When Dr. Edwin Cadman became dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine in 1999, it was being threatened with probation and closure.

Today it is back from the brink, awash in record federal grant money and buzzing with world-class researchers and anticipation as it launches into a promising new era.

At the dedication ceremony for the University of Hawai'i's new medical school facilities yesterday, Cadman received a rousing standing ovation for his vision turned reality.

"If we didn't support a research-intensive medical school in Hawai'i, biotechnology wouldn't have a chance of succeeding (here)," he said.

Yesterday marked the completion of the $150 million medical school set into motion five years ago at Cadman's urging. Hundreds attended the dedication of the school in Kaka'ako, packing into the main lobby of the education building and looking on from three balconies.

Cadman recalled the moment then-Gov. Ben Cayetano showed him the 10-acre site. Cayetano took Cadman into a conference room in a nearby high-rise building and pointed to the area where the school now sits. "He said, 'I want you to build your medical school there,' " Cadman said.

"I looked around and I said to myself, 'This is where the biotechnology industry would be moving?' I saw garbage trucks to my left, dilapidated warehouses and empty buildings everywhere."

But from that industrial site rose a state-of-the-art facility consisting of two mid-rise buildings — with architecture and art of an Island theme — surrounded by Hawaiian medicinal plants, other native flora and winding pathways.

Gov. Linda Lingle said the medical school has transformed and revitalized not only the Kaka'ako area but also the state.

"All of us are going to remember the day we sat here together when we hear about all the medical breakthroughs that are occurring here at the medical school," Lingle said.

Lingle said she remembers a few years ago asking Cadman tough questions about the medical school at a presentation. "You could tell he really had a vision of not just what the school could be but how it could integrate into the life of our state and our future," she said.

Cadman has since resigned as dean because of medical reasons but continues to serve as a tenured faculty member.

Interim Medical School Dean Sam Shomaker said businesses and researchers are "already buzzing with excitement about this facility."

"We will have tremendous potential to dramatically expand economic and research opportunities," he said.

The education and research facility fulfills the school's dual purposes — education and research — and will contribute to the health of the state and the world, he said.

Cadman choked up as he neared the end of his speech. "I love my medical school and I love my state," he said.

The crowd rose to their feet.

"Keep the vision," he said.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.