The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV

At NHBC, it’s our purpose to shape the future of Nevada and to develop our diverse state. Nevada was in need of a medical landscape boost for generations to come, so NHBC empowered that progression. Thanks to dedicated board members, gracious donors, and members of the community, we’ve been able to bring a longtime, statewide aspiration to fruition.

The Project

The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV

Providing a stable learning environment for current and future medical students has been a top priority for us. So, we turned our goals for Nevada’s future into a reality by providing UNLV with its very own medical education facility, which is now open as the Kirk Kerkorian Medical Education Building. Carefully crafted by TSK Architects, the new building – which is the first-ever to bear the Southern Nevada business trailblazer and philanthropist’s name – allows the medical program to double in class size; ranging from 120 students to 180 in the future. With the intention of future growth, the Nevada medical field includes the following:

• Simulation sites
• Administration offices
• Learning Resource Center
• Clinical skills and Anatomy training
• Physiology labs

The Purpose

To Empower Medical Learning in Nevada

The driving force behind this accomplishment was to provide future healthcare workers with a learning environment that helped them feel inspired and valued within our community. With the building’s adaptable design, classes are able to expand in size, which leads to more physician training and a more desirable destination. By supplying the Medical Education Building and expanding class sizes, we will generate more medical careers based in Las Vegas, while simultaneously helping our community’s economy. Entering the project, a Brookings Mountain West / Tripp Umbach study found that a new medical school in Las Vegas would equate to people being less likely to leave for medical care and there would be an infusion of $1.2 billion per year locally after its first 15 years.

The Process

Direction & Cooperation

Thanks to Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak and $25 million funded by the state of Nevada, we were able to get our ideas off the ground, engage in necessary conversations, and create building blocks of medical education for years to come. To bring our vision to life, we needed financial and strategic support from Nevada leaders in the philanthropic space such as the Engelstad Foundation, Lincy Foundation, and other devoted donors, including a private donation from Bank of America. Maureen Schafer, Andrew Artusa, Marianne Boyd Johnson, Nicholas J. Santoro, Lindy Schumacher, MaryKaye Cashman and Kris Engelstad were all vital in empowering this project and, ultimately, Nevada as a whole. In October 2020, the project broke ground and two years later, officially opened its doors, now serving as Southern Nevada’s premier medical education building for generations to come.