Making the Rounds at UNLV School of Medicine

Making the Rounds

November 3, 2020 Issue 261

Friends & Colleagues,

So it’s happened, courtesy of the nonprofit Nevada Health and Bioscience Corporation (NHBC) -- the UNLV School of Medicine is on its way to having its first permanent building in the Las Vegas Medical District. As promised by the NHBC and its donors, groundbreaking for our new 135,000 square foot, five-story Medical Education Building took place last week ahead of schedule. We expect the building, situated on Shadow Lane right across from the Valley Hospital Medical Center, will be ready to occupy by summer 2022. It will be, I am sure, a gift that keeps on giving by training the next generation of physicians to serve the needs of Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. In addition to providing a space to train physicians, such a gift is a catalyst for attracting new biomedical and pharmaceutical companies to diversify our economy. Of course, we thank the people of the NHBC again and again for their generosity. But we must thank them for more than funding a building. We must thank them for sharing their never-say-die spirit. The donors at NHBC have shown us that the very real needs of the community can be addressed, even when naysayers consistently put up roadblocks. NHBC has realized that working to better the health of the community is an enduring purpose, a call to arms without bloodshed or violence. That spirit is something we should all adopt if we are to move forward to create a better life for our community.

Marc J. Kahn, M.D.

Dean, UNLV School of Medicine

Accreditation Update

The medical school took a big step towards achieving full accreditation last week, wrapping up a visit by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). At the conclusion of the virtual visit, the LCME’s preliminary comments were positive. The committee will now review more than a thousand pages of prepared documents before making an official announcement in February regarding full accreditation. Currently, the medical school is on schedule in the process, carrying “provisional” accreditation status.

Medicine By The Numbers

Brain and Nervous System Cancer

Approximately 0.6 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with brain and other nervous system cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2015–2017 data.

In 2017, there were an estimated 168,494 people living with brain and other nervous system cancer in the United States.

Source: https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/brain.html

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Groundbreaking Ceremony

For Medical Education Building

Updated artist rendering of the UNLV School of Medicine Medical Education Building. The five-story 135,000 square foot structure is being built on the corner of Shadow and Pinto Lanes in Las Vegas. Completion is expected in 2022.

Not even a year has passed since Nevadans first heard of the Nevada Health & Bioscience Corporation (NHBC).

Make no mistake: No one will ever accuse this new nonprofit organization -- its mission is to develop healthcare education, research, clinical assets and programming in Nevada -- of taking its time to make a difference in the community.

Last Thursday, October 29, 2020, the NHBC broke ground on the UNLV School of Medicine’s first permanent building, the 135,000 square-foot, five-story Medical Education Building that will be the centerpiece of the Las Vegas Medical District.

The medical school’s temporary facilities on Shadow Lane opened in 2017 with its first class of 60 students. In the coming years, the number of students per class can easily double.

“We are extremely privileged and pleased to be able to...celebrate this positive landmark for the further expansion of the UNLV School of Medicine, the expansion of medical education in Southern Nevada, and for the advancement of healthcare in our community and in Nevada itself,” Maureen Schafer, the CEO of NHBC, told the restricted number of guests and media on hand for the ceremonial groundbreaking.

The world healthcare crisis -- the current global pandemic of COVID-19 is now responsible for more than 220,000 deaths in the U.S. and more than 1.1 million worldwide - meant social distancing guidelines were in place for the tented ceremony that took place in mid 70-degree weather under sunny skies. To help accommodate supporters of the medical school that the virus kept away from the ceremony, the event was live-streamed, and is still available to watch.

UNLV School of Medicine Dean Dr. Marc J. Kahn told the Las Vegas Sun, one of the several media outlets covering the groundbreaking, that in addition to turning out more healthcare professionals, the new medical school can help diversify the area economy by drawing biotechnology and pharmaceutical businesses to the area. Dr. Kahn noted how COVID-19 has once again shown that the area economy is too reliant on gaming and entertainment.

Business experts have said the new medical building and its offshoots will do for research and healthcare what Allegiant Stadium will do for the entertainment industry in Las Vegas. A major study helping justify the medical school’s building found that the medical school would bring in about $1.2 billion a year to the economy after 15 years of startup. By 2030, studies have shown that the Las Vegas Medical District, which now stretches across 684 acres, should generate more than 16,000 jobs.

It is because of philanthropic funding commitments totaling more than $150 million that full bore construction of the medical building begins soon. The funding, announced last November at a press conference held by Gov. Steve Sisolak, largely comes from the Engelstad Foundation and the Lincy Foundation, with additional gifts from unnamed donors. Before the announcement, the donors had formed a donor development limited liability corporation called the Nevada Health and Biomedicine Asset Corporation to manage how the funds are spent.

During her remarks at the groundbreaking, Schafer saluted the NHBC board of directors for their commitment to the new medical school: Andy Artusa, MaryKaye Cashman, Marianne Boyd Johnson, Kris McGarry Engelstgad, Nick Santoro and Lindy Schumacher.

“Without them, this project would not have been possible,” Schafer said.

To be located at 625 Shadow Lane, the new building is designed by TSK Architects to support a class size of 120 students -- double the school’s current size. The flexible structure of the building will allow it to easily adapt to a class size of 180 students, which is expected as the school grows. It is cited for completion in summer 2022.

“That is really about three months ahead of schedule,” Kahn told the media at the groundbreaking.

“There were many people who didn’t think a new medical school would get built.

But now, it will be our jewel right here in the desert.”

Commissioner Lawrence Weekly

The new facility will include clinical skills training labs, simulation suites, anatomy and physiology labs, administrative offices, a forum, a cafe, a student lounge, and a learning resource center. Classrooms of various sizes will provide opportunities for problem-based learning.

The county land where the first permanent building will be located -- nine acres across from Valley Hospital Medical Center -- will also be able to hold other health science related facilities.

Among those attending the ceremony were the new UNLV President, Dr. Keith Whitfield, and the new chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, Dr. Melody Rose. Speakers included Dr. Kahn, Las Vegas City Councilman Brian Knudsen, whose ward includes the Las Vegas Medical District, Clark County Commissioner and UMC Board of Trustees Chairman Lawrence Weekly, who was born at UMC, and four current medical students, including 45-year-old second year medical student, Robert Sottile.

Noting that the building will help serve the community, Sottile said: “It’s important to not forget the challenges people face in accessing health care.”

"There were many people who didn’t think a new medical school would get built," Weekly said. "But now," he grinned, "it will be our jewel right here in the desert.”

When his own son was critically ill in the pediatric intensive care unit at UMC, Knudsen told attendees he had many discussions with medical students there. Too often, he said he heard that they had to leave town for graduate medical education. He said there’s an obligation to build a community where students want to stay and build their practices and raise their families.

At the groundbreaking, an elated Kahn asked the audience to now imagine Las Vegas as a place people choose to come for the best healthcare, as a place that serves as a model for the rest of the nation -- in fact, imagine Las Vegas as the home of an academic health center where the most promising medical technologies are homegrown at UNLV.

“It can be done,” he said.

UNLV School of Medicine In The News

Construction officially underway for UNLV School of Medicine Building

KSNV-TV

Groundbreaking ceremony held with UNLV on future medical building

KTNV-13

UNLV School of Medicine breaks ground on new campus

Las Vegas Review Journal