Wave Staff Report
WILLOWBROOK — Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science officially unveiled its new Health Professions Education Building during a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 11, marking a transformative milestone in the university’s trajectory as a leader in community-based health care training.
The four-story, 60,000-square-foot facility will serve as the new home of Drew’s College of Medicine and a learning hub for students across the university’s three colleges. The building features adaptive and tech-enabled classrooms, anatomy laboratories, simulation spaces and collaborative learning areas designed to support interdisciplinary education.
“Today is a testament to what is possible when a community invests in its own future,” said Dr. David M. Carlisle, Drew University president and CEO. “For 60 years, [Drew University] has stood alongside the people of South Los Angeles, preparing health care professionals committed to serving the patients who need them most.”
Funded in part by a $50 million investment from the state, the Health Professions Education Building and Drew’s historic 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.
Construction of the Health Professions Education Building began in 2024 and reached several significant milestones, including a topping-off ceremony in 2025 and the completion of major interior and infrastructure work earlier this year.
The ribbon-cutting followed the College of Medicine’s White Coat Ceremony for the newest cohort of students entering Drew’s four-year medical degree program. With the addition of the new class, enrollment in the program now stands at 240 students.
As Drew University celebrates its 60th anniversary, the opening of the Health Professions Education Building represents both a major investment in the university’s future and a continuation of the vision that led to its founding in the aftermath of the 1965 Watts Riots.
“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.
