ASU breaks ground on health campus headquarters in downtown Phoenix

PHOENIX — Arizona State University broke ground Thursday on a new health campus in downtown Phoenix, a facility that university and city leaders say will train the next generation of medical professionals.

The estimated 200,000-square-foot ASU Health headquarters will be located between Fourth and Fifth streets, from Fillmore Street north to Pierce Street, in the heart of what is dubbed the “Phoenix Bioscience Core innovation zone.”

What the new health campus will house

The building will house the John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering, a new medical school where students earn both a medical degree and an engineering degree.

It will also be home to the School of Technology for Public Health, which aims to reimagine public health in the 21st century through digital technology and data-driven decision-making.

The headquarters will blend medicine, technology, engineering and humanities.

Clinical partners, led by HonorHealth as the primary affiliate for the new medical school, will co-locate in the building.

A new home for health care innovation is coming to Arizona.

Gov. Katie Hobbs, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and ASU President Michael Crow broke ground today on the 175,000-square-foot ASU Health headquarters — a facility set to open in fall 2028, @ColtonKrolak reports. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/Qk9LffXdup

— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) April 9, 2026

ASU will also continue working with the Mayo Clinic and Phoenix Children’s. Colleges across the university, including the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, the W. P. Carey School of Business and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, are expected to contribute to curriculum and research.

Ribbon cutting participants weigh in

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego called the groundbreaking a legacy moment, describing the partnership with ASU as one of the largest of her mayoral tenure.

“ASU Health is one of our largest partnerships. In my time as mayor, we’re making a big bet that we can improve health care for our residents as well as our economy,” Gallego said.

The medical school’s emphasis on technology could yield breakthroughs in areas such as early cancer detection and wearable devices that identify heart conditions.

“My mom was diagnosed with cancer. They found it very late in stage four. I want to make sure that our residents have the chance to find it early when it’s curable, and easier to treat with fewer side effects,” Gallego said.

She said the facility will help address a shortage of health care training capacity in one of the country’s fastest-growing cities, noting that demand for the programs already far exceeds available seats.

“So many people want to become doctors and nurses and other health professionals, and there are not enough training slots. Unfortunately, you have grown so quickly in Arizona and the amount of medical education slots has not kept up,” Gallego said.

ASU President Michael Crow framed the project in broader terms, saying the university is applying its full range of resources to a new class of health challenges.

“We’re not just building a medical school. We’re not just building a public health school,” Crow said as the school was announced. “We’re trying to take the assets of the most innovative university in the United States and apply it to the new class of problems.”

Where students will study until the opening

Until the new building opens, ASU Health will operate out of the Mercado in downtown Phoenix, a facility that has been part of the university since 1999 and currently houses the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s student services office and simulation lab.

Construction is expected to be completed in time for the fall 2028 semester.

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