BUFFALO, N.Y. - At 628,000 square feet, the University at Buffalo's new eight-story medical school building is spectacular in size. It is an architectural gem, towering over Main and High streets in the heart of the downtown medical campus after many months of grueling construction.
But the physical structure itself is only part of the story.
The relocation of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, which will be celebrated Tuesday morning with a grand opening ceremony, aims to transform the region's health care system by bolstering the pool of physicians in Western New York and training them with state-of-the-art technology.
With the medical school expanding by 40 students each year, UB hopes its $375 million building will help attract top talent and keep students in Western New York for the long haul. Convincing students to stay local is critical in light of the well-documented physician shortage, not only in Western New York, but nationwide.
Bradley Frate, a third-year medical student from Rochester, said he'll now consider pursuing his residency through UB because of the stunning new campus.
"That's the goal with the school, I think, is to retain us and keep us around," Frate said. "And that's a great thing."
The new facility is a major upgrade from the current campus at UB South, adding everything from simulation labs to microphones at students' seats to help them communicate with professors during lectures.
Frate said the downtown location will also make it much easier for students to work on research and collaborate with physicians on the medical campus, which should help recruit prospective students.
"They're going to be able to attract these people because of the new medical facility. They can show they have all these resources that they need, and also the hospital system and patients across the street, which is big," Frate said.
The impact of the new facility is expected to extend far beyond Buffalo, though.
Forty-five miles away, at Medina Memorial Hospital, Chief of Medicine Dr. Tom Madejski said the expanded medical school could greatly benefit small community hospitals such as his. The physician shortage is especially urgent in rural areas like Orleans County.
Forty extra slots at the medical school in downtown Buffalo could make an enormous difference down the road.
"We need physicians to take care of the patients out here," Madejski said. "And hopefully, if we have a larger population of physicians to choose from, we'll be able to get a few more out here to take care of people in our community."
Madejski, who is also the president-elect of the Medical Society of the State of New York, said the simulation labs and other top-notch technologies will give UB medical students a leg up.
"There are a number of really interesting areas for teaching that will enhance the education of these students," Madejski said, "and enable us to make them better doctors."