- Arizona State University’s new medical school, public health technology school, and health research hub will be located in downtown Phoenix’s Bioscience Core.
- The facility, called ASU Health, will be housed in a new 200,000-square-foot building and is expected to open in fall 2028.
Arizona State University’s upcoming medical school, public health technology school and health research hub will be headquartered in the center of Phoenix’s Bioscience Core, officials announced Monday.
A planned 200,000-square-foot, five to six-story building will be home to ASU Health, a multi-disciplinary facility looking to find new ways to tackle health care. Preliminary sitework and utility relocation for the area will begin this fall in anticipation of a fall 2028 opening.
ASU Health will be the latest university addition to the Bioscience Core in downtown Phoenix, which is also home to the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix and over a dozen other businesses and researchers. The facility will be built between Fourth and Fifth streets and Fillmore and Pierce streets.
“It was just such an obvious place to launch this important initiative,” said Rick Naimark, ASU associate vice president of program development planning.
Once finalized, the building will include classrooms, study spaces, offices, laboratories and areas made to simulate real operating rooms and emergency rooms. It will include the School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering and the School of Technology for Public Health. The medical school is partnered with HonorHealth to provide students with locations for clinical clerkships.
ASU officials have pledged to create a school that furthers medical science substantially.
“This is more than a building, and this is much more than a medical school. This will be the headquarters of ASU Health, a new hub of innovation, teaching and learning to enhance health outcomes for the people of Arizona,” ASU President Michael Crow said in a statement.
Sherine Gabriel, the executive vice president for ASU Health, framed the new initiative as a way to prepare future health care professionals for the next 20 to 50 years. Alongside the two new schools, there will be bolstered research efforts included in the Health Observatory and ASU.
“Our number one goal is to improve health outcomes, and we really think the way to do it is to bring all of these disciplines to bear.”
The latest plans are part of a statewide effort from the Arizona Board of Regents to build a better health care system for the state, called “AZ Healthy Tomorrow.” As part of the initiative, Northern Arizona University has plans for a new medical school and UA is expected to double its number of medical school graduates.
“ASU Health graduates will be the future doctors, nurses, technologists and scientists who keep our communities healthy and ensure quality care for every Arizonan,” Board Chair Cecilia Mata said in a statement.
Where is ASU’s new medical school?
The school will be built on land leased from Phoenix, as well as a site owned by the Arizona Board of Regents.
“Phoenix voters are enthusiastic,” Mayor Kate Gallego said of the school’s growth in downtown. “It was one of the key projects in the bond election.”
Phoenix voters approved a $12 million contribution from the city to the construction of the building in the 2023 bond election, she said. Over the course of the life of Phoenix Biomedical Campus, Phoenix has contributed $90 million for development and $5 million for infrastructure. Overall, the project is estimated to cost somewhere between $200 to $230 million.
Gallego called the Phoenix Biomedical Campus’ growth “catalytic” for downtown. The campus includes presence from all three public Arizona universities and has grown with private investment from companies like TGen and Wexford Science + Technology. ASU already has a health care presence in the city, with more than 10,000 students enrolled at the existing College of Health Solutions and the Edison College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Naimark said.
The new ASU School of Medicine and Advanced Medical Engineering is expected to produce about 200,000 jobs and add $19 billion to the state’s gross domestic product, she said.
“I’m hopeful that my residents will have access to cutting-edge medical care,” she said. “It will improve quality of life and efficacy if the scientists who are studying the most cutting-edge medical technology are in Phoenix.”
(This story was updated to add a video.)
Helen Rummel covers higher education for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at hrummel@azcentral.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @helenrummel.
Reach Corina Vanek at cvanek@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @CorinaVanek.
