A new home for the health sciences will soon rise in the heart of downtown Wichita.
A partnership between the University of Kansas and Wichita State University, the Wichita Biomedical Campus will house the Wichita campuses of KU School of Medicine and the School of Pharmacy, along with health professions students from Wichita State and WSU Tech.
The eight-story, 350,000 square foot tower will sit at the corner of Broadway and William and is expected to house 3,000 students and 200 faculty and staff. Pooling resources and creating a hub for health science education will create new opportunities for collaboration, innovation and research.
Wichita State and WSU Tech will share the first four stories of the new building. The fifth story will include adjoining anatomy labs and a shared Simulation Center with features including:
"This partnership to create the Wichita Biomedical Campus represents an innovative way to effectively advance our mission to educate the leaders of tomorrow and help build healthy and vibrant communities," said KU Chancellor Douglas A. Girod, M.D.
KU will use the top three stories for its classrooms, workspaces and recreational areas.
The standardized patient center on the 6th floor will be used exclusively by KU for clinical skills training for medical and pharmacy students. It features:
a model pharmacy and clinical skills lab designed to help pharmacy students develop preparation techniques and practice patient-care skills
The top two floors of the building will include a student center and outdoor terrace, student group rooms, a kitchenette and lounge area with activities, and the new home of Farha Medical Library.
Architectural renderings provided here for illustration purposes only.
Two of every five active physicians in the U.S. will reach age 65 within the next 10 years, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. The country is facing a projected shortage of nearly 140,000 physicians by 2033. Meanwhile, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy reports a troubling drop in the number of new pharmacists graduating nationwide in recent years. This decrease contributes to a rise in the number of "pharmacy deserts," where people have limited access to essential medications and health care advice.
The Wichita Biomedical Campus will expand the capacity for KU School of Medicine to train the next generation of physicians to serve the needs of urban and rural Kansans. The new building was designed with the intent to increase class sizes for medical students in Wichita — up to 70 students per year will be able to train at KU School of Medicine-Wichita. This growth will also create additional employment opportunities for faculty and staff.
For KU School of Pharmacy, the Wichita Biomedical Campus will also increase capacity for students to enroll in Wichita and prepare to serve communities across Kansas. The new building's emphasis on interprofessional training opportunities will help equip future pharmacists with the tools they need to enter an evolving profession.
"The Wichita Biomedical Campus will revolutionize health care education and put Wichita on the map as a hub for health care and innovative scientific research. The ripple effects of this campus include better health outcomes for everyday Kansans and, for the people in the region, access to superb health care in their own backyard."- Governor Laura Kelly, speaking at the May 2024 groundbreaking
The Wichita Biomedical Campus represents a multi-university alliance, which will allow colleagues from four institutions to collaborate on research and teaching methods in a state-of-the-art facility.
The location of the Wichita Biomedical Campus will provide options for students and faculty to live downtown, promoting easy access to dining, events and culture, and opportunities to be immersed in the Wichita urban experience.
We're excited to see the Wichita Biomedical Campus come to life. As our project moves forward, we'll continue to share updates. If you have a question in the meantime, please reach out via the form below.
