Breaking Ground on New Medical Research Building to Break New Ground in Medical Research at Stony Brook University
New MART facility will focus on research, top health issues and create jobs on Long Island
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New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (center) participates in the ground breaking of the new Medical and Research Translation Building at Stony Brook Medicine with (left to right) Kevin S. Law, President and CEO of the Long Island Association and chairman of the Stony Brook Council; Jim Simons, President, Euclidean Capital, Founder and Board Chair of Renaissance Technologies LLC and former Chair of the Department of Mathematics at Stony Brook University; State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher; and Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD. |
STONY BROOK, N.Y.,
November 14, 2013 –Stony Brook University broke ground to showcase the start of construction on its new Medical and Research Translation (MART) Building on the Stony Brook Medicine campus. The ceremony took place with hundreds of physicians, administrators and staff on hand to celebrate the start of the new project, and where President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., with help from those who made it possible, Jim Simons, Governor Andrew Cuomo, SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, along with Kevin S. Law, President & CEO of the Long Island Association, and chair of the Stony Brook Council, unearthed the first shovels full of dirt to get the $194 million MART building project officially underway.
Designed to enable, foster and encourage scientists and physicians to work side by side to investigate and discover new clinical treatments and invent new medical technology, the MART is the first facility to break ground in a $423 Million expansion project that will advance research and clinical care at Stony Brook Medicine. The 245,000 square foot, eight-story MART, scheduled to be completed in 2016, will be located adjacent to the Hospital and Health Sciences Center on the Medicine campus. It will be a home for understanding the basis for human disease, where scientific discovery will be translated into clinical research, and where promising patient results can be turned into FDA-approved healthcare diagnostic and treatment options. As part of its core mission, the MART will be devoted to cancer research and care, including the new home for the Stony Brook University Cancer Center.
This expansion was made possible by Governor Andrew Cuomo and the State University of New York under the leadership of Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher, through a $35 million NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant and $50 million in support through an historic $150 million gift from Jim and Marilyn Simons. The expansion will generate about 4,200 project-related and specialized research jobs to the region.
“The new MART facility will be a premier center of advanced medical research and treatment, provide our students with the experience needed for careers in the medical field, as well as provide Long Island residents with quality cancer care,” Governor Cuomo said. “The State has focused on investing in our centers of higher education to prepare our students for the 21st century economy as well as foster regional economic development, and the MART facility demonstrates this vision by helping create new jobs here on Long Island as well as strengthening Stony Brook University’s position as a leader in the medical science field.”
SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher said, “Thanks to the leadership and vision of our Governor, incredible new medical discoveries, cutting edge cancer research, novel new treatments – and perhaps someday even a cure–will be developed on a Long Island SUNY campus. This is what’s possible on the 21st century college campus in New York; groundbreaking research that brings together the University’s top scientists with their private sector counterparts to develop and bring to market life-changing technologies. This entrepreneurial environment provides untold opportunities for our students and drives economic activity across New York.”
“With this groundbreaking, we took an important step forward in Stony Brook University’s goal to develop the MART, a translational research center that will advance both medical innovation and clinical practice,” said President Stanley. “Yet we would not be here today if it were not for the vision and unwavering commitment of two of our greatest champions – New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, and our generous friends, Jim and Marilyn Simons. Governor Cuomo’s vision for SUNY 2020 helped create the operating revenue that is enabling us to hire 267 new faculty, helping us transform this campus, and giving us the opportunity to recruit world class scientists to Stony Brook and to the MART. Equally transformative is the capital funding that was made available to us, in the form of a $35 million capital challenge grant from the Governor which was matched by $50 million dollars from Jim and Marilyn Simons, as part of their historic $150 million gift to Stony Brook University. So it is wonderful that we could all be here today to celebrate such an important milestone.”
“It is wonderful to see this building reach the groundbreaking stage after two years of planning. Marilyn and I were inspired by Governor Cuomo’s vision and commitment to SUNY 2020, making this building a reality,” said Jim Simons, President, Euclidean Capital, Founder and Board Chair of Renaissance Technologies LLC and former Chair of the Department of Mathematics at Stony Brook University. “Under the outstanding leadership of President Sam Stanley and School of Medicine Dean Ken Kaushansky, this investment will produce medical innovations and critical jobs for the region and Stony Brook University.”
“The MART will build on existing strengths of Stony Brook University to create a world class bench-to-bedside incubator for the best ideas in medicine,” said Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, Senior Vice President, Health Sciences, and Dean, Stony Brook University School of Medicine. “Currently Stony Brook Medicine cares for approximately 4,000 patients with cancer, encompassing about 80,000 patient encounters.”
The $194 Million building will house advanced biomedical imaging and biomedical informatics, including a PET/CT scanner. The MART will also contain 12 new classrooms and a 300-seat auditorium to host conferences, lectures and other events. The outpatient Cancer Center will include multidisciplinary exam space for medical and surgical oncology, infusion center with private and open bays, pediatric hematology and oncology including pediatric infusion, as well as patient amenities and support. The MART will greatly increase the availability of outpatient cancer treatment to the region by doubling its capacity. Kaushansky also noted that highly specialized physicians, nurses and staff at the Stony Brook Cancer Center will be more accessible to the residents of Long Island.
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About Stony Brook Medicine:
Stony Brook Medicine integrates and elevates all of Stony Brook University’s health-related initiatives: education, research and patient care. It includes five Health Sciences schools — Dental Medicine, Health Technology and Management, Medicine, Nursing and Social Welfare — as well as Stony Brook University Hospital and more than 50 community-based healthcare settings throughout Suffolk County. To learn more, visit www.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
