Final countdown to The Big Move - USF Health NewsUSF Health News

Welcome to a special series covering some of the many key moments of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s move to its new home in downtown Tampa. Check back regularly with this blog for more news and photos that capture the many activities for moving MCOM to Water Street Tampa!

Friday, Jan. 17, 2020

Medical students gather for second Collegia Olympics

Medical students from the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine gathered at the University of South Florida’s outdoor basketball courts to represent their collegias in the second Collegia Olympics. More than 400 medical students across all four years represented the nine collegia teams participated in a variety of fun and lively team oriented games to include water balloon toss, three-way tug of war, and knockout basketball to acquire the most points for their collegia. A new event in sidewalk art was added. The theme of the art contest was “the move downtown.” Farmers collegia took home top points in the Collegia Giving Challenge enroute to becoming Collegia Olympic Champions.

The goal of the collegia program is to promote peer and professional mentoring to medical students to help them navigate the world of medicine more efficiently and effectively through medical school and beyond. Each collegia has their own space where students across all four years could come together, promoting more of the peer to peer mentoring and sense of community that is often important during the rigors of medical school. Click the link for more information about the collegia space: https://hscweb3.hsc.usf.edu/blog/2019/12/09/dedicated-space-for-collegia/

Monday, Jan. 13, 2020

First day of class

After a week of celebrating the start of a new chapter in USF history, students returned to class for the first time in the new building.

Friday, Jan. 10, 2020

Student Orientation

After a day celebrating the opening of the new Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute, many students got their first look at their new home during student orientation. Deborah DeWaay, MD, FACP, MCOM associate dean of Undergraduate Medical Education, said in a heartfelt statement to the students; “As we look at this building, we are amaze at the effort to erect it. I want us to be humbled by the responsibility that is now ours. We have been given the space. Now, what will we do with it. I hope we are inspired by the space and the light to be grateful for our calling. I hope we strive to take better care of ourselves so that we are able to be there for others.”

Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

After 900 day of planning and construction, we have officially opened our doors. A distinguished list of guests including the Florida Board of Governors, the USF Board of Trustees, the USF system president, USF Health leadership and the many donors and stakeholder invested in the downtown campus, joined us to cut the ribbon on the new USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute on Water Street Tampa. Get the full story here: http://bit.ly/35B9W8M

The next event in the series will be student orientation, where many will get their first look at the new spaces.

Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020

Shared Student Services

As the staff and faculty continue to settle into their new offices, the concierge team from USF Health Shared Student Services, led by Caitlin Wolf, introduced themselves and gave a presentation on what services they offer in the new building. This team will serve a key role in the daily operations of MCOM and future tenants. They will be responsible for a variety of tasks in the downtown campus including configuring the classrooms for the instructors, validating parking for USF Health guests visiting for official business reasons, and giving general guidance on navigating the building to those who visit, to name a few.

The next event for MCOM will be the official grand opening Jan. 8 at 10 a.m. Tune into Facebook Live to see the festivities.

Friday, Jan. 3, 2020

Settling In

After a welcomed break for the holidays, MCOM staff and faculty returned to their new home to begin setting up their new offices. Empty boxes and packing peanuts still fill some of the office spaces. The halls echo with drills and hammers of construction crews putting the final touches on the details of the building, breaking down the scaffolding that blocks the views outside. This is truly the dawn of a new era in USF Health history, and medical education.

Stay tuned as we continue to highlight the exciting events on the horizon for MCOM, including the official ribbon-cutting ceremony, student orientation and the first day classes in the downtown campus.

Friday, Dec. 20, 2019

Moving day at MCOM

The sounds of packing tape ripping from the roll and squeaky hand cart tires fill the halls of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. That can only mean one thing. It’s moving day! The staff and faculty are packing the final boxes in their departments and the moving trucks are ready to roll to their new home in downtown Tampa.

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019

Downtown Showcase brings USF Health and downtown resources together

As the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine counts down the final days until their move downtown, it’s important that USF Health continues to connect with services and organizations in downtown and Water Street Tampa.

The Downtown Showcase at The WELL was a way to get the entire USF Health community up to date on USF Health’s expansion into downtown and a way to keep the USF Health community connected with Water Street Tampa downtown. A variety of vendors joined the event to share details about making use of their services while in downtown Tampa, including Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, Amalie Arena, and many other companies surrounding the downtown campus. Even the Gasparilla pirates and Columbia Restaurant flamenco dancers joined the Downtown Showcase.

“The event was a great way to celebrate how far we’ve come since construction started. We are extremely excited for the new partnerships and relationships we have the opportunity to build as we expand into downtown,” said showcase coordinator, Caitlin Wolf, director of Shared Student Services at USF Health.