Medical Education Center Breaks Ground at OU-Tulsa

By Ioana Neamt, Associate Editor

Officials gathered Sept. 17 to break ground on the $6.4 million Tandy Education Center at the OU-Tulsa Schusterman Center. The 16,000-square-foot facility located at 4502 E. 41st St. will be a state-of-the-art medical training and education center that is expected to draw nearly 1,000 health care professionals each year.

Funded by a grant from the Tandy Foundation, the center will offer the latest in medical simulation technology, as well as a new training and feedback method that uses models and virtual reality to provide students with realistic patient encounters. The center will comprise ten examination rooms, four interview rooms, two debriefing rooms, two intensive care/emergency units and a multipurpose training room.

“The Tandy Center will greatly expand learning opportunities for our students,” said OU President David Boren. “It is another important step forward for the planned University of Tulsa and University of Oklahoma joint School of Community Medicine in Tulsa.”

The Tulsa School of Community Medicine was established in 2008 at OU-Tulsa through a $50 million gift from the George Kaiser Family Foundation. The two universities are collaborating to create a four-year education program to help address medical staff shortages and performance in Oklahoma.

“Our city and our state face several challenges—among them a palpable health care disparity—that must be addressed by both public and private institutions if our communities are to thrive and our businesses are to prosper,” said Tulsa University President Steadman Upham. “The University of Tulsa’s partnership with OU is an important alliance in the strategy to improve the health and well-being of all residents.”

Rendering courtesy of the University of Oklahoma