Board of Regents Approve $14.3 Million Enhancement for UNLV’s School of Medicine, Receive Capital Project Update

The Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents are seeking a $14.3 million enhancement for the UNLV School of Medicine, which if approved by the governor and state legislature, will meet staffing requirements as originally planned.

“This money will help the UNLV School of Medicine move forward and reach staffing levels originally envisioned,” said Board of Regents Chair Kevin J. Page. “This brings the public investment in the school to more than $70 million so far. The Board of Regents are committed to supporting the UNLV School of Medicine, because its success will, in turn, uplift healthcare in the community and throughout the state.”

UNLV President Marta Meana on Friday also updated the Board of Regents with Projects 1 and 2 of the school’s capital projects plan.

Project 1 will see the construction of a 50,000 square-foot Medical School/ Health Sciences Library Building. The project will be funded through a $57 million public-private partnership that, if funding is approved by the Interim Finance Committee in October, will include $25 million contributed by the state.

Project 2 will be construction of a 182,000 square-foot Medical Teaching and Education Building. The UNLV Foundation is actively fundraising for that project.
Both buildings will be constructed at the Shadow Lane Campus in the Las Vegas Medical District, thanks to a partnership and land transfer agreement with Clark County.

“The growth and sustainability of the School of Medicine is central to UNLV’s future and an investment in the health of our community,” said UNLV President Marta Meana. “We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from state leaders, including our Board of Regents, and the medical and philanthropic community, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration to build a world-class medical school for Southern Nevada.”

Recent federal reports rank Nevada 47th nationwide for active physicians and 48th for active primary care doctors per 100,000 residents. The UNLV School of Medicine is recruiting students with strong ties to Nevada to improve chances of those students staying in the Silver State to practice medicine after graduation.

“We made a commitment from day one to develop a school that’s deeply embedded in our community and offers a high-caliber option for students to stay in or return to Southern Nevada,” said Barbara Atkinson, dean of the UNLV School of Medicine. “We’re proud to have recruited two cohorts of future physicians who are committed to our community and are excited about the prospect of constructing our first new building on campus.”

The UNLV School of Medicine welcomed its charter class of 60 students in July 2017. The school’s enrollment doubled last month to 120 as the second class of medical students began their studies at the university’s Shadow Lane campus.

“NSHE will continue to work closely with UNLV President Marta Meana and School of Medicine Dean Barbara Atkinson to meet the needs of the growing school,” Page said.