Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science this month opened its new health professions education building, a four-story, 60,000-square-foot facility that will serve as the new home of the university’s College of Medicine.
Funded in part by a $50 million investment from the state, the building will also function as a learning hub for students across the university’s three colleges. It features adaptive, tech-enabled classrooms, anatomy laboratories, simulation spaces and collaborative learning areas designed to support interdisciplinary education.
The facility and its four-year medical degree program are expected to create 749 local jobs and generate more than $86.8 million in annual direct and indirect economic impact for the Watts/Willowbrook community, according to the university.
“Today is a testament to what is possible when a community invests in its own future,” said Dr. David Carlisle, the university’s president and chief executive. “For 60 years, CDU has stood alongside the people of South Los Angeles, preparing healthcare professionals committed to serving the patients who need them most.”
Marking 60th anniversary
Construction began in 2024 and hit several milestones along the way, including a topping-off ceremony in 2025 and the completion of major interior and infrastructure work earlier this year. CO Architects designed the building, and Turner Construction served as general contractor.
The ribbon-cutting celebration, held on July 11, followed the college of medicine’s white coat ceremony for the newest cohort of students entering the university’s four-year medical degree program. With the addition of the incoming class, enrollment in the program stands at 240 students.
The opening of the health professions education building lands as CDU marks its 60th anniversary. Founded in the aftermath of the 1965 Watts Uprising, the university traces its origins to community demands for healthcare access in South Los Angeles.
CDU is a federally designated Historically Black Graduate Institution (HBGI). It is the only historically Black graduate university west of the Mississippi and one of only four historically Black medical colleges in the U.S. Currently, there are 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) nationally, including both public and private institutions spanning two-year community colleges, four-year universities and graduate schools.
“We stand here today thanks to the perseverance of our founding mothers: Nola M. Carter, Mary B. Henry, Caffie Greene, Lillian H. Mobley and Johnnie Tillmon – five women who demanded justice, equity and access for the residents of Watts Willowbrook and South Los Angeles,” Carlisle said.
Outside of the state funding, donors to the project also included The Ahmanson Foundation, the California Community Foundation, The California Endowment, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation and The W.M. Keck Foundation, among others.
