A Bold Step Forward for Regional Healthcare
UC Merced’s Medical Education Building reflects the university’s commitment to facilitating quality medical care in the region. The Central Valley is a healthcare desert, and studies show that physicians tend to practice in the areas in which they trained – which makes this project a high priority.
The four-story facility, designed by the architecture firm ZGF, will feature 203,500 square feet of instructional, academic office, research and community-facing space and common areas. It will be home to UC Merced's medical education pathway (SJV PRIME+), which was developed in partnership with UCSF and UCSF Fresno. The first cohort of SJV PRIME+ students began their undergraduate classes in fall of 2023.
The new building will also house:
- The departments of Psychological Sciences and Public Health
- The Health Sciences Research Institute
- Allied healthcare-related programs (developed in partnership with community colleges)
- A range of medical education and general assignment learning environments, including specialty learning spaces for anatomy, medical simulation and a clinical skills training center.
The project has a budget of $300 million and is funded by a combination of state General Fund appropriations, the campus budget and donor gifts.
The facility will comply with the University of California Sustainable Practices Policy, which establishes goals for green building, clean energy, transportation, climate protection, facilities operations, zero waste, procurement, food service and water systems. Supporting UC Merced's carbon neutrality status, the building will be run entirely on clean electricity, without the use of natural gas.
The project broke ground in spring of 2024 and is slated for completion in fall 2026. Current growth projections show the facility serving approximately 2,220 undergraduates by 2030.
