Dear Members of the Baylor College of Medicine Community:
Since our founding, Baylor College of Medicine has demonstrated a capacity for change and transformation. Moving to Houston from Dallas. Forging new partnerships that advanced our patient care. Continuing a commitment to scientific innovation. Expanding our education endeavors. We are again on the cusp of transformation as we develop our institution into a learning health system to enable us to meet our mission and vision.
The road to a learning health system is outlined in our strategic plan for 2020 – 2030. Exciting new developments that truly embody the learning health system will bring us closer to achieving these strategic goals.
These developments are centered on the ‘learning health campus,’ which encompasses our planned Health Sciences Park, along with dedicated research space at the Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center’s new Fannin Tower on the McNair Campus housing the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In a learning health system, data and analytics gained through clinical and basic research are put into practice to advance healthcare delivery and improve population health, while also incorporating the foundations of the system into the education of next-generation clinicians and scientists. Our learning health campus will allow us to achieve this healthcare model, with cutting-edge research, patient care and education facilities within steps of one another.
Fannin Tower – Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
The 12-story Fannin Tower at Baylor St. Luke’s - McNair Campus will be the new clinical home for the nationally ranked Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Opening in spring 2023, the expanded cancer center will offer radiation therapy and other diagnostic and treatment services, as well as multiple specialized oncology clinics and an infusion center. The new tower will also house multiple outpatient services including radiology, endoscopy and an ambulatory surgery center. Among the new services expected to be offered at the new tower are a Pain Center and a Women’s Center for diagnostic breast imaging.
Dynamic One Building – Texas Medical Center Helix Park
Baylor has signed an agreement to lease approximately 110,000 square feet of space in the Dynamic One building, part of Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park (formerly TMC3). This state-of-the-art research space will place laboratories in a landscape where commercialization can be fostered and close to patient care on the McNair Campus, driving the translation of science and data to improve therapeutics and patient outcomes. Baylor’s goal for this expansion is to concentrate highly innovative labs focused on novel diagnostics and therapeutics, for instance, with space to house start-up companies. Planned to open in late 2023 to early 2024, this space is a central part of the innovative vision of Helix Park, which you can learn more about on the TMC website.
Health Sciences Park
This 440,000 square foot project will integrate medical education and research in a collaborative environment right next to patient care on the McNair Campus, allowing trainees to enhance their learning in the classroom by leveraging their experience in the lab and the clinic. Education space that facilitates conversation and small-group discussion and research space focused on data science and population health will augment new curriculum launching in 2023. Research centers on this campus will be dedicated to data intensive programs that support translational research and provide a foundation for data-driven training program. The first phase of Health Sciences Park, including an 11-floor tower and parking, is planned to open in 2025. This will open space on the current campus.
This month we are beginning the pre-construction work on the McNair Campus for the Health Sciences Park. This will result in relocating those parking in the surface lot adjacent to the Jamail Specialty Care Center to new parking locations. I recognize that this will be an inconvenience, but it is an important step in achieving our vision of creating the Health Sciences Park. Our parking team is working with faculty and staff to accommodate their parking needs. Initially, we are keeping part of the lot open to allow our patients adjacent parking. Going forward, we will provide valet parking to patients at the same rate as the self-parking rate.
I look forward to providing more updates on this important project.
Paul Klotman, M.D.
President and CEO
Executive Dean