Plans are set for Kapoor Hall, the soon-to-be new home of the School of Pharmacy (SoP) and Pharmaceutical Sciences on South Campus. The new all-glass atrium will offer a communal locale for pharmacy students and professors
The Panasci family recently gave $1 million to the SoP to lay its roots down in Acheson Hall. This donation, in addition to the $5 million donation by alumnus John Kapoor, Ph.D., will continue to give the SoP its own roots.
"We are an active fundraising campaign. We attribute the success to alumni, friends and other organizations we have good relationships with," said Leigh Yates, assistant dean and director of development for the School of Pharmacy.
Yates was enthused by the Panasci donation and the change it will bring to the pharmacy program.
"This is huge, a historic milestone," Yates said. "We are one of the oldest programs at University at Buffalo. We have in the past been retro-fitted to older buildings."
The SoP is preparing to move to South Campus, joining the university's other health science schools. The Academic Health Center at UB is set to open in 2011.
Along with the renovations, the pharmacy school plans to stress an inter-professional curriculum focused on collaborative drug-therapy management and patient education.
The design will include state-of-the-art laboratories devoted to pharmacy informatics and information systems, audio and video conferencing capabilities and interactive audience response systems.
"The Panasci gift really will provide a community atmosphere," Yates said. "In previous buildings, there was little or no gathering space. The all-glass atrium will be wide open with many sitting areas so students and teachers can get together outside of the traditional classroom or office setting."
The new building will provide a valuable resource for patient care, recruiting new students and faculty, as well as an up-to-date learning environment. The atrium will also provide a presentation venue for the school's museum pieces.
"[The Atrium] will provide glass cases showcasing many pieces from the collection of the Pharmacy School's museum, not only displaying older pieces but providing displays [to] showcase the future of the field as well," Yates said.
The second floor Winspear Avenue entrance will provide a sweeping view of the glass atrium, filled with natural lighting.
Members of the SoP believe that this is a well-needed facelift for a school that has ranked in the top two of the northeast U.S. pharmacy schools, and also ranked among the top 25 in the nation.
"This is the first time that the School of Pharmacy has been able to design space for a curriculum education and research," Yates said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
