Project Management

If you had a medical physicist wish list for a cancer center what would it include? The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSWMC) asked themselves that very question spending over a year formulating a solution prior to engaging an architect. The premise was to create a new type of environment for both patients and staff; rethinking every aspect of the building, patient experience and work flow.

The session speakers included Justin Parscale, AIA, from Perkins + Will, Claire Mendenhall-Almanza, Director of Marketing UTSWCM and Arnold Pompos, PhD, Interim Director of Clinical Physics UTSWMC. They discussed the overall multiyear process culminating in the opening of a new $66 million radiation oncology center in early April 2017.

The project core included flexible vault design independent of vendor, with a smaller vault footprint including two doors: one entrance for the patient and a second "back door" with access to a technology corridor where all equipment (patient immobilization, physics tools) is stored. Office and staff lounge areas were optimized to encourage collaboration and staff interaction. The speakers shared insights into the lessons learned from the start of the process to where they are now—already thinking ahead to the next phase.