'At the edge of the future': ASU breaks ground for better health outcomes for Arizona
ASU Health headquarters to house new medical, technology schools

By Mary Beth Faller, ASU News
April 9, 2026

Arizona State University is taking a huge step toward addressing one of the biggest crises in the U.S. — the disparity in health care, according to ASU President Michael Crow.

Crow spoke Thursday in downtown Phoenix at the groundbreaking of the headquarters for ASU Health, the hub of the university’s efforts to improve health outcomes for Arizona residents.

He told the crowd that despite great wealth, the U.S. health care system is failing.

“We’re spending almost two and a half times per capita the money on health care as any other country in the world. And our results are not in the top 25,” he said, noting that many patients cannot afford their medications.

“What we have is a system that costs so much that it’s lost control — with poor results.”

Crow said that ASU Health will tackle those problems.

“We at the university are at the edge of the future,” he said.

(Video: {https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKDitmPumx0})

The 175,000-square-foot ASU Health building will house two new schools — the John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering and the School of Technology for Public Health — plus the new ASU Health Observatory and programs in the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation and the College of Health Solutions.

The ASU Health headquarters is scheduled to open in time for the fall 2028 semester. Located in the Phoenix BioScience Core downtown, it will feature traditional and virtual reality classrooms, health care simulation and skills labs, a medical-technology innovation suite, and student- and community-focused amenities.

The John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering will incorporate engineering into the curriculum, and students will receive two degrees in four years: an MD and a Master of Science in medical engineering. The medical school, with primary clinical affiliate HonorHealth, will produce physicians who blend medicine, engineering, technology and humanities and know how to leverage tools such as artificial intelligence and data science.
 
Every seat in this school is a patient who gets seen. Every diploma here is a workforce gap that gets a little bit smaller. Every investment we make today is a healthier Arizona.
Katie HobbsArizona governor on ASU Health
Crow noted that the University of Arizona has a medical school with a campus in downtown Phoenix.

“This is not in lieu of the things that we already have. This is in addition to the things that we already have,” he said.

“It’s about finding a solution that people can use and not just some people and not rich people. Everyone.”

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said that ASU Health will address a workforce gap in the state, with 76,000 new health care workers needed by 2030.

“We have a goal to triple the number of nurses educated by ASU and to attract more doctors into the state with upskilling opportunities,” she said.

“Every seat in this school is a patient who gets seen. Every diploma here is a workforce gap that gets a little bit smaller. Every investment we make today is a healthier Arizona.”

Vice Mayor Kesha Hodge-Washington represents District 8, where ASU Health resides.

“I have had the opportunity to speak with other elected officials … and many of them are grappling with exactly what we are solving here. They’re trying to figure out how to deal with the health disparities in their community. And look at us. We are doing it,” she said.

Funding for the $200 million construction project is from private philanthropy — including $12.5 from HonorHealth — plus $100 million from the state of Arizona and $50 million from the city of Phoenix, which was approved in March.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said ASU Health is the result of an untiring desire to serve Arizona’s future.

“Dr. Crow and I have been talking about this for years. How do we take what we're already good at, our great medical technology and semiconductors, and not rest? Where is the future going and how can we be ready? And we are so excited to be able to make this investment to educate, innovate, scale and serve.”
 
Dr. Crow and I have been talking about this for years. How do we take what we're already good at, our great medical technology and semiconductors, and not rest? Where is the future going and how can we be ready? And we are so excited to be able to make this investment to educate, innovate, scale and serve.
Kate GallegoPhoenix mayor
Gallego said that as part of its agreement, ASU Health will collaborate with the city on occupational health, women’s health and urban public health resilience, which will include research on heat, homelessness, mental health and addiction.

“We’re going to be able to address some of our priorities as a city council, including public safety and first responder health. More than 130 of our firefighters in fairly recent times have had an occupational cancer diagnosis. We’ve lost too many of our team,” she said.

“ASU is going to help us address that, and I think this could be a national model that will save firefighter lives far beyond Arizona.

ASU Health will be measured by those types of outcomes.

“Don’t just tell us how many doctors we produce or how many nurses we produce,” Crow said.

“Did we increase Arizona’s health? Did we lower health care access costs? Did we produce a better outcome for the state of Arizona? That’s what we’re here to do.”

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This story originally appeared on ASU News.