CSU Joint Program of Medicine, Orange

Feb 2022

Following Commonwealth Government approval for developing a new School of Rural Medicine two years ago at Charles Sturt University, BHA have been working with the University in the provision of new and refurbished facilities on their Orange campus. Our team has used the opportunity to help the University to weave the new facilities into the existing campus to create an integrated health learning precinct. The last twelve months has been focusing on a multi staged construction delivery of the facilities. This has included the delivery of upgraded anatomy learning facilities, new and refurbishing formal and informal learning spaces and a health sciences collaborative learning space which integrates specialist physiology IT training equipment. These new learning spaces are now complete and ready to welcome the first cohort of students in 2021. The final stage of works a new 2100 sqm Academic Hub building will provide academic accommodation, support, conferencing and health research facilities, is nearing completion and will stitch together the facilities for the School of Rural Medicine with other health sciences already being taught in the campus. This facility will allow academic staff from the various health sciences to be colocated and provide integrated health science education. The new facility includes: • Work spaces to encourage academic exchange and provide a diversity of work places to suit suit individual working preferences; • An Ideas Exchange that will be both a public face for CSU and health science on the campus as well as be a space that will allow students and academics to come together; • A health research centre, to both allow students to undertake research projects as part of their programs and to and staff to undertake their own research projects. The facilities designed to include a “think tank” space to allow and encourage interaction between researchers and students; • An indigenous support centre. This facility is an important component to support the Universities ambitious targets for trying indigenous health practitioners.