UTHSCT Celebrates New Additions

TYLER — UT Health Science Center at Tyler dedicates its new Academic Center and celebrates the opening of its new Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center. Health Science Center President Dr. Kirk Calhoun says the project will greatly improve his facility’s services. He says it will allow UTHSCT to expand the number of physicians and other health professionals it trains. According to Calhoun, the additions also figure to bring in more research dollars and address gaps in cancer care delivery. Calhoun notes that in the last few years, UTHSCT has won competitive research projects totaling over $107 million. UT System Chancellor Dr. Francisco Cigarroa was among those on hand for Tuesday’s ceremonies.

A quick rundown of what the new additions bring to the campus and community, according to UTHSCT officials:

Academic Center

1. The 85,500 square-foot Academic Center building will expand and build upon UTHSCT’s existing strengths in cancer and specialty care, and will support the expansion of its medical and health professions education programs.
2. The first floor is an expansion of the campus’s current oncology clinical operations and includes both medical and radiation oncology.
3. The second and third floors are currently shelled space; however, once completed, they will contain specialty clinics, an educational auditorium and classrooms, and the only medical library in the region – the Watson W. Wise Medical Research Library.
4. Total Project Cost: $67,000,000 – The cost of Phase I was $42 million. Phase II will finish out the second and third floors at a cost of $25 million.

Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center

1. The hallmarks of the new Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center are the highly-trained and experienced cancer care team, ultramodern technology, and patient comfort and convenience.
2. The tools UTHSCT uses to fight cancer are the most advanced available, including its new four-dimensional CT scanner and its superstar, the Varian TrueBeam – a linear accelerator that represents the next generation of radiation therapy. It is not only faster, but more powerful, precise, and accurate. Treatment that typically takes 15 to 20 minutes can be completed in just 5 to 10 minutes – targeting the cancer and minimizing exposure to healthy tissue.
3. Patient comfort and convenience is the focus of every decision made at the Health Science Center – the cancer physicians’ offices, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and lab and X-ray facilities are all within steps of the front entrance of the Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center. Additionally, patients have convenient access to their primary care physicians, the university hospital, and a 24/7 emergency room – all at one location.