The University of South Carolina broke ground on the upcoming School of Medicine in Columbia’s BullStreet District.
A mix of university and government officials spoke at the Feb. 25 event, including Gov. Henry McMaster. Construction on the facility, which will take up more than 300,000 square feet, is expected to complete in August 2027.
The new facility is the first component of the new Health Sciences Campus to begin construction. South Carolina’s first standalone neurological hospital will be built nearby, and a Brain Health Center will be constructed across Harden Street from the medical school.
Physician assistants, nurse anesthetists, genetic counselors and rehabilitation specialists are among the “much needed” roles that the new facility will train students to fill, said Marlene Wilson, the department chair for pharmacology, physiology and neuroscience at the School of Medicine Columbia.
“As a neuroscientist, it’s an amazing time to be at USC,” Wilson said.
The facility will contain a health sciences library, modernized classrooms as well as research labs and medical simulation spaces, according to a press release.
For medical students, the new facility will create exciting new clinical and research opportunities, fourth-year medical student Julia Thoppil said. Additionally, proximity to a hospital will help students build relationships with physicians in their field, she said.
Thoppil, who plans to go into emergency medicine, did not get a mentor in that field until late in her second year of medical school. The new Health Sciences Campus could help students connect with professionals in their chosen fields sooner, she said.
“With the campus being this close, it will be easier for people to hop on to research projects and get that face-to-face time from their first day here,” Thoppil said.
Thoppil will graduate before the new facility is completed, but she is excited about the opportunities it will give future students, she said.
The new medical school will sit close to Prisma Health Richland Hospital.
USC has rented space from the Veterans Affairs hospital on Garners Ferry Road for years, but according to Board of Trustees Chair Thad Westbrook, the time has come to move closer to the university’s clinical partners such as Prisma Health and physicians located in downtown Columbia.
University leaders and state officials break ground on the new USC School of Medicine building at the USC Health Sciences Campus in the Bull Street District on Feb. 25, 2025. Speakers included University of South Carolina President Michael Amiridis, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, USC Board of Trustees Chair Thad Westbrook, School of Medicine Department Chair Marlene Wilson, Hughes Development Corporation Chairman Bob Hughes and M.D. candidate Julia Thoppil.
USC President Michael Amridis compared the development to a family buying a home after renting for many years.
“For 50 years … we have been renting at VA,” Amiridis said. “At some point, it came together to have a home here.”
In addition to the health sciences campus’s location within the city, Columbia’s location within the state will contribute to the campus’ status as a “geographic epicenter” for healthcare, School of Medicine Columbia Dean Gerald Harmon said.
The university partnered with the state of South Carolina to fund the project. A combination of generosity from the state government and frugality from USC allowed the university to launch the project without borrowing any money, Westbrook said.
According to Westbrook, the approaching end to USC’s lease with the VA and a need for more modern facilities spurred talks with the state government. The project will help the university address a statewide shortage of physicians, he said.
As part of an effort to alleviate a shortage of nurses in the state, USC opened a new facility for its nursing school in partnership with Lexington Medical Center last August.
Planning for the new medical campus began before Amiridis and Harmon held their positions in the university.
“They invited me to join, and they said, ‘Oh by the way, not only are you running a medical school, but you’re building a new one,’” Harmon said.
Since becoming dean in August 2023, Harmon began attending monthly meetings to go over details for the project. He also began gathering input from stakeholders such as students and faculty.
In his time as president, Amiridis contributed to gathering funds from the state government, he said. Earlier in February, Amiridis advocated for the nearby neurological hospital during Carolina Day at the Statehouse.
Throughout the ceremony, construction machinery and ambulances could be heard in the background. According to Harmon, these noises represent the progress of the project.
“All the noise of construction, the sound of sirens going by,” Harmon said. “It tells us this is a future healthcare hub.”