A new Texas A&M small animal teaching hospital is underway

Photo: Vittaya_25/Adobe Stock

The Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) is on track to build a new Clinical Veterinary Teaching and Research Complex (CVTRC). In its stride towards achieving the construction of this new facility, the Texas A&M VMBS is partnering with Page, an engineering and design architecture firm specializing in academic medicine design; and Vaughn Construction, a Texas-based commercial contractor and construction manager with a focus on intricate and time-sensitive projects for buildings in healthcare, higher education, and research.¹

“Our students, faculty, and staff are extremely passionate about what they do, but the building they work in is over 40 years old,” said Stacy Eckman, associate dean for hospital operations and chief executive officer of the school’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH).¹ “It’s much older than the hospital facilities at our peer institutions, and it no longer reflects the VMBS’ nationally ranked curriculum and exceptional patient care,” she continued.

The development of the new facility, a small animal teaching and research hospital, has been under development for a considerable amount of time. Since John R. August, the Carl B. King dean of veterinary medicine, stepped into the role of VMBS dean in mid 2020, the project has gained renewed impetus, according to a news release.¹

“We are delighted to be initiating the design phase for our long-awaited new Clinical Veterinary Teaching and Research Complex,” said August in a news release.¹ “We look forward to working with Page, Vaughn Construction, and the outstanding faculty and staff in our current Small Animal Teaching Hospital (SATH) to create a new small animal hospital that will meet not only our needs and the needs for clinical instruction and advanced training, but also the needs of the patients and clients who depend on the SATH for state-of-the-art care for their beloved companion animals.”

For the new VMBS facility, Page will be partnering with Foil Wyatt Architects, a firm specializing in veterinary medicine design to ensure the new building meets the requirements of patients, clinical faculty, staff, and students at the hospital. Page has played a role in more than 18 million square feet of space in the Texas Medical center, including the Paula and Joseph C. (Rusty) Walter III Tower and Centennial Tower at Houston Methodist; the Texas A&M University School of Engineering Medicine; the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Medicine; and the Surgical Hospital at The University of North Carolina.¹

Vaughn Construction also has a history with Texas A&M, having worked on Texas A&M’s Global Health Research Building, Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in College Station, Nursing Education and Research Building at the Higher Education Center at McAllen, the Zachry Engineering Education Complex, Instructional Laboratory and Innovative Learning Building, and Texas Medical Center’s TMC3 Collaborative Building.¹

The new VMBS facility will replace Texas A&M’s current 40-year-old small animal hospital, which has been around since August joined the VMBS as head of the department of small animal medicine and surgery in the 1980s.²

Stacy Eckman, associate dean for hospital operations and chief executive officer of the school’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) spoke on the limited capacity of the current hospital. “In the 80s, our operating rooms weren’t built for all of the scope towers and monitors,” she said in a news release.² “By the time you add equipment, the room has shrunk considerably; we have just far exceeded our capacity.”

In 2022, the VMBS secured funding from Texas A&M University and the Texas legislature that enabled the school to move forward with its plans for a new small animal hospital. The following year, in March 2023, the VMBS received a $20 million donation from Linda and Dennis Clark, alumni of Texas A&M and entrepreneurs who hold a deep affection for animals and their flagship university.¹

The donation raised the total fundraising efforts beyond $30 million, marking substantial progress toward the $60 million goal. According to the VMBS, this funding will have a profound impact on their faculty, clinicians, students, and programs.¹

The CVTRC is planned to be located at the intersection of Raymond Stotzer Parkway and Agronomy Road, adjacent to the existing SATH building, according to the Texas A&M VMBS.

References

1. Texas A&M University system selects architect, construction manager for clinical veterinary teaching and research complex. News release. Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. June 18, 2024. Accessed June 25, 2024. https://today.tamu.edu/2024/06/18/clinical-veterinary-teaching-and-research-complex/
2. Gauntt J. VMBS envisioning new, nest-generation small animal teaching, research hospital. News release. Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. March 8, 2023. Accessed June 25, 2024. https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/press-releases/new-next-gen-small-animal-hospital/