Medical research, enhanced patient experience
- 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21
- Buses depart from Hilton
- Free (registration required)
- Limit: 15 participants
When it opens in late 2014, the 21-floor, 306-bed new James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute will be the third-largest cancer hospital in the nation. ScienceWriters attendees will enjoy a preview of a hospital designed to improve the patient experience and foster regular interactions between cancer researchers and the future beneficiaries of their work. Glass-paneled translational research labs are built into all inpatient floors, and an on-site clinical trials unit will oversee more than 500 studies at any one time. Genomics technologies will be routinely put to use in a precision cancer clinic, currently a rare find in cancer hospitals, to determine at the molecular level what is driving each patient’s cancer. The hospital also boasts two significant firsts: the nation’s first fully integrated cancer emergency department – meaning an ED just for cancer patients, with the medical center’s emergency department just steps away if needed – and the country’s only above-ground radiation oncology center. The entire facility is bathed in natural light and features terrace gardens – among the design decisions driven by research showing that sunshine and green space can make patients feel better physically and emotionally.