New GE SPHHS building to serve as convening place for public health leaders

The George Washington University announced today plans to begin construction of a new building for its School of Public Health and Health Services on Pennsylvania Avenue, to be completed in the summer of 2014. The new silver LEED certified building will provide a consolidated home for the school's 1,500 students and serve as a central location for continued research and collaboration with a wide variety of government and non-governmental organizations.

"The new SPHHS building will serve as an essential convening place for public health leaders from across the country and around the world that is conveniently located in the heart of the nation's capital," said John F. Williams, M.D., Ed.D., M.P.H.,  provost and vice president for Health Affairs. "It will serve as a true resource for academics, government agencies and international public health institutions."

The GW SPHHS, which was established in 1998, has the fastest growing research portfolio of any school of public health in the nation, with a growing list of partnerships with state and federal constituencies, international organizations and other non-profit entities. These partnerships, for example, result in the critical exchange of information on HIV/AIDS prevention and the efficacy of current programs, as well as research on data to support improvements to the quality of HIV/AIDS care in Washington, D.C., and beyond. In addition, the school serves as the home of the Commission for a Healthier America, the STOP Obesity Alliance, the Geiger Gibson Program for Community Health Policy, and the Aligning Forces for Quality, a major national program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that aims to lift the overall quality of health care, reduce racial and ethnic disparities and provide models for national reform. These partnerships and programs provide pathways for the student body to work on the high-level public health initiatives that have impact on communities across the country and overseas.

"With a new building, we can finally bring all of our faculty and students together into one location. The potential for educational and research synergies will be transformative for not just the school and the University, but also for the community, the nation, and the world," said Josef Reum, interim Dean of the SPHHS.

The 108,000-square-foot structure will be built on Washington Circle, at the intersection of 24th St. and Pennsylvania Avenue. The $75-million project will include state-of-the-art research and classroom facilities and conference space. It also will be community friendly and architecturally integrated into the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.

The University will break ground on this project beginning in 2012.