriculum will enable students to learn by solving medical problems in small interactive and informal groups.

What's next?

Redesign the Shadow Lane Campus to use in the interim;
Finalize contracts and develop a needs assessment for our building and compare with original estimate;
Work closely with the design team to ensure our future building fulfills the needs of our program; and
Solicit donors for the naming rights of the exterior and interior spaces of the building.

We're on our way! I want to give you all my heartfelt thanks, for your confidence in our work and ongoing support to achieve our mission.

Best wishes,

Barbara

Partners' Conference on Nevada's Expanded Medicaid Program

Portrait of smiling little school kids in school corridor

There is still time to register for our half-day conference on October 8. Check out our program. Topics include: Transitioning to patient-centered care; discussion and stakeholder input on the State Innovative Model grant Nevada received to design Medicaid payment and health care delivery programs; and how to better serve homeless Medicaid patients. For more information call (702) 895-0325.

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