Groundbreaking held for UC Merced's new Medical Education Building

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- A groundbreaking ceremony was held for UC Merced's new Medical Education Building on Wednesday.

The four-story building will feature more than 200-thousand square feet of instructional, academic office, and research space.

The new facility will be home to UC Merced's medical education pathway, which was developed in partnership with UCSF and UCSF Fresno

Since the university opened in 2005, the need for more local medical professionals has only grown, especially with the 2022 closure of Madera Community Hospital.

"This is obviously one of the most medically underserved regions in the state of California. Very few specialties, many people have to travel south to Los Angeles, the Bay Area, UCSF," explained UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sanchez Munoz.

Munoz says UC Merced is committed to improving access to high-quality healthcare in the Central Valley.

The new building will house the university's 'B.S. to M.D. Pathway' program, as well as the departments of psychology and public health and the Health Sciences Research Institute.

"This is the groundbreaking for a significant facility that will serve as a foundation for medical training and eventually the school of medicine independently accredited here at UC Merced," said Munoz.

Current pre-med students are excited to have improved medical training right in their own community.

The $300 million dollar is being funded by a combination of state general fund appropriations, the school's budget and donations.

The school says the project will eventually help churn out locally raised and educated doctors who will care for the region.

Now that the ground has been broken, the medical education building is expected to open in Fall of 2026.

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