The future of health-care education at the UW Health Sciences Education Building
Training the next generation of leaders in dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health and social work
The University of Washington is creating new possibilities in health care and population health — here and around the world — thanks to investment from the Washington State Legislature and generous donors.
With the opening of the new Health Sciences Education Building on the UW campus in Seattle in September 2022, students in the UW’s health sciences schools — dentistry, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health and social work — will now share a technologically sophisticated building, with spaces and resources that will promote active learning, interdisciplinary education and collaboration. This new approach will benefit the health of individuals — and entire populations.
To learn more about the future of health-care education, please contact [email protected].
Building highlights
- Nearly 100,000 square feet
- A reimagined anatomy lab
- Fifteen classrooms with interactive technology
- A clinical skills lab suite
- Li Lu Library
- Gaylene Bouska Altman and Leonard Charles Altman Student Lounge
- Multiple meeting and study spaces
- Private wellness rooms
Gaylene Bouska Altman and Leonard Charles Altman Student Lounge
Curious and dedicated to their fields, UW health sciences students often spend long hours in their classes, labs and the library. We created this lounge to ensure that these students also have a place to relax and spend casual time with their peers — both to support students’ well-being and to foster cross-school camaraderie. We’re grateful to receive support for this lounge from student mentors Gaylene Altman, a UW faculty member and clinical educator at the School of Nursing, and Leonard Altman, a clinical professor of medicine in the UW Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Li Lu Library
Libraries provide vital spaces for students to study, focus and conduct deep research. The new health sciences library does something more, providing opportunities for collaborative education and teamwork in the health sciences. With the philanthropic investment of Li Lu, the founder and chairman of Himalaya Capital, and with the expert administration of UW Libraries, we founded a library that not only promotes individual work but also fosters small-group work, discussion and interaction.
The anatomy lab, reimagined
Familiarity with the anatomy and physiology of the human body is key to medical disciplines. So the traditional anatomy lab — where students explore human cadavers — is central to the educational experience. In the new health sciences building, we are augmenting this facet of students’ education with the purchase of high-tech Anatomage tables. These tables, which provide brilliantly clear and detailed 3D digital renderings of the body (including approximately 1,000 pathological samples), will give students broader exposure to the presentation of illness while allowing them to perform digital dissections.
