After a historic $750 million gift from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, The University of Texas at Austin's future hospital has a name: The UT Dell Medical Center. It will be part of the newly announced UT Dell Campus for Advanced Research, which will focus on clinical care and research in combination with advanced computing and artificial intelligence.
At a press conference Tuesday, the Dells, along with state and university officials, emphasized the opportunity to build a world-class university medical center that integrates modern technology from the ground up.
"By bringing together medicine, science and computing in one campus designed for the AI era, UT can create more opportunity, deliver better outcomes, and build a stronger future for communities across Texas and beyond," said Michael and Susan Dell in a news release.
The Dells' gift is one of the largest ever given to a United States university, and the couple are now the first donors to surpass $1 billion in lifetime giving to UT Austin. They were also integral in launching the university's medical school — also named for the Dells — with a $50 million donation in 2013. In addition to the new university hospital and research campus, the Dells' latest investment will also support undergraduate scholarships, student housing and UT's Texas Advanced Computing Center.
Michael Dell, a UT alumnus, joked at the press conference that his parents had sent him to the university decades ago to become a doctor — a plan that "got derailed" when he founded Dell Technologies from his dorm in the Dobie residence hall.
"So far, it's worked out," Dell said. "But Susan and I never lost our connection to medicine and our belief that this university can do great things for this community."
That dorm building is now set to be renamed "Dell House," UT officials announced.
Dr. Claudia Lucchinetti, dean of the Dell Medical School, said the Dells' gift represents "a once-in-a-generation opportunity to define what the future of health should look like."
"We are building an integrated, patient-centered model powered by AI and advanced technology that shifts the focus from treating sickness to advancing health itself through prevention, prediction and precision," Lucchinetti said. "This will transform how we care for patients, how we train the next generation of physicians, and how we accelerate life science innovation to improve lives at scale."
The UT Dell Campus for Advanced Research will span more than 300 acres that straddle Mopac in North Austin. The medical center is set to break ground later this year on 27 acres southwest of West Braker Lane and Mopac, west of the current J. J. Pickle Research Campus in North Austin. UT Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife confirmed that the entire area, including Pickle, would be renamed as the Dell Campus, but said that the university would "continue to honor" former Congressman J.J. Pickle through the process.
The medical center was originally planned to be built downtown at the site of the former Frank Erwin Center. Eltife confirmed the change to the North Austin location in February, saying there would have been "limits to future growth" at the Erwin Center site.
"For patient care, ease of access in and out, and for future expansion, it's just common sense to be here," Eltife said Tuesday.
Initially, it was announced that the project would consist of two separate hospitals: a university medical tower geared toward specialty care and an MD Anderson Cancer Center. Officials have now clarified that MD Anderson will be integrated into UT Dell Medical Center, bringing access to cancer care closer to home for the thousands of Austinites who currently travel to MD Anderson in Houston for treatment each year.
University officials were joined at the press conference by Gov. Greg Abbott, who said the medical center and research campus will spur economic growth in Texas and position the state as a leader in the life sciences sector.
"Texas already dominates in technology, energy and business, and now we will further cement our leadership in health care innovation as well," Abbott said.
Eltife said UT's fundraising efforts for the medical center are not done: He announced a goal to raise $10 billion and become a top 10-ranked medical center in the next 10 years. The project has already attracted investments from other high-net worth donors, including venture capitalists Tench and Simone Coxe.
Details about the size and scope of the academic medical center are still forthcoming, but UT officials said it will include a hospital of between 300 and 500 beds, as well as outpatient facilities and a full-service emergency department. It is scheduled to open in 2030, with the full scope of specialty programs to be phased in by 2032.
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