MEDICAL BULLETIN

Wolstein Research Building expands capabilities of school, hospital

Facility demonstrates the power of collaboration, design

Among those attending the Oct. 16 gala dedicating the building were, from left, Thomas F. Zenty III, president and CEO of University Hospitals Health System (UHHS); Edward M. Hundert, M.D., president of Case Western Reserve University (Case); Fred C. Rothstein, president and CEO of University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC); Iris S. and Bert L. Wolstein; Christopher M. Conner, chair of the UHHS and UHC boards of directors; Ralph I. Horwitz, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at Case; and Charles P. Bolton, chair of the Case Board of Trustees (not pictured).

From left: Ralph I. Horwitz, M.D., dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at Case Western Reserve University; Leon E. Rosenberg, M.D., lecturer in molecular biology and public and international affairs at Princeton University; Edward M. Hundert, M.D., president of Case; and Ohio Gov. Robert Taft were among those speaking at an Oct. 17 symposium, “Science and Education Serving Society,” that also marked the dedication of the Wolstein Research Building. Dr. Rosenberg delivered the keynote address. Other speakers included Thomas F. Zenty III, president and CEO of University Hospitals Health System; Sanford D. Markowitz, M.D., Ph.D., Ingalls Professor of Cancer Genetics at the School of Medicine, an oncologist at the hospital, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator; and James W. Kazura, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Center for Global Health and Diseases.

“We are so proud to be associated with …these institutions that words can’t describe it,” Bert L. Wolstein, left, said at the Oct. 16 gala dedicating the research building named for him and his wife, Iris. “We’re very fortunate to have each other and very fortunate to have had the means to dedicate to this opportunity, and we hope we set an inspiration for others.” Iris Wolstein also encouraged those in attendance “to taste the sweet taste of giving.”

The new Iris S. and Bert L. Wolstein Research Building greatly expands the research capabilities of the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland. More than that, however, it is a symbol of the power of collaboration afforded by the affiliation of two large institutions and the careful design of a research building.

“This building represents one of the great temples of biomedical research,” School of Medicine Dean Ralph I. Horwitz, M.D., told those attending an Oct. 16 gala to dedicate the building. “It will benefit all of health and health care, not just of the American people but of people all over the world.”

Designed by the architectural firm of van Dijk Westlake Reed Leskosky, the building totals 320,000 square feet, with two stories below ground and six stories above ground. It will accommodate 700 researchers when at full capacity, as well as a “mouse house” with 28,000 cages.
Translational research, the kind of laboratory work that “translates” into improved clinical care, is the focus of research conducted in the building. Often termed bench-to-bedside research, it requires close collaboration among physician-scientists. This collaboration is encouraged by the open design of laboratory space as well as the inclusion of several common areas within the building.

The ground floor features a roomy atrium, a 180-seat auditorium and in addition to being practical, the building also is aesthetically pleasing. Its exterior features Valders limestone, quarried in Wisconsin, in a curtain wall of metal panels and glass. In fact, glass represents about 40 percent of the exterior. Landscaping features include gardens and a fountain. The building’s interior is decorated with the work of artists from Northeast Ohio and others.