Phoenix
Live and Learn with Creighton in Phoenix
Known for its year-round sunshine and warm temperatures, Phoenix anchors a sprawling multicity metro area known as the Valley of the Sun. The metro area has its roots in a rich culture and history dating back to the ancient Anasazi peoples. Modern-day metro Phoenix offers an array of fun and recreation, from a vibrant restaurant scene and storied nightlife found in revitalized downtown Phoenix, Old Town Scottsdale and other locales, to accessible hiking and exploring of Sonoran desert trails in every direction. And within an hour or two of driving, you can be amidst towering pine tree forests. So whether you’d rather explore the city’s renowned museums such as the Heard Museum or Phoenix Art Museum, check out desert plant life at the Desert Botanical Garden, or traipse along Roosevelt Row’s many eateries and night spots in central city, you can find it here. Our numerous outdoor venues host food festivals, car shows, spring training games and a host of other events year round to give you many options.
Expanding Partnerships
The formation of the Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance was a bold plan to bring Creighton’s well-regarded School of Medicine together with Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Valleywise Health, District Medical Group, and Dignity Health Medical Group to expand and refine those programs through academic rigor and clinical excellence.
The end goal is to create more opportunities for residents and fellows through expanded and new residency and fellowship programs. Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance proponents also foresee numerous opportunities for collaborative research, greater medical education funding and healthcare innovation that addresses community needs.
Valleywise Health / St. Joseph Facility Tours
Creighton and Arizona State Partnership
Creighton Connection
Prior to joining the Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance, Creighton University, a Jesuit, Catholic school, had a rich history with St. Joseph’s, which is Phoenix’s first hospital. In 2005, Creighton began sending medical students to St. Joseph’s for one-month rotations. Four years later, the Omaha, Nebraska based school began sending third- and fourth-year medical students to Phoenix to finish off their academic and clinical training as the first step in creating a Phoenix campus. By 2012, Creighton’s Phoenix Regional Campus was fully functioning and operational. Today, nearly 100 medical students are being trained during their final two years at St. Joseph’s. Some of those students will go on to serve residencies with Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance partners.
New Health Sciences Campus
In June 2021, Creighton University opened its doors to a seven-story, 180,000 square-foot Health Sciences Campus on the grounds of the iconic Park Central Mall in midtown Phoenix. The campus will house programs in nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy, medicine, and a physician assistant programs. By 2025, we project that the Phoenix campus will be home to nearly 1,000 health sciences students. The Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance will serve as an important partner to the campus, providing optimal clinical and academic learning environments.
The announcement has been hailed as a welcomed addition to metro Phoenix’s medical education community. As the nation’s fifth-largest city, Phoenix has only a handful of medical schools, well below cities of similar size. It also lags the national median in the number of physicians per 100,000 population. The campus will provide more opportunities to grow the number of healthcare professionals throughout the state and beyond.
