Karen Antman, dean of the medical school and provost of the Medical Campus (right), and Samantha Chaves, a project manager with Campus Planning & Operations (left), during a tour of the Rod Hochman Family Clinical Skills & Simulation Center. Photo by Jake Mackey

Campus & Facilities

Transforming a Center for Training Clinicians

The center, opening in 2025, is funded by Rod Hochman (CAS’79, CAMED’79) and Nancy Hochman (Sargent’77,’83)

Thanks to a transformative gift from two BU alumni, the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine is significantly upgrading its clinical skills facility.

Rod Hochman (CAS’79, CAMED’79) and Nancy Hochman (Sargent’77,’83) have donated $10 million to build and operate a much larger, cutting-edge center for clinical skills development. Scheduled to open later this year, the Rod Hochman Family Clinical Skills & Simulation Center (CSSC), in the medical school’s Instructional Building, will feature state-of-the-art technology and expanded spaces for MD, physician assistant (PA), mental health, and genetic counseling students to learn communication skills, physical examination, medical procedures, and team-based care.

By funding the new CSSC, the Hochmans will facilitate the development of exceptional clinical skills for future generations of students, says Karen Antman, dean of the medical school and provost of the Medical Campus. “They can learn to empathetically listen to patients, learn physical diagnosis, and practice procedures,” she says. “They will find a simulated cancerous mass in a manikin and then know what to look for in a patient. The CSSC is where a student begins to learn to be a doctor, PA, or genetic counselor.”

The center will offer three times the space of the existing CSSC, with 13 clinical skills rooms and 13 examination rooms. Four simulated emergency/hospital rooms will feature hospital beds, high-fidelity manikins (models of the body used in medical training), and cameras for debriefing. New equipment, including handheld ultrasound machines, will join upgraded technology, such as one-way mirrors for observing students.

“I have been so impressed with the wonderful accomplishments of our school and its graduates,” says Rod Hochman. “We hope this will be a legacy to our present and future students.”

The Hochmans have a long history of supporting the school. They previously endowed a scholarship fund for medical students.

In addition to their philanthropic efforts, both have dedicated their careers to improving healthcare. From 2016 to 2024, Rod Hochman was president and CEO of the healthcare organization Providence. Before that, he was president and CEO of Swedish Health Services and was a senior executive for Sentara Health, the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, and the Guthrie healthcare system. He also is the former chair of the American Hospital Association and chair of the Catholic Health Association’s board of trustees.

Nancy Hochman, a physical therapist, practiced for nearly 30 years in clinics across the Northeast. For nearly two decades, she has served on boards and committees for organizations such as the Safe Crossings Foundation, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Swedish Medical Center, and the Swedish Community Specialty Clinic.

“This new clinical skills center will give our students dedicated space to engage in situational learning and face the complexities of medicine before they experience it with real patients,” says Priya Garg, associate dean of the medical school. “Simulation is an essential active learning method in medical education, and we are grateful to have this gift.”