New Medical School Taking Shape in New Brunswick ‘Innovation District’
In 1966, the first class of 16 students entered Rutgers Medical School in Piscataway to earn a two-year master’s degree in medical science. Six decades later, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School will welcome the first class at its new, state-of-the-art school on a campus in New Brunswick that’s hardwired for innovation and critical thinking.
For most of its history, students at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School have taken courses for two years in Piscataway, followed by two years of clinical rotations 20 minutes away in New Brunswick. This fractured experience has not been ideal for students, faculty, or administrators.
“Right now, we are on a split campus,” explained Dean Amy P. Murtha, MD. “Having students on a separate campus from our clinical operations in New Brunswick creates several challenges and doesn’t put us in a position to leverage the full depth and strength of the medical school’s faculty and administrative staff.”
“For all of its life, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has suffered from having no one home,” added David C. Schulz, AIA, PP, AUA, vice president and university architect. “Not only does this project create a home—a singular heart—for the medical school, it is immediately adjacent to the healthcare hub of New Brunswick. That’s powerful. That’s why this project is so strategically critical for the medical school.”
The Medical School of the Future
The 165,000-square-foot school is under construction as part of the Health & Life Science Exchange (HELIX). As New Jersey’s first “innovation district,” the project combines healthcare and bioscience industry with an emphasis on research, learning, and collaboration. The three-building, 1.5-million-square-foot project is taking shape on the former location of the Ferren Mall Parking Deck on Paterson Street, demolished in 2017. The first building (dubbed H1) will include the medical school, translational research space, and the New Jersey Innovation Hub. The second building will house the global research of Nokia Bell Labs, where it will continue the groundbreaking research that has resulted in 11 Nobel Prizes. The third building will feature office space and life science and technology labs topped by residential units.
“Bringing the first- and second-year students to New Brunswick and all that comes with that is our first priority,” Dr. Murtha said. “It allows us to regularly interact with the hospital, health system, physicians, and clinicians in a state-of-the-art space that supports next-generation medical education. This is an opportunity for us to update and upgrade how we train future physicians in a way that we couldn’t in the space that we’re in.”
More specifically, H1 will include state-of-the-art classrooms with interactive technology, seminar rooms, conference rooms, a gross anatomy lab, a student lounge, a meditation space, a medical library, Rutgers translational research labs, a vivarium, studying spaces in various sizes, and administrative offices. The ground floor, which will be open to the public, will feature a coffee shop, 100-seat restaurant, meeting spaces, and a makerspace with 3D printers, sewing machines, and wood and metal shops to develop prototypes.
Our Future Footprint at the HELIX
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Floor 5 |
Classrooms, seminar rooms, conference rooms, student government, lockers |
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Floor 6 |
Student lounge, seminar rooms, meditation and wellness space |
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Floor 7 |
Gross anatomy/clinical skills lab, simulation lab, medical library (floor 1), examination rooms, study spaces, classrooms, conference rooms |
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Floor 8 |
Medical library (floor 2), chancellor’s office, dean’s office, other administrative offices |
“Simulation in medical education is an incredibly powerful training tool,” said Dr. Murtha. “It allows learners to test their skills in non-life-threatening situations, hear feedback, and then repeat the process until they are comfortable with that skill. There’s an intentionality in how this space was planned, so we’re positioned for the current and future state of clinical simulation. It’s incredibly exciting.”
“With a state-of-the-art gross anatomy lab, simulation lab, and skills lab, this building will be a place where people will want to spend time,” explained Christopher Paladino, president of New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO), the company in charge of the project. “The ability for the medical school to become a community is very important, and students will feel that this is a special place. What’s also exciting is the ability for medical students to engage with entrepreneurs and principal investigators working in translational research. The long-range goal is for these young physicians to grow roots and practice medicine here.”
One of the most unique features of the school is an open, light-filled, amphitheater-like staircase that’s designed to encourage socializing and collaboration.
“Design elements like this social stair are important for a medical school because they create opportunities to build community and connections,” Dr. Murtha explained. “I envision hearing chatter and laughter in this space, the things you want to hear post-COVID.”
The Benefits of Growing Pains
The HELIX and new medical school will benefit students, faculty, corporate partners, and the city of New Brunswick.
“Any time you create a new space and invest in the latest technology, the students and the faculty benefit,” Dr. Murtha said. “This campus will change how we support students in their learning and meet their needs where they are. It will move us beyond the traditional classroom lecture and into more problem- and team-based learning, which is a more effective way to learn. There will also be more opportunities—and plenty of space—for us to identify and support students who need extra help. And, I think there will be even more opportunities for interprofessional education to bring other disciplines in to learn together. When nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and physicians all work in a partnered way, everybody wins.”
“We are doing something that will have a generational impact,” added Paladino. “The medical school has been on an arc of redefining itself in so many ways. This facility will help forge a culture that will raise the school’s profile nationwide.”
It is anticipated that the new facility will attract more applicants to the school, which already receives more than 5,000 applications for its 165 open spots.
Lastly, the city of New Brunswick and its business owners also benefit.
“It’s a big win for the city, too,” Paladino explained. “Twelve hundred people will probably work and go to school in the first building and the same in the second building. So that’s nearly 2,500 new people who need to buy lunch, rent apartments, and become part of the fabric of the community. All of that is good for the local economy.”
A Dream Shared
The dream of being part of the HELIX began in 2014 when Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS), now Rutgers Health, developed its strategic plan and physical master plan under the leadership of Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH, RBHS chancellor and executive vice president of health affairs.
Dr. Strom’s vision started gaining traction as other pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. DEVCO began planning an innovation hub in the city, and soon after, Gov. Phil Murphy was elected and began pursuing projects to accelerate entrepreneurship and innovation in the Garden State, particularly in New Brunswick. Rutgers University’s relationship with DEVCO has deep roots. The developer also spearheaded the construction of the Honors College and The Yard @ College Avenue, among other projects. When the governor passed the New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s (EDA) economic incentive program, discussions about “the hub” intensified. Antonio Calcado, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Rutgers, approached DEVCO about creating a partnership. The developer worked with the EDA and the governor’s office to plan the only facility in the country with a significant translational research center, medical school, and startup innovation center.
“The HELIX represents the largest investment in life science in New Jersey’s history,” said Paladino. “There is so much excitement across the state when we talk about putting these three entities together because very good researchers become very good clinicians. Now, RWJMS will be a place that cultivates not just skilled physicians but also the scientists conducting groundbreaking medical research.”
The public-private project is being funded through a combination of state tax credits and capital funds, rental income, and fundraising. Rutgers will spend about 32 cents for each dollar spent on its share of the building, according to Schulz.
For Dr. Murtha, fundraising for the new school is an opportunity to raise money to offset other expenses, too.
“The tuition at our school is among the highest in the country, and we’re near the bottom of the pack for providing financial support to our students,” she explained. “Our students finish their education with significant debt. High debt drives decisions for specialty choice, meaning students with high debt are less likely to choose primary care specialties, where they won’t make as much money. This contributes to the shortage of primary care physicians. One of my goals is to fundraise to help limit that debt. We create, teach, and train the doctors for New Jersey and beyond. We have to do something about debt so that we can ensure the future of healthcare delivery for our state.”
Construction on the new school is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, and the first medical school class will hold its White Coat Ceremony in the new space in spring 2026. The current medical school space will be reallocated to the School of Nursing and School of Health Professions, according to Schulz.
“A new space like this doesn’t happen very often in the life of a medical school,” Dr. Murtha said. “There is a genuine excitement about this project, and that benefits the entire university. It will change the tenor and energy at our school. This is a transformational moment in this school’s history.”