Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University designed the full-service centre to support a model of patient-focused, multidisciplinary cancer care integrated with innovative research to provide a personalised patient experience.

Located on the Emory University Hospital Midtown campus, the new centre expands oncology services and brings them together into one building. The facility, which comprises 17 storeys and more than 450,000 square feet on three acres, was made possible in part with a $200 million gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. 

Input from more than 160 patients, families and care team members helped the design team see the cancer treatment experience through the patients’ eyes. As a result, Winship at Emory Midtown is built around patient needs and comfort, quality of care, and workflow efficiencies. The care model brings outpatient and inpatient cancer care together in five “care communities” organised by type of cancer, with adjoining floors, shared living rooms and shared care teams of experts from multiple disciplines.

The building features up to 24 private care suites per outpatient floor where specialised teams, diagnostics, treatments and support services will be brought to and centre around the patient to deliver a personalised experience.

Services include radiation treatment; surgery, infusions; interventional radiology; diagnostics; imaging; clinical trials; dental oncology; cardio-oncology; oncology rehabilitation; integrative oncology; palliative care; genetic counselling; and many other support and wellness services all under one roof.

“The new centre perfectly complements our approach to cancer care, which centres around the patient, streamlining and personalising their care, while integrating research to bring them the very latest and most effective treatments,” explained Suresh Ramalingam, MD, executive director of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University.

“When innovation meets compassion, medicine is at its best,” remarked Ravi Thadhani, MD, MPH, executive vice-president for health affairs at Emory University. “The opening of Winship at Emory Midtown is a culmination of a years-long effort to design and build the very best facility of its kind, putting the patient at the centre of the care model and of every design decision.”

The $440 million state-of-the-art building houses 80 inpatient beds and six operating rooms for both inpatient and outpatient procedures. Winship is in the process of hiring 600 new full-time employees, plus new physicians, to staff the new facility.

Aesthetics, comfort and privacy

Angled to reduce glare, the glass facade enables natural light to flow into care community spaces and patient rooms. Inpatient rooms are also situated at an angle to allow nurses to monitor patients but also provide privacy. Supplies for the room can be restocked from out in the corridor so that staff members don’t disturb the patient.

Overall, the aesthetic of the building is clean and modern with wood and natural material, comfortable furniture, and abundant sunlight.

A double-height lobby, finished in marble and wood, welcomes patients and families with a view to the valet-serviced motor court, which features a dramatic roof with an oculus that opens to the sky and DNA helix sculpture at the centre, rising from the ground.

“This new facility promises not only to expand access for more patients but also to make cancer treatment much more patient-friendly,” said P. Russell Hardin, president of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation.

Gregory L. Fenves, Emory University president, added: “The Emory mission is to serve humanity, and this extraordinary new facility embodies our highest ideals and aspirations. Cancer affects nearly every family, and Emory is bringing world-class medical expertise into this centre so that patients get life-changing care and cures.”

Marlena Murphy, a current Winship patient who provided input into the design, said: “There is so much to like about this new centre: from a conveniently located pharmacy to easy parking and lots of windows with natural light and gorgeous views. It’s also extremely considerate and empathetic for the patient to be able to be in one private space and have the doctors come to you. A cancer diagnosis and treatment are hard, and this new care concept makes it easier.”

To conceive, design and construct the new facility, Emory Healthcare partnered with CBRE Healthcare, architecture and structural engineering firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), local architects May Architecture + Interiors, and Batson-Cook Construction. Construction began in November 2019.

The building is certified as a LEED Silver facility.