Discover the future of health on Aug. 21 from 10 a.m. to noon as the University of Nevada, Reno, the University of Nevada School of Medicine and the Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease invite the public to attend the unveiling of the Center for Molecular Medicine on the University’s campus in Reno.
This new facility represents the first new research building constructed at the medical school in nearly 30 years and will house medical school research programs in preterm birth, muscular dystrophy, breast cancer, male infertility, asthma, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, tumors, herpesviruses and infectious disease. It will also serve as headquarters for the Whittemore Peterson Institute and its translational research clinic on neuro-immune diseases, as well as the University’s Center for Healthy Aging.
The event is free and open to the public with tours of laboratory spaces and patient care areas in the building. Researchers will be available to discuss their work to discover better patient outcomes for Nevadans and beyond.
Positioned on the north end of the University campus, just off McCarran Boulevard, the Center for Molecular Medicine is arranged in two wings, with School of Medicine activities in the west wing and Whittemore Peterson Institute and Center for Healthy Aging in the east wing. The building houses laboratory research space, an auditorium, office space, meeting rooms, a vivarium, patient examination and treatment rooms, and a food service area.
The Center for Molecular Medicine’s design is based on guidelines published by the American Institute of Architecture for biomedical laboratory construction and focuses on sharing technology, efficient use of research and intellectual interaction. The center is extremely energy efficient, separating research and administrative spaces in order to isolate heat-generating laboratory activities into areas with robust cooling capabilities. State-of-the-art safety and security measures are included in the design.
The center is an advanced technology resource for northern Nevada in attracting biotech industries while expanding the state’s scientific workforce that is needed for private sector investment and to further diversify and strengthen Nevada’s economy.
The total project cost is $77 million, and the majority, $60 million, is generated through the efforts of researchers from across the University, including the University of Nevada School of Medicine. This funding represents federal funds earned through the research program in support of the University’s infrastructure, and it reflects the growing impact of the University’s overall research portfolio.
As the state’s only public medical school, the University of Nevada School of Medicine has been a leader in healthcare, medical education and research in Nevada since 1969. The School of Medicine encompasses 16 clinical departments including family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, surgery, and psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and five nationally recognized departments in basic science. The doctors of University Health System, the school’s clinical practice, offer care in more than 40 medical specialties and subspecialties with seven physician offices in the Reno area and seven in Las Vegas. The school is dedicated to a best-practice approach to medicine and is committed to addressing the health needs of Nevada now and in the future. For more information, please visit www.medicine.nevada.edu.
