Two New Buildings Unveiled by Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson University recently opened two new facilities: its Jefferson Vaccine Center, and its Dorrance H. Hamilton building. According to a press release issued by Jefferson, the center was built “to create an infrastructure for all of the university's research and clinical efforts, while hoping to spur new collaboration and innovation.” The university has a history steeped in public health research and success from melanoma and colon cancer to HIV and rabies. According to the university, the Dorrance H. Hamilton building is one of the nation's first centers for interdisciplinary health instruction and the first medical school facility in Philadelphia to offer interdisciplinary learning and an integrated curriculum to medical, nursing, physical and occupational therapy students. The $60 million facility includes a six-story, state-of-the-art academic building, which will house a technologically-advanced auditorium, small and large group classrooms and a two-floor clinical skills center featuring virtual diagnostic and surgical suites. The facility was created to enhance the medical training experience with real-world scenarios handled by multi-disciplinary medical teams.  It was made possible through a generous donation of $25 million from Dorrance H. “Dodo” Hamilton, the largest donation ever made to Jefferson.