The Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine, together with descendants of Henrietta Lacks, broke ground in October on the future site of the building named in honor of Lacks, the Baltimore County woman whose HeLa cells have contributed to medical advancements around the world.

“At Johns Hopkins, we have such profound respect for Henrietta Lacks and for all her life led to. She is one of the most consequential contributors to science and medicine,” says Theodore DeWeese, dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine. “It is our hope that this building will serve as an important reflection on the meaning of her life to the world.”

The new 34,000-square-foot building will be located on the East Baltimore campus at the corner of Ashland and Rutland avenues and will adjoin Deering Hall, the historic home of the Berman Institute of Bioethics. The building will support multiple Berman Institute, Johns Hopkins University and school of medicine programs, and house flexible program and classroom space for educational, research and community use purposes.