The future is now for the Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, which cut the ribbon Thursday on a long-awaited $75 million facility designed to merge its research and medical education programs under one roof.
The Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute will expand training opportunities for health care providers while supporting clinical trials. That in turn will improve patient care and develop state-of-art treatments while attracting and retaining medical professionals.
“We are excited to dedicate this state-of-the-art facility to medical advances and innovative treatment options that will benefit our community today and for generations to come," health system CEO David Verinder said in a news release.
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The five-story, 82,000-square-foot building provides operational and education space for clinical educators and medical education faculty, physician residents and fellows.
With Florida State University as its academic partner, Sarasota Memorial provides residency and fellowship training programs. It also collaborates with nursing education programs throughout the state.
The national architectural firm Gresham Smith designed the building to facilitate those goals.
Each floor features innovative learning spaces, including advanced medical simulations labs, classrooms, a 360-degree immersive training room, enhanced medical library and multipurpose auditorium.
The first-floor auditorium, which seats up to 400, can host research conferences, clinical and community education events, and Sarasota County Public Hospital Board meetings.
The institute, located across Arlington Street from Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s main campus, is named after longtime donors Jerry and Karen Kolschowsky, whose foundation provided a $25 million gift in 2023 that served as a catalyst for construction.
The Kolschowskys, who live part of each year in Sarasota, have been financially assisting the community-owned health system for nearly 20 years after Karen Kolschowsky was successfully treated for cancer by Sarasota Memorial’s cancer team.
Foundation president Stacey Corley said the Kolschowskys have inspired other philanthropists to step forward in support of the institute.
“I can’t overstate what the Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute brings to Sarasota Memorial and our community,” said Chief Medical Officer Dr. James Fiorica, an oncologist who led that cancer team who treated Karen Kolschowsky,
“It creates a sense of place, a center for innovation, inspiration and discovery where physicians, researchers and clinical educators are excited to come and work. The collaboration, compound learning and benefits to patient care will be huge.”
