Progress on Duke's newest research building was celebrated with the topping out of the final girder, which was signed by Duke Health and School of Medicine leaders, faculty, staff, and students.
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From Left: Scott Gibson, executive vice dean for administration; Chancellor Gene Washington; Dean Nancy C. Andrews; Raphael Valdivia, vice dean for basic science; and Moria Montalbano, associate dean for administration, sign the last steel girder during a "topping out" event for the School of Medicine’s new research building. This important milestone illustrates the progress that has been made thus far on construction of the third Medical Sciences Research Building (MSRB). |
Construction of the Medical Sciences Research Building (MSRB III) began last summer and is anticipated to conclude in the late summer/fall of 2018. MSRB III will be located on Research Drive between the Occupational & Environmental Safety Building and the Medical Sciences Research Building II. The six-floor, 155,000-square-foot building will house bench lab research, easing the crunch in research space that the School of Medicine has experienced for many years.
Raphael Valdivia, PhD, vice dean for basic science for the School of Medicine, said MSRB III is an example of how the university and School of Medicine in particular are increasing investments in basic research.
“This is not a place where we will simply be relocating labs and departments,” Valdivia said. “It will allow us to create research synergies and build thematically aligned groups that will expand and strengthen our research portfolio. And certainly will decompress research space constraints so that we can build on the specific thematic areas that the chancellor has identified – including transplantation immunology, neurosciences, and cardiovascular disease- across campus.”