Education. Innovation. Unification.
In October 2011, the AdventHealth Nicholson Center unveiled a new 54,000 square-foot global training and education facility. It is the first of its kind to bring together clinical learners, expert educators, industry leaders, researchers, clinical organizations and even the US military to advance technology in the latest minimally invasive, simulation and robotic surgical techniques.
“At this new facility, education, science and business converge to create a comprehensive center that will help pave the future of medical innovation,” -Rick Wassel
Recognized as the world’s largest facility dedicated solely to surgical education, the Nicholson Center is capable of training more than 20,000 clinical learners annually. Featuring today’s most advanced medical technologies, this institute houses more than 40 endoscopic surgery stations, two fully equipped team-training operating rooms, a medical simulation and robotics center, six da Vinci® robots, a 500-seat education hall, and a collaborative space for our industry partners called the “Innovation and Technology Accelerator.”
Nicholson Center leadership has built relationships with institutions from other countries, such as Israel, Germany, Italy and South Korea, to advance medical technologies through cooperation on a global level. A favorable side effect to improving health care worldwide will be the positive impact to our own Central Florida economy from the thousands of physicians, students and researchers expected to travel here. “We think Orlando could be the epicenter for medical health care, education and simulation research, and that professionals from around the world will come to Orlando to be better tomorrow than they are today,” said Gary Sain, president and chief executive officer of Visit Orlando.
By continually building upon our stellar reputation within the clinical community, the potential for additional funding resources and contributions to Orlando's economy are limitless.
Though the building facility is new, the Nicholson Center has been an educational hub for surgeons for the past 10 years. Accepting its first clinical learners in 2001, the center soon gained popularity for its progressive training curriculum, and to date has educated more than 42,000 surgeons—all within a facility that is a tenth of the size of the newly opened center. Even with this exponential growth in size, Nicholson Center still remains, first and foremost, a learning institution.
“At this new facility, education, science and business converge to create a comprehensive center that will help pave the future of medical innovation,” commented Rick Wassel, Nicholson Center administrator. “The Nicholson center is a major contributor to the establishment of Orlando’s international reputation as a medical destination through our partnerships with medical leaders around the world.”
Compelled by our advanced approach to clinical education and collaboration, the US military recently awarded the Nicholson center with a $4.2 million grant to research the future of tele-surgery in combat zones. By continually building upon our stellar reputation within the clinical community, and with plans to expand similar training facilities to more locations throughout Central Florida, the potential for additional funding resources and contributions to Orlando’s economy are limitless. This new facility marks a huge achievement for AdventHealth, our Central Florida communities and the world of health care as a whole—and is just one way we’re helping to build a better tomorrow, today.
For additional information about AdventHealth Nicholson Center, please visit NicholsonCenter.com.
