From Good Notes — The blog for University of Utah Health CEO Michael L. Good, MD

Thanks to an historic $110 million gift from the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation and the Nora Eccles Treadwell Foundation, today we broke ground on the new Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah. The building will open in 2025. The promise of a new home is driving innovation in our MD program.

Design with a Purpose

We are creating a new culture of learning at our medical school. This culture emphasizes group and individual learning, relationships, and professional identity. Flexibility and community became guiding design principles for our new 185,000-square-foot facility.

Flexibility

Traditional amphitheater-style lecture halls were a one-size-fits-all approach to education. The Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine features adaptable spaces and technology.

New learning studios promote team- and case-based learning. The studios divide and sub-divide for large and small groups. These flexible spaces support greater collaboration and cross-disciplinary opportunities across health science professions.

A modern gross anatomy lab and advanced simulation center will be steps away from learning studios.

We are expanding training opportunities in under-resourced communities throughout Utah. New integrated technology meets the needs of students wherever they are—on or off campus.

Community

In addition to flexibility, the design includes common areas for socializing. These spaces will help faculty and students build relationships in a new way. Stronger faculty-student relationships lead to better student performance.

Relationships across generations of students are also critical to learning. Currently, a limited number of students can gather at once. In our new home, all four medical school classes can share the same space.

A Home Suitable for Its Occupants

Facilities like the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine propel our work. But it’s our people who make us a nationally ranked program.

We are nothing without the students who come to our medical school and the faculty and staff who support them. And we are nothing without our inspiring donors, local leaders, alumni, and friends.

We look forward to welcoming our people to a place where they are proud to work, learn, and train every day.

Michael L. Good, MD

Michael Good is Executive Dean of the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah, CEO of U of U Health, and A. Lorris Betz Senior Vice President for Health Sciences. Good ensures the professional and educational success of more than 20,000 talented faculty, staff, and students who make U of U Health one of the nation’s premier academic health systems. He received an MD from the University of Michigan and completed residency and a research fellowship in anesthesiology at the University of Florida.