Indiana University officials dedicated a new Health Sciences building Wednesday, which IU President Michael McRobbie pronounced “a place of unique learning.”
The new building will hold IU-Bloomington’s medical, nursing, clinical psychology and social work programs, as well the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. Officials hope to add dentistry in the future.
The new building includes two simulation centers where students can apply classroom learning in simulated medical situations such as birthing, post-partum and neonatal care.
It’s location adjacent to the new IU Health Bloomington Hospital means opportunities for interprofessional education for health sciences students.
IU Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Health Sciences Dr. David Daleke said the new facility also provides the opportunity to create the first medical residency programs in Bloomington.
“This move…is truly transformational,” he said, “for the Bloomington campus, for our ability to train excellent health care workers and, with our colleagues at IU Health, to provide superb health care for our region.”
McRobbie says the facility will also help maximize IU’s capacity for research in the health sciences.
“It will help translate the discoveries of IU faculty and students who are conducting biomedical, clinical health sciences and population research into new diagnostic procedures and new treatments for disease,” he said.
The Health Sciences building is now in use. The new IU Health hospital is scheduled to open in the fall.
