Inside the Leon Levine Hall of Medical Sciences, home of the Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine
BY CHERRY CRAYTON, PHOTOS BY BRYAN REAGAN
When Campbell University set out to construct the home for its School of Osteopathic Medicine, it was imperative that the building be both well-designed and innovative, says Dr. John Kauffman, founding dean of the medical school.
It had to be well-designed to send the message that Campbell was launching a well-planned, top-notch School of Osteopathic Medicine, and it had be innovative to reflect the distinct medical education the school planned to deliver, he says.
Melissa Stout Davies (’10), a student in the School of Osteopathic Medicine, says Campbell hit the mark with the 96,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art Leon Levine Hall of Medical Sciences. “It’s beautiful,” Davies says. “I think it’ll make a major difference in attracting students to the school. It says that Campbell is committed to providing a top-quality medical education and that it will prepare us well for our careers.”
Consider the building’s largest classrooms. They were designed so that every two rows are on the same level, which allows students to be easily broken into small groups to work together during classes. This will help students learn to work collaboratively within a small team, a crucial skill in health settings, says Michael Mahalik, the School of Osteopathic Medicine’s senior associate dean for academic affairs and research. “The students will learn here that in the real world that they will have to work together,” he says.
The Hall of Medical Sciences, which was constructed between December 2011 and May 2013, also boasts one of the top simulation centers in the region. Located on the second floor are six simulation lab rooms that mimic an emergency room, an operating room, an intensive care unit, a labor and delivery room, and debriefing rooms.
There’s also a virtual lab where students will gain experience with surgical simulations and be exposed to equipment that teaches about colonoscopies, esophagogastroduodenoscopies, and bronchoscopies. There’s even a prayer chapel. The building’s top level features a 5,500-square-foot anatomy lab and fresh tissues lab. “Because the students are coming here to be physicians, we need to keep their learning experiences interactive, and that’s what you see as an emphasis with this building,” Mahalik says. “We want our students in the labs and doing early clinical experiences that will poise them for success.”
The New Medical Facility 
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WARM, INVITING, EFFICIENT
“The building draws upon many successful design components seen in the heart of main campus, yet possesses its own unique identity. In keeping with basic principles of osteopathic medical practice, the campus uses many sustainable design concepts, including north-south solar orientation for daylighting; bioswales; long-lasting, easily maintainable materials; and a high-performance energy system yielding long-term environmental benefits.” — SchoolDesigns.com
STATE-OF-THE-ART LABS
Jim Roberts: “Our fourth-floor anatomy center is a state-of-the-art lab where we treat the human body in a manner that is expected of a Christian institution. … The OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) rooms are basically exam rooms. That’s the room where our PAs and DOs learn to be a doctor. They learn how to interact with their patients. And every room — the classrooms, the labs, all of it — is recorded so [lectures and labs] can be studied and used again and again.”
BUILT FOR LEARNING
Jim Roberts: “Our two large auditoriums seat 200-plus and have seating arranged so students can have their eyes on the professor or the large screens in the front, then spin their chairs around to work in group settings of eight. … Medical libraries are mostly electronic these days, and our library will provide all materials both in hard copy and electronic form. All lectures and training exercises will be available in the library.”
THE STRUCTURE
Campbell University Vice President of Business Jim Roberts: “Architects often talk about buildings with form following function. That’s what we’ve done here. The building is set up with two structures that are tied together to provide wonderful student spaces, wonderful open study spaces, light and access and facilities that meet the needs of the way medical education is taught today.”
