WSU Spokane Medicine Building opens in August

A rendering of WSU Spokane’s Medicine Building.
A rendering of WSU Spokane’s Medicine Building.

Washington State University Spokane will celebrate the completion of the renovation of its Medicine Building, formerly referred to as the Phase One building, this summer with a ribbon-cutting event on Aug. 10. 

The transformed building will be a central hub for the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and expand the educational capacity for WSU’s College of Nursing and College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, also housed on the Spokane campus.

“The renovation of this facility represents an investment in the education of our state’s future healthcare professionals,” said Daryll DeWald, executive vice president for WSU Health Sciences and WSU Spokane chancellor. “This modernized building will not only improve the educational experience of our students but will allow for the development of new degree programs to further address healthcare professional shortages.”

The reimagined 113,000-square-foot building will house upgraded classrooms and flexible learning spaces for medical education, a dedicated testing center, a student collaboration hub, and faculty offices.  

“We’ve outfitted the building’s educational spaces with best-in-class technology, allowing us to connect our all-digital curriculum with our innovative approach to medical education,” said Jim Record, interim dean for the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. “As the healthcare environment becomes more digital and mobile, we need to equip our medical students with innovative technologies and devices that prepare them for medical practice in challenging healthcare environments.”

When it first opened in 1996, the building marked the beginning of the WSU Spokane campus. Aptly named Phase One in the campus’s master plan, the building has housed WSU’s Interdisciplinary Design Institute along with Eastern Washington University programs over the years. In 2021, WSU Spokane received $15.5 million in capital funding from the state for the renovation and modernization of the facility to meet the campuses’ growing demand for space dedicated to health education. Additionally, there has been nearly $1.5 million in philanthropic gifts thus far to enhance the student experience in the building. 

“We are grateful for the ongoing support of our community partners,” DeWald said. “It is through their investment we can help make the collective vision for increased access to health care in rural and underserved areas a reality.” 

The community is invited to celebrate the completion of the renovation project at the ribbon-cutting event on Thursday, August 10 at 11:30 AM. Check out the event website for more information and to RSVP.  

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