Wellness-Focused Medical School Design: Caring for Those Who Heal

If you look up the mission statement of any medical school, you’ll likely find common themes that are similar to the following: training the next generation of physicians, advancing knowledge, and fostering innovation through research. You may even find that service to the surrounding community, region, or world is also included—with the intent and goal of improving patient outcomes. While these mission themes are broad and require intentionality in curriculum design, faculty recruitment, student admissions, and accreditation documentation, the way in which a medical school building functions can have a profound impact on how the mission is realized. With SLAM having spent the last two decades working with dozens of colleges of medicine across the country, below are some observations about the role that a physical facility can play in the successful execution of each mission:

• Educating the next generation of physicians requires advanced learning environments rich in technology. The Virtual Anatomy Lab at Duquesne University College of Osteopathic Medicine  and inter-professional Simulation Center at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill are examples of life-like support training in a clinical setting.

• Research innovations in the built environment take many forms. These range from adaptable wet bench laboratories that can evolve alongside changing grant funding and faculty research initiatives—like those at Sam Houston State University — to clinical research spaces, translational research collaboration zones, and applied science facilities, like biomechanics and human performance labs.
• Service to the community requires intentional programming and planning. For instance, at the Tillman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine at the University of Houston, a large flexible active learning classroom on the first floor, doubles as a community event space.

Beyond just the outward missions of medical schools, there has been an increase in priority for programs to support the mental health and well-being of students. Medical school is an extremely stressful and taxing time for students. That’s where the programming, planning, and design of the medical school building can help play a role in caring for the whole student – body, mind, and spirit – all while they prepare for a lifetime of learning, innovation, and service in the medical field.

• A sense of belonging is key to wellness, and designing space to support fostering connection is important. The research of Daniel Chambliss, author of the acclaimed book, How College Works, reveals that success in college is driven more by relationships than by curriculum or intellect. Chambliss says, “We say two or three friends; one is critical. If students don’t have friends, the evidence is just really, really strong – the whole game is over.” In medical facility design, fostering opportunities for connection could include the incorporation of Learning Communities, like at Dell Medical School at UT Austin, where designated social lounges and seminar rooms help students connect in smaller groups.
• Formal and Informal Learning “Seats” are important. Anyone who’s ever been in an ordinary college classroom building has likely seen students sitting on the floor of a hallway, outside their classroom, waiting for the previous class to end so that they can enter. This is where “informal learning seats” become important. Breakout seats, social seats, and study seats, throughout a facility are what give students a place to be when not in class. Whether it’s about getting some work done, charging their devices, having a snack, or socializing with a friend, a good rule of thumb for a classroom building is that the informal learning seat count should be equal to at least 20-30% of the formal learning seat count in the building. This means that a building with 1,000 classroom seats should have at least 200-300 study, social, and breakout seats in total. Some programs far exceed this metric. At the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Education Center, which serves as the inter-professional home for five disciplines, including medicine, the formal to informal seat ratio was a full 1:1. Over 1,000 classroom seats are matched with over 1,000 study, social, and breakout seats to create a vibrant hub of inter-professional collaboration.

• Every student has unique preferences, learning styles, study habits, and social capacities. Providing a variety of study and social spaces for students is key. For example, if a student wants to book a private room for quiet study, then join friends in the social lounge to watch a football game while eating lunch, followed by some additional studying in the bustling lobby or café, giving them options will enhance their experience. At Duke University School of Medicine, an exterior terrace provides space for students to relax and get some fresh air, which is a great transition to the next point:
• Caring for the body and spirit, not just meeting the conditions for intellectual growth, is critical to the medical school experience. At our core, humans are simple creatures. We want access to daylight, and to feel the sun on our face. We want delicious, nourishing food. We want the chance to move our bodies, to close our eyes, calm our minds, and meditate on the things that matter to us. In medical school design, this means providing spaces for reflection – to connect with nature – maybe somewhere for individual prayer or for group yoga. Every student survey we have conducted has asked for a café, a smoothie bar, or a coffee shop on the premises. At Emory University School of Medicine, an outdoor fountain provides a moment of calm, and a quad formed by the building creates a place for groups to gather. At Xavier University College of Osteopathic Medicine, currently in design, a chapel is incorporated in alignment with the Jesuit tradition, along with an inter-faith reflection room. By addressing the physical and spiritual needs of students, they are better prepared for the intellectual challenge of medical school.

When the built environment is intentionally aligned with the mission of medical education, it becomes more than just a building—it becomes a catalyst for learning, discovery, connection, and care, helping to shape the kind of physicians our world needs.