ASU announced its new medical school will be a part of the Downtown Phoenix campus.
According to an announcement made by ASU President Michael Crow and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego on YouTube, the new ASU Health program also includes the creation of the ASU School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering and the School of Public Health Technology.
Another component of ASU Health is the launch of a new state health observatory with the Mayo Clinic, expanding the existing partnership.
The program, described by ASU as a "learning health ecosystem," was announced in June 2023.
The site does not have an official location yet, but all options the University is considering are Downtown, according to an ASU spokesperson. Downtown is currently the second most populous of the four Valley campuses.
The new programs join the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, which enrolls over 5,300 students. It would also be only blocks away from the Phoenix Bioscience Core, which houses the UA College of Medicine, some medical programs offered by NAU and numerous other medical programs and laboratories.
The city of Phoenix plans on investing $12 million into the construction of the headquarters, which is estimated to cost between $75-130 million overall. The city funding is part of the General Obligation Bond program, which will go to city voters for approval in a special election on November 7, 2023.
In the announcement video, Crow said voters have "an important role" in the investment into ASU's Downtown campus.
"They've been an important investor in the future of higher education, science, technology and medicine in downtown Phoenix," Crow said.
According to an ASU spokesperson, the funding from the city would be the first confirmed funding source to the project, and there will still be more fundraising to do. Should the bond get denied by voters the project is still planned to proceed, but fundraising will be more challenging.
The school is a part of the Arizona Board of Regents' "AZ Healthy Tomorrow" initiative to improve healthcare access in Arizona. NAU is also opening a new medical school in Flagstaff, and UA is planning on doubling its medical school graduates through this initiative.
USG-Downtown President Harrison Sears said in an email that USGD fully supports this initiative and are excited to see the positive impact ASU Health can have on students and the surrounding community.
"With ASU Health comes an expanse of research, curriculum and engagement opportunities for ASU students to explore a new career path," Sears said in the email. "We are pleased to host this location and further integrate them into the Downtown community."
In the announcement video, Crow discussed the future for the new medical school.
"What we're expecting is a technological influx into Phoenix as well as an influx of 21st century, 22nd century physicians and health technologists in the Phoenix," Crow said.
Editor's note: This story is developing and may be updated.
Edited by River Graziano, Sadie Buggle and Angelina Steel
Reach the reporter at sbrenna5@asu.edu and follow @shanebrennan36 on X.
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Shane Brennan is the Editor-in-Chief at The State Press. He was a sports and politics reporter, before becoming the editor of the politics desk. He has covered local and state politics for the Arizona Capitol Times and Cronkite News.
