The $100m teaching and research space will see university and clinical staff work side-by-side to drive innovation and improve healthcare.
Earlier this week the University of New South Wales opened its new Integrated Acute Services Building at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick.
The $100 million facility, the first integrated university space to be featured in a public hospital, will see university students and researchers work alongside clinical staff across 10 storeys.
UNSW vice chancellor and president Professor Attila Brungs felt bringing researchers and clinicians side by side would accelerate innovation.
“Being together on every single hospital floor means researchers and clinicians can share insights into current healthcare practice. Ultimately, it means patient healthcare will improve, and the improvements will happen faster,” he said.
“Our researchers and students will be working side-by-side with clinicians, nurses, and allied health teams. This innovative approach is designed to ensure that research and teaching activities are closely aligned with hospital work.”
Prince of Wales Hospital general manager Jennie Barrie echoed Professor Brungs’ comments, saying the collaboration would translate to better health outcomes for the local community.
“The integration of research and education into our acute clinical environment will lead to the development of new models of care, opportunities for patients to help co-design research, and enhanced education and interprofessional learning for staff,” she said.
The new facility has four floors allocated to clinical education, teaching, and multipurpose research space, three PC2 laboratories for research and diagnostic work on human tissues and cells, and three further floors dedicated to health engineering and clinical prototyping.
The IASB is the first of two new facilities UNSW has committed to building in the Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct.
Construction of the second facility, the 15-storey, 35,600 square metre UNSW Health Translation Hub, is currently underway and is scheduled for completion in 2025.
The UNSW HTH will bring health education, training, and research together with clinical healthcare services.
The two buildings are supported by a $500 million commitment from UNSW and part of the $1 billion the state government committed to the precinct.