UF's College of Medicine is looking to add another building to campus.
Dr. Michael Good, interim dean of the college, confirmed Wednesday that preliminary talks are underway for a new education building on the Health Science Center campus.
Good would not settle on a possible timeline, saying one is being worked out with UF officials.
About $360,000 in gifts has already been pledged toward the building from 419 donors in 39 states, Good said.
"It's very preliminary, but it is something that's on our radar screen," Good said. "It's something that we know that we need."
He stressed that the college's facilities are adequate for the current number of students but said facilities always have to be updated and modernized.
Dr. Ira Gessner, assistant dean of admissions for the college, alluded to a possible new building in an interview Monday. Gessner said the building was necessary for any possible increase to the size of the first-year enrollment class, currently set at 135 students.
Good agreed that increasing enrollment is a possibility once the new building is in place. He said a decision has not been made.
As for what the building would hold, Good said he envisioned a simulation training center as well as rooms for small group learning and larger lecture halls.
An emphasis would be to increase interdisciplinary training between students from all different health professions.
Dr. Richard Davidson, director of interdisciplinary studies at UF's medical school, said the more exposure students get to peers from other health careers, the better off they will be.
"You have to be able to communicate with people from different disciplines," Davidson said.
"When you don't, that's when we have medical errors."
