New Building Dedicated to Bridging Gap from Lab to Bedside

Dr. Richard P. Shannon, left, and Dr. Robert W. Battle, right, read a plaque

From left, Dr. Richard P. Shannon, executive vice president for health affairs, and Dr. Robert W. Battle, a U.Va. cardiologist and president of the Ivy Foundation, look over the plaque that was unveiled Friday.

The University of Virginia’s School of Medicine on Friday dedicated its new Ivy Foundation Translational Research Building, the University’s first facility devoted exclusively to translating basic science discoveries into new treatments and cures that will better the human condition.

Once renovations are complete next year, the building in Fontaine Research Park will house approximately a dozen scientific programs and a clinical research unit that will tackle some of the world’s most urgent medical challenges, including diabetes, cancer, addiction, neurological disorders and childhood diseases.

The School of Medicine was able to acquire the building, at 560 Ray C. Hunt Drive, thanks to a $45 million gift from the Ivy Foundation in 2006. That gift also backed the construction of the Emily Couric Clinical Cancer Center and the Battle Building at U.Va. Children’s Hospital.

Friday’s dedication ceremony drew a significant crowd and featured brief remarks from U.Va. President Teresa A. Sullivan; Dr. Richard P. Shannon, executive vice president for health affairs; Dr. Nancy Dunlap, dean of the School of Medicine; Margaret “Peggy” Shupnik, senior associate dean for research at the School of Medicine; and Dr. Robert W. Battle, a U.Va. cardiologist and president of the Ivy Foundation. The speakers described the new facility as a major step forward in the School of Medicine’s efforts to pioneer the cures and treatments of tomorrow.

After their brief remarks, the featured speakers unveiled the building’s official nameplate.

Media Contact

Josh Barney

UVA Health