Florida International University is moving forward with a major healthcare construction project that will bring expanded outpatient services, medical training and research activity together on one South Florida campus.

The university and the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine recently broke ground on the Helen and Jacob Shaham Academic Medical Center, a $158 million facility planned as a new hub for FIU’s clinical, academic and research programs.

The seven-story building will total approximately 163,000 square feet and is expected to be completed in 2028. Once open, the center will play a central role in FIU’s healthcare growth strategy while helping address increased demand for medical services in the region.

Designed to connect classroom learning with real-world patient care, the facility will place medical education spaces alongside outpatient clinical services. That model will give students, faculty, researchers and healthcare providers more opportunities to work collaboratively in an active care environment.

The center is expected to include multi-specialty outpatient care, same-day surgical services and diagnostic imaging. Those services reflect the broader healthcare industry shift toward ambulatory care, as providers seek to deliver more treatment outside traditional hospital settings.

FIU Medicine’s partnership with Baptist Health South Florida is also expected to support broader access to care and strengthen the region’s long-term healthcare infrastructure.

Robins & Morton and Thornton Construction are building the project through a joint venture. Stantec is serving as architect.

The development comes as healthcare remains a strong segment of institutional construction, driven by population growth, evolving delivery models, medical technology needs and continued pressure to train more healthcare professionals.

For healthcare owners and developers, projects such as the Helen and Jacob Shaham Academic Medical Center highlight the growing value of integrated campuses that combine patient care, education and research. They also underscore continued demand for specialized healthcare construction capable of supporting both current service needs and the next generation of medical training.

Source: Construction Owners