The new home of The USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy (TCOP) continues to progress and the PharmD program prepares to move into the state-of-the-art USF Health Downtown Facility. The 30,000-square-foot home will expand USF Health’s interprofessional educational initiatives, technology, and creative learning development.

TCOP will be located on the 11th and 12th floors with a spectacular view of the Water Street Tampa urban development district that overlooks Tampa Bay. Pharmacy students and faculty will get to enjoy amenities throughout the building such as The Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange Wall, Greenbaum Student Center, on-site coffee bar, small group learning rooms, and the Experiential Learning Lab.

“I am giving the students the best view; we want to make sure students have a home away from home,” said Kevin B. Sneed, PharmD, dean of the Taneja College of Pharmacy and senior associate vice president for USF Health.

Meanwhile, the downtown facility will provide incredible opportunities for its students and enhance its innovative education and research programs. With the expansion of interprofessional education, the new building will support community outreach activities that are part of the college’s mission. As a result, USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy will be able to build on its previously successful community outreach programs.

The downtown facility is also close to the USF Health CAMLS (Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation), where pharmacy students will be able to participate in first-class simulation training. “The move to downtown will give USF Health pharmacy students more training opportunities than ever before,” Dr. Sneed said.

Gresham Smith is the firm designing the new space. Several of the classroom technologies and innovative educational initiatives that are already in place for the Morsani College of Medicine will be incorporated into the design of TCOP’s space.

In the future, the space will include: 

• Clinical learning center: An innovative environment for learning advanced compounding techniques and honing clinical skills. Also, continuing education programs will be offered to pharmacists and other health– care professionals in this space.
   
• 120-person classroom: A space designed to be flexible and lend itself to various modes of learning. The classrooms will also feature a hologram of guest speakers, teachers, and health– care professionals that will be able to teach the class, which will create an innovative and futuristic learning environment for students.
   

• Collaborative ‘maker’ space/Creativity Lounge: This area provides a unique space in which student groups, such as ITEHC (Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship in Healthcare), can develop innovative ideas and prototypes for health-related devices.
   
• Pre-function space: An event space, to celebrate award functions, banquets, achievements, and noteworthy events. 

As part of their professional development, the space will provide students, faculty, and staff with opportunities to connect with leaders and innovators. Students will be prepared for the workplace because the college is incorporating career-oriented didactic and experiential components into the foundational pharmacy curriculum.

The new space plans also include innovative technologies such as, virtual and augmented reality, a multitaction video wall, CAD drawing software, 3D printing, and holographic technology for virtual collaboration to help elevate and advance pharmacy education further.

“I wanted a space where people would begin to unlock their imagination and creativity, so we are going to have CAD drawing software, 3D printers, and virtual and augmented reality. When you walk in, you will have everything you need to invent something.” Dr. Sneed said. “To be able to start fresh in a development like Water Street Tampa is exciting, and I am looking forward to making our move.”

Here are some renderings of the future space designed by Gresham Smith:

Story and video by Ryan Rossy, USF Health Communications and Marketing

TAMPA, Fla. (June 21, 2017) – Florida Blue’s $1 million gift to the USF Health’s Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute building in downtown Tampa was recognized by the USF Board of Trustees last week with the naming of its medical library.

“We are thrilled to see Florida Blue support the Morsani College of Medicine’s move to downtown Tampa as a million-dollar investor,” said USF System President Judy Genshaft. “Florida Blue stands as a strong advocate for USF and the health of Floridians, and we value their partnership.”

More than a medical library, the Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange will serve as a hub for connecting people and ideas in the new USF downtown building. As libraries depart from housing stacks of printed collections, the Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange will instead host the research  librarians who can help students, researchers and patients access an ever-expanding trove of digital information.

The 5,000-square-foot Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange will be located inside the new USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute in downtown Tampa.

“Medical knowledge is expected to double every 73 days by the year 2020, which greatly affects the way we need to train tomorrow’s doctors,” said Dr. Charles Lockwood, senior vice president for USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine. “The Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange will become a central resource in helping our students learn how to navigate these emerging discoveries to serve their future patients.”

The 5,000-square-foot Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange will be open to the public and feature a large-scale video wall for multimedia presentations, an executive-style reading room, a reference desk, and a space for technology demonstrations and recording lectures for online learning.

“Keeping pace with the rapidly evolving world of health data and technology is critical in today’s health care environment. The Florida Blue Health Knowledge Exchange is aptly named, as it will serve that goal by facilitating information sharing and collaboration among students, health professionals and entrepreneurs,” said Florida Blue CEO Pat Geraghty. “USF and the Tampa Bay community are well positioned to be a center of health knowledge and learning. We are very proud to be a part of this public facility, which aligns so closely with our own mission of helping people and communities achieve better health.”

“Florida Blue’s generous gift fulfills our vision to create a technology rich knowledge environment to support learning, discovery, and patient centered care. The impact of this gift will be better health for our community and the world,” said Rose Bland, MPA, MA, AHIP, director of the Shimberg Health Sciences Library.

In addition to the USF Downtown expansion, the Florida Blue Foundation has supported other areas of USF Health and the Muma College of Business, and is a corporate member of USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy.

“It is through the philanthropic investment of community partners like Florida Blue that we will complete the vision of USF Downtown,” said USF Foundation CEO Joel Momberg. “We are grateful for Florida Blue’s generosity and leadership.”

Story by Davina Gould,  USF Health Development