School of Medicine Facility Construction
Project Description
This project will construct a new School of Medicine educational and research facility designed to expand UNM's capacity to train New Mexico's future physicians, advance biomedical research, and help address the state's critical healthcare workforce needs.
The new facility will replace Fitz Hall, a more than 50-year-old building that no longer adequately supports the technology, instructional models, research activity, and enrollment growth required of a modern medical school. After evaluating renovation options, UNM determined that renovation would be cost-prohibitive and would not provide the flexibility or capacity needed to meet the School of Medicine's long-term needs.
Most importantly, the new facility will help UNM expand medical school capacity from approximately 103 to as many as 200 students per year, creating the potential to nearly double the number of students entering the medical education pipeline annually. Expanded classrooms, simulation and active-learning environments, research laboratories, and collaborative spaces will provide the infrastructure needed to educate more physicians and healthcare professionals for communities across New Mexico.
Located adjacent to core clinical, academic, and research resources on the UNM Health Sciences Center campus, the facility will strengthen connections among students, faculty, researchers, and clinical partners. Its location will support an integrated approach to medical education in which learning, research, innovation, and patient care are closely connected.
The new facility will provide:
- Flexible classrooms and active-learning environments designed for contemporary medical education.
- Technology-rich spaces for instruction, simulation, collaboration, and innovation.
- Modern research laboratories and support spaces designed to accommodate current and emerging areas of biomedical research.
- Additional capacity to support medical student enrollment growth and expanding academic programs.
- Stronger connections to clinical, academic, and research resources throughout the Health Sciences Center.
- Efficient and sustainable building systems designed to reduce long-term operating and maintenance costs.
The School of Medicine plays a unique role in New Mexico as the state's medical school, educating physicians and other healthcare professionals, advancing biomedical research, and supporting healthcare delivery throughout the state. Expanding its capacity is an investment not only in UNM, but in New Mexico's ability to build and sustain the healthcare workforce its communities need.
By investing in a new School of Medicine facility, GO Bond 3 will provide the infrastructure needed to educate more physicians, strengthen medical research, attract and retain outstanding faculty and students, and help improve access to healthcare for New Mexicans for generations to come.
Additional Background
Fitz Hall has served the UNM School of Medicine for more than five decades. However, the building was designed for an earlier era of medical education and research and no longer adequately supports today's technology, instructional approaches, research requirements, or anticipated enrollment growth. Its existing layout and infrastructure also limit opportunities for flexible learning, collaboration, simulation, and future expansion.
UNM evaluated options for renovating the existing facility and determined that renovation would be cost-prohibitive while still failing to provide the capacity and flexibility required to meet the School of Medicine's long-term educational and research needs. Replacing Fitz Hall provides a more effective long-term solution and an opportunity to design a facility specifically around the future of medical education and biomedical research.
The project is expected to support an increase in medical school capacity from approximately 103 to as many as 200 students per year. That additional capacity is particularly important as New Mexico works to address physician shortages and improve access to healthcare across the state, including in rural and underserved communities.
Expanding the number of physicians educated in New Mexico strengthens the state's healthcare workforce pipeline while creating additional opportunities for New Mexicans to pursue medical careers. A modern School of Medicine facility will also strengthen UNM's ability to recruit and retain outstanding students, faculty, clinicians, and researchers and advance its role as New Mexico's academic health center.
The new facility represents a long-term investment in medical education, research, workforce development, and the health of communities throughout New Mexico.
Total GO Bond Request: $116 million
