More than 100 years ago, a group of forward-thinking central Ohioans recognized the value of integrating medical education with innovative research and science-based care. From that foundation grew seven health science colleges and a school of health and rehabilitation sciences. Today, The Ohio State University is one of the most comprehensive health science campuses in the nation. The academic institution continues to lead health care expansion through innovation and a growth mindset. This sets the standard for academic medical centers of the future, creating dynamic research spaces and inventive clinical and learning environments.
The size and scale of Ohio State’s efforts to transform the way medical care is learned, advanced and delivered is starting to come into view. Progress on multiple renovations, construction projects and new facilities are changing more than the campus and community landscape — they’re revolutionizing health education and care.
“We need modern tools, technology and state-of-the-art environments to practice 21st century medicine and provide innovative clinical care,” says Carol R. Bradford, MD, MS, FACS, dean of The Ohio State University College of Medicine. “Our new health care education facility is designed to ensure our learners, researchers and practitioners continue to lead scientific discovery.”
The Ohio State College of Medicine’s Anatomy Wing, a three-story, 42,000-square-foot addition to Hamilton Hall as part of the new Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Center (IHSC), opened in January 2022, and includes six large dissection rooms with capacity for 115 tables. With modern laboratory technology and flexible spaces, the facility enables a learning experience that is both multifaceted and collaborative. Instructors can project live demonstrations from the “command center,” which is equipped with high-tech surgical lights and a high-definition camera. Learners can view the demonstrations via TVs in the laboratory in real time and revisit recordings using their iPads.
The Classroom Wing, which is included in the second phase of construction at Hamilton Hall, will deliver flexible classroom designs, allowing educators to meet expansive and diverse educational needs. There is space for interdisciplinary collaboration among learners and spaces for people to meet, study and relax. The Classroom Wing is slated to open in July 2023.
The Hamilton Hall Wing, which is part of the third phase of construction, will open in January 2024. It will house the leadership and administrative support services for the College of Medicine as well as beautiful event space in the Forum and food and beverage options in the café.
Ohio State is taking a major step forward with the development of a new inpatient hospital, which will combine state-of-the-art diagnostic, treatment and inpatient services, outstanding clinical training and world-class patient care. The 1.9 million-square-foot inpatient hospital is the largest single facilities project ever undertaken at Ohio State. The inpatient hospital nearly doubles the existing number of rooms to 820 and provides private-room settings equipped to elevate patient-centered care and accommodate the growing demand for high-acuity care. Scheduled to open in 2026, the new inpatient hospital will facilitate teaching team-based health care and the adoption of new technology.
Construction on the Interdisciplinary Research Facility, located at Carmenton, is 80% complete. The five-story building, with a basement, will house both wet and dry laboratories and serve researchers across the university. Two floors will be dedicated to The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, including the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology. The facility is scheduled to open in June 2023.
“This new facility leverages the brilliant minds across one of the largest universities in the world to come together and collaborate to solve some of life’s most pressing challenges,” says Peter Mohler, PhD, vice president of Research at The Ohio State University and chief scientific officer of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine. “By working together in one space, scientists can explore solutions more easily and advance the translational science at a quicker pace.”
Expanding access to high-quality care
The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center continues to grow its convenient access to primary and specialty care services in central Ohio with the opening of Outpatient Care Dublin. The $161.2 million, 272,000-square-foot building is the second of three outpatient care centers that are part of the medical center’s strategic expansion of outpatient services. The goal is to offer patients access to the advanced health care of Ohio State’s nationally ranked experts in a convenient community setting — right in their own neighborhood.
Ensuring access to health care increases participation in preventive care, which in turn keeps patients healthier and engages them in health and cancer screenings.
At the Dublin location, patients can have multiple appointments with different health care providers all in the same place — and often on the same day. Patients can take care of all their major health care needs, from prevention to surgery, in just one building.
Ohio State has remained on the leading edge of discovery and patient care while staying true to its enduring land-grant mission commitment to serve people and communities across the state.
“We are creating new environments that inspire new ways of collaborating, new approaches to problem-solving and new ideas to explore and evaluate,” Dr. Bradford says. “When discovery, care and education have no boundaries, our future accomplishments are limitless.”