Major changes and upgrades are taking place at the UF College of Medicine in Gainesville and Jacksonville based on student and faculty input.
In a recent announcement, David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D., UF senior vice president for health affairs and president of the UF&Shands Health System, named a number of renovation projects happening at the college.
In Gainesville, the College of Medicine’s floors and lighting will be upgraded while a new glass entrance will clearly identify the portal to the college. The offices of Community Health and Family Medicine and the Clinical Translational Sciences Institute will also feature similar glass entrances. The “new front door” to the College of Medicine, denoted by a prominent sign, will be located above the doors of the Founders Gallery that forms the southern boundary of the courtyard framed by the Academic Research Building.
Guzick also mentioned the newly upgraded Sun Terrace, which opened Sept. 1, with extended culinary options and improved common space for students, faculty and staff. The entrance to the renovated Communicore Building lobby leads to newly renovated lecture halls. The air-conditioning and heating systems, ceilings and lighting in lecture halls were replaced. After input from student focus groups, the classrooms now have new tables, chairs, carpeting, wall finishes and audiovisual technology.
The UF Health Science Center Library is also being redesigned to create a more suitable space for the contemporary needs of the students and faculty. Books and journals, which are used less often in the age of electronic access, will be replaced with open space, natural light and informal casual seating with improved access to needed technology, Guzick said.
In Jacksonville, the building that houses medical students during their rotations has been revamped. Renovations included new heating and air-conditioning systems, elevators, windows and bathrooms. Dorm rooms, hallways and common spaces were also refinished. The building, which qualifies for LEED certification, was reconfigured for wireless access. Additional lounges were created for small group study and a health and fitness center was installed.