Building better health: New building provides platform to improve health for communities throughout the state

The groundbreaking for the new UTHealth Houston School of Public Health building in June 2023 did not simply mark the start of a construction project—it laid the foundation for a healthier Texas.

The need to expand the school’s capabilities became clear with the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrated the importance of a large, research-intensive public health school. The School of Public Health helped lead the response to that widespread challenge by mobilizing its broad expertise to help protect the well-being of our communities, bringing attention to the vital role the school plays in improving health.

Meanwhile, the school has experienced strong growth in student enrollment over the past five years, enabling it to train more health professionals with a statewide presence spanning from the Gulf Coast to El Paso, and the Rio Grande Valley to North Texas. Research expenditures at the school have also risen as experts seek new ways to safeguard and improve lives, which increases the need for additional laboratory space.

With its new 350,000-square-foot facility, the school will build on this momentum.

“The new building reflects our bold thinking as we pioneer radical solutions for imminent and future public health challenges while giving our students the tools and resources to improve the health of Texas,” says Eric Boerwinkle, PhD.

The building’s location on the south side of the Texas Medical Center’s new Helix Park Campus—with a skybridge connecting to the research center—will place the school’s faculty and students in the heart of a rich, collaborative environment. In addition to promoting innovation, the 10-story tower will feature learning technologies that facilitate both in-person and distance learning.

Integrated space will be dedicated to research, including facilities for infectious diseases, genetics, epidemiology, and health promotion and behavioral sciences. A cutting-edge teaching kitchen will provide hands-on learning opportunities, and a holistic garden will facilitate instruction in healthy food as a tool to improve physical and mental health.

Slated to welcome new and returning students in fall 2026, advanced simulation centers will enable students to learn to perform assessments for nutrition-related medical conditions, and the classrooms will support the school’s broad range of disciplines, including nutrition, health policy, and data science. In addition, a large auditorium will allow the public health community to come together to discuss the latest developments in the field.

“Philanthropy and our community partners have been essential in helping us advance public health in Texas and beyond, from funding research to supporting our students as they focus on becoming leaders in this exciting field. The new building provides an opportunity for philanthropic partners to have a lasting impact on the community,” Boerwinkle says.

Financial needs also include helping to outfit laboratories with the latest equipment that will enable scientists to uncover new ways to safeguard the health of our families, friends, and neighbors.