Lumen Autumn 2017 - Flipbook - Page 24
story by Kelly Brown
A new era in health
The launch of the University of Adelaide’s $246 million Adelaide Health and
Medical Sciences building has signalled a new era in health education and
research in South Australia. Located in Adelaide’s new biomedical precinct
in the West End, the 14-storey building is home to teaching and learning
facilities for 1600 students and more than 600 researchers.
T
here is little doubt that the vast
majority of South Australians would
have, at some time in their lives,
received medical or other health care from
someone who has studied or worked at
the University of Adelaide.
This proud tradition of producing
outstanding medical, nursing and dental
graduates is set to continue at the
University’s new home of medical and
health education in the Adelaide Health
and Medical Sciences (AHMS) building.
According to Professor Alastair Burt,
Executive Dean of the University’s Faculty
of Health and Medical Sciences, AHMS
brings new teaching styles as well as the
latest technologies to health education.
“We now have the most high-tech
healthcare teaching facility in Australasia
with simulation suites that replicate the
technology available in modern critical
care hospitals, such as the new Royal
Adelaide Hospital,” says Alastair.
“By having access to the same
technology, students are surrounded by
the same visual cues and sounds, helping
them to graduate work-ready, reducing
hospital costs and improving the delivery
of quality and safe healthcare.”
For the first time, the University’s
medical, nursing, dental and public health
schools will be brought together under
the same roof.
“By combining the teaching of medical,
nursing and dental students in one
location, it has stimulated a new integrated
approach to health learning,” says Alastair.
This integrated learning approach also
applies to research, with the building
home to researchers working on the next
medical breakthroughs in cancer, ageing
and chronic disease, reproductive and
child health, nutrition and metabolism,
and neuroscience.
22 Lumen | Autumn 2017
“The research will tackle major health
challenges of the 21st century, including
early determinants of disease, the
burden of chronic disease in an ageing
population, the growing problems of
obesity and the search for increasingly
effective treatments for common
cancers,” says Alastair.
AHMS will also house the new 89-chair
Adelaide Dental Hospital, under the
30-year Dental Education Partnership
Agreement with SA Health.
And like any great vision, AHMS has
only been achievable through the support
of many people, including more than 800
donors and the generosity of University
alumni such as Dr Joseph Verco, Alastair
Hunter, Coopers Brewery Foundation
and Dr Malcolm Bean.
“We also thank the Australian
Government for its generous support
of $60 million and the South Australian
Government for making the land
available and, through SA Health,
for their partnership in the Adelaide
Dental Hospital,” says outgoing
Vice-Chancellor and President,
Professor Warren Bebbington.
“We all look forward to benefiting
from the future medical
breakthroughs and the next
generations of doctors, nurses
and dentists the building
will foster.”
To learn more visit
health.adelaide.edu.au
AHMS at a glance
> School of Dentistry
> School of Nursing
> School of Medicine
> School of Public Health
> Four levels of research
laboratory space
> Public dental clinic for 89 patients
> 240-seat, state-of-the-art
public lecture theatre
> An interactive 90-seat theatre
for demonstrative learning.
