USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, Taneja College of Pharmacy and Heart Institute
- First vertical construction in Water Street Tampa
- Design-build contract with architect HOK and builder Skanska
- Estimated cost: $173 million
Educating tomorrow's physicians and Pharmacists; pioneering discoveries to end heart disease
The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute has moved downtown, bringing approximately 1,800 students, faculty and staff to live, work and study along the downtown waterfront as a key anchor at Water Street Tampa. The USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy will start classes there in 2023. By moving within a mile of its primary teaching hospital Tampa General Hospital, USF will attract the brightest students and faculty, and will increase federal research dollars to fight heart disease.
USF at Water Street Tampa Highlights:
- What: 395,000 sq. ft., 13-story high rise tower including a 400-seat auditorium (that can split to two 200-seat lecture halls), clinical teaching labs, smaller classrooms, and research laboratories to support the Morsani College of Medicine, Taneja College of Pharmacy and Heart Institute
- Where: Corner of Channelside Drive and Meridian Avenue, part of Strategic Property Partners' $3 billion Water Street Tampa development, destined to become the world's first WELL certified city district
- When: First MD classes start January 13, 2020 (construction began in summer 2017)
- Who: Occupancy for up to 1,800 students, faculty, researchers and staff
The downtown site will position the medical and pharmacy schools in proximity to USF Health's primary teaching and clinical affiliate, Tampa General Hospital, as well as its world-class simulation center, the USF Health Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation and other surrounding facilities. TGH will also lease nearly 25,000 square feet in the building, including spaces for urgent care, imaging and executive wellness.
The announcement of the expansion of the Morsani College of Medicine into the downtown district is already a positive impact on recruiting top-tier students. USF has become the most selective medical school in Florida, with applications rising 40% since the 2014 announcement of the downtown move. With more than 30 applicants vying for each seat in the MD program, incoming student credentials have skyrocketed, and the MCAT scores for the past six entering classes were in the top 10% of all U.S. medical schools.
