18 November 2008

New research building opens at Royal North Shore Hospital

NSW Minister for Health, John Della Bosca, today officially opened a new state-of-the-art $99 million medical research and education centre - the Kolling Building at Royal North Shore Hospital.

Mr Della Bosca said the major research facility will help NSW lead the way in delivering improvements in health care and develop advances in medical science and practices.

"The Rees Government is providing our researchers, doctors and nurses with the tools and facilities they need to pioneer advances in health care and cater to the changing needs of our growing population," Mr Della Bosca said.

"The Kolling Building is also a significant milestone in our commitment to rebuild and revitalise the Royal North Shore Hospital site.

"The building was jointly funded by the University of Sydney, and includes seven floors for medical research and new facilities for educating the doctors, nurses and health professionals of the future.

"Its completion marks the start of a new era in clinical research and education," he said.

"This project also demonstrates the capacity of the Rees Government to partner successfully with other institutions, in this case with the University of Sydney, to deliver enhanced facilities that benefit the community."

Mr Della Bosca said Royal North Shore Hospital is renowned for its 'bench to bedside' research philosophy.

"This is where staff members are engaged in practical research that can be applied to patient care in areas such as cancer, pain management, diabetes and perinatal medicine," Mr Della Bosca said.

"This investment in research, combined with world-class clinical education is why the NSW health system is one of the best in the world," the Minister said.

"In NSW we can be proud of the fact that we have a universal health care system, where every member of our community has access to quality care when they need it."

Mr Della Bosca said the Kolling Building is part of the $950 million redevelopment of Royal North Shore Hospital and community health facility which will be completed by 2013.

The Kolling Building, named in recognition of the Kolling Institute of Medical Research, has its own architectural identity and discrete presence on site.

A direct connection to the new main hospital building will allow easy flow from the acute care area to the research area for the many staff members engaged in active clinical research.

Professor Carol Pollock, Chairman of Research for Northern Sydney Central Coast Health, said that the new building aims to give the research community a stronger, more recognisable identity, and help attract and retain sought-after research staff.

"This building is already bringing together new teams of researchers in dynamic and collaborative environments where they can share knowledge as well as resources," Professor Pollock said.

"Ultimately, our aim is to use medical research to understand the biological basis of disease, and by doing so improve the quality of diagnostic testing and treatments to either prevent, or cure illness," she said.

The official opening of the Kolling Building coincides with the 25th Annual Scientific Meeting of Royal North Shore Hospital, The University of Sydney, The Kolling Institute and the University of Technology, Sydney.

Speakers are scheduled to present a range of projects at the meeting, including new technologies such as gene sequencing and proteomics, research into diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and recent advances in cancer research.

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au