Dr. Cyril Chang award grant by UTHSC

For release:  December 8, 2014

Dr. Cyril Chang, professor of Economics Department and the director of the Methodist Le Bonheur Center for Healthcare Economics, was recently awarded a grant from The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) to study the economic feasibility and impacts of the medical school’s new Campus Master Plan.  

Central to the Master Plan is the construction of 15 new buildings and the renovation or demolition of 10 additional buildings on the UTHSC campus.

“The quality of the physical environment has a tremendous influence on the image of our institution; thus this comprehensive master plan will serve as a guide for shaping our campus in support of the University’s academic mission,” said Steve Schwab, UTHSC chancellor.   

In dollar terms, these projects will involve a total of about $250 million in construction projects according to Dr. Kennard Brown, the executive vice chancellor and chief operations officer of UTHSC.  Additional construction work under the Master Plan will bring about another $200 million to $300 million of investment, not including the $180 million Women’s and Infants Pavilion.  Based on a preliminary estimation by Dr. Chang, the various construction projects at different stages of planning and construction will create a total of more than $2 billion of economic impact for the state and local economies.