Ribbons cut to open medical school’s Waterloo campus
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/waterloo.jpg” caption=”Waterloo Regional Campus of McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, which was opened today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. File photo.”]Rain didn't dampen the celebrations today of the official opening of the Waterloo Regional Campus of McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, sited on the Downtown Kitchener Health Sciences Campus of the University of Waterloo.
Provincial and regional representatives, including John Milloy, minister of training, colleges and universities and minister of research and innovation, joined university officials and community supporters to celebrate the grand opening event.
John Kelton, dean of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and dean and vice-president, health sciences for McMaster, said the venture by McMaster and the University of Waterloo shows off their joint strengths in developing health care of the future.
“We couldn't have found a better home for our medical students,” he said. “McMaster has long valued interdisciplinary, community-oriented learning, and this gives us everything we need. We certainly appreciate the warm welcome from everyone in the region.”
Located next to Waterloo's School of Pharmacy, the new building on Victoria Street South integrates learning and health care with a family medicine teaching centre and an eye-care clinic. On the first floor is both the Centre for Family Medicine, a Family Health Team along with a Health Sciences Optometry Clinic of the University of Waterloo's School of Optometry.
The medical school takes the second and third floors of the 66,000-square-foot building. The campus has state-of-the-art technology, and includes a clinical learning centre and a health sciences library.
“This is a significant day for both the university and the local community,” said David Johnston, president of the University of Waterloo. “Not only does this grand opening demonstrate Waterloo's progress and innovation in the health sciences but, thanks to the initiative of McMaster University in creating a regional campus here, Waterloo Region will be a key centre for medical teaching and research.”
The $23 million building was made possible through community support, starting with the City of Kitchener providing the University of Waterloo with the land for the health sciences campus. The Region of Waterloo contributed $15 million for the medical school building on the campus. The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities committed $7.7 million for expansion of McMaster's Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine in Waterloo and a further $8 million for infrastructure on the health sciences campus.
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