The University of Nebraska Medical Center will take an important next step on its trek to becoming a world-class academic health science center when it formally opens its latest research facility Wednesday – the Durham Research Center II (DRC II).
Named in honor of the late Charles (Chuck) Durham, the former CEO and chairman of the engineering and architectural firm, HDR, Inc., the DRC II is a twin to the Durham Research Center (DRC), which opened in 2003. The DRC II, which cost $76.4 million, has 10 levels, 95 laboratories and 252,179 gross square feet. Durham provided the lead gift for both research towers.
The DRC II sits directly south of the original DRC at the northwest corner of Emile Street and Durham Research Plaza (formerly 45th Street). The two buildings, which are connected on the atrium level, anchor the west end of the UNMC campus known as the Durham Research Plaza.
Initially, the DRC II will house more than 250 staff members, including 35 principal investigators, who bring in a combined $76.4 million in research funding.
The scientists are conducting research on pulmonary diseases, neurodevelopmental disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, regenerative medicine, serious bacterial infections including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), as well as gastroenterology/hepatology diseases.
“The DRC II enables us to recruit and retain outstanding scientists with funded research who will make scientific discoveries to benefit Nebraskans and the world,” said UNMC Chancellor Harold M. Maurer, M.D. “It will allow us to explore new avenues of research, such as regenerative medicine, and expand our areas of research excellence in cancer, pulmonary, neuroscience and biosecurity.
“Chuck Durham was a great visionary leader. He was way ahead of his time in everything he did. He told me he could do more for humanity by supporting research than anything else he could do. He left a tremendous legacy at UNMC. These magnificent research towers will advance research, health care and health education for many years to come.”
John Niemann, Ed.D., senior vice president of the University of Nebraska Foundation, likewise praised Durham for what he did for UNMC.
“Initiative and compassion are qualities that distinguish genuine leadership,” he said. “Chuck Durham was just that – an indomitable, focused, visionary leader who loved Omaha and forever improved the course of biomedical research at UNMC for the benefit of Nebraskans and all who follow him. Chuck was a treasure whose life, love and convictions will forever be revered by UNMC and people who had the pleasure to know him.”
Dr. Maurer said UNMC’s growing research enterprise was vital in attracting top scientists such as breast cancer researchers, Drs. Vimla and Hamid Band, and Ken Bayles, Ph.D., who studies antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, to the medical center.
Since becoming chancellor in 1998, Dr. Maurer has made building UNMC’s research enterprise his top priority. He noted the importance of research in growing the state’s economy. For every $1 million in research funding UNMC receives, 32 new jobs are generated, he said. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,600 highly skilled jobs in the state.
Like the DRC, the new research tower was funded primarily through philanthropic donations. In addition to Durham, other benefactors include the Nebraska Public Health Laboratories, an anonymous donor, the C.L. Werner family, Ruth and Bill Scott, UNMC Physicians, the Peter Kiewit Foundation, and Hawkins Construction Company.
The opening of the DRC II marks the second major building to be completed at UNMC in the past year. Last June, the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education opened on the east end of campus at the northeast corner of 42nd and Emile streets.
The Sorrell Center, which is home to the UNMC College of Medicine, has become the centerpiece for educational activities at UNMC as well as the gateway building to the campus. The four-level, $52.7 million facility includes 134,183 square feet and was funded entirely by private donations through the University of Nebraska Foundation.
Wednesday’s grand opening event will begin at 10 a.m. on the plaza in front of the two research towers. Dr. Maurer will emcee the event. Other speakers will include: Gov. Dave Heineman; Roger Bulger, M.D., former president of the Association of Academic Health Centers; Kent Schroeder, J.D., chairman of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents; James B. Milliken, J.D., president of the University of Nebraska; Dr. Niemann; Vimla Band, Ph.D., professor and vice chairwoman for research in the UNMC Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy; and members of the Durham family.
Four laboratories, the commons area and a seminar room have been named by principal benefactors to the DRC II, and one cancer research lab was gifted by an anonymous benefactor.
The named laboratories, commons area and seminar room include: Level 1 – Chancellor Harold M. and Beverly Maurer Research Laboratories and Chancellor Harold M. and Beverly Maurer Commons (both funded by a donation from UNMC Physicians), and the Hawkins Construction Company Seminar Room; Level 3 – the C.L. Werner Family Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Laboratories; Level 4 – the Peter Kiewit Foundation Cancer Research Laboratories; Level 5 – Cancer Research Laboratories; and Level 7 – the Frederick F. Paustian M.D. Gastroenterology Research Laboratories (funded by a donation from Ruth and Bill Scott). Level 6 also will be the future home of the Regenerative Medicine Laboratories.
The eighth level of DRC II will serve as the new home for the Nebraska Public Health Laboratories and the UNMC Biodefense Research Laboratories. Since 1997, UNMC has housed the Nebraska Public Health Laboratories on its campus in a unique arrangement which has saved the state millions of dollars by being able to use the existing laboratory expertise and facilities at UNMC.
The event will be highlighted by the unveiling of a bronze sculpture of Chuck Durham created by John Lajba, an Omaha artist. Lajba’s best known pieces locally are “Tribute to Caregivers” outside The Nebraska Medical Center’s Hixson-Lied Center, the “Road to Omaha” sculpture at Rosenblatt Stadium, the waiting passengers at the Durham Museum and the “World War II 50th Anniversary Heartland Memorial” at Heartland of America Park.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,600 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.