MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis leaders and University of Tennessee Health Science Center officials broke ground Oct. 8 on a new $350 million College of Medicine Interdisciplinary Building at 901 Madison Ave., a campus expansion aimed at growing Tennessee health care workforce pipeline.
Photo coverage of the ceremony showed University of Tennessee System President Randy Boyd, from left, Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Memphis Mayor Paul Young break ground on the new UTHSC College of Medicine Interdisciplinary Building at 901 Madison Ave. on Oct. 8, 2026. UTHSC Chancellor Peter Buckley speaks during the groundbreaking ceremony, and UTHSC Executive Dean Michael Hocker speaks as Medical Student Executive Council President Ophelia Pilkinton also addressed a crowd outside the future home of the building.
University system materials say the Tennessee General Assembly approved $311 million, as recommended by Gov. Bill Lee, for construction of a new $350 million College of Medicine Interdisciplinary Building, the largest state-funded higher education capital project in Tennessee history. The 300,000-square-foot building will allow the College of Medicine to grow its entering class from 175 to 250 students per cohort and expand the physician assistant program from 30 to 60 students annually.
During its first five years of operation, the building is expected to help graduate an additional 1,450 health care professionals across multiple fields. Ceremony renderings said the project is expected to train an additional 1,450 health care professionals in its first five years. The university has begun a philanthropic campaign to raise $50 million to support the project, including $39 million toward building costs and additional funds for specialized equipment and programmatic needs.
College of Medicine Executive Dean Michael Hocker said that by 2030, we’ll have a shortage of 6,000 physicians in the state and that the pipeline must be filled. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2026, with substantial completion anticipated in 2029. Chancellor Peter Buckley called the project a transformative step for the UT Health Science Center and for health care across Tennessee.
City data lists the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) among Memphis major colleges, anchoring the Medical District campus where the Madison Avenue groundbreaking took place. For Memphis and statewide patients, the class-size jump and PA expansion are the near-term workforce stakes attached to the $350 million build.
Officials framed the Oct. 8 ceremony as the public start of a multi-year construction cycle that pairs state capital dollars with a $50 million philanthropic push. Renderings shared at the event underscore the additional 1,450 professionals expected in the first five years once the Interdisciplinary Building is online.
