The Charles R. Drew University (CDU) Health Professions Education Building (HPEB) is a significant step in CDU's expansion, enabling the training of over 240 medical students annually and creating approximately 749 local jobs. The project underscores CDU's commitment to cultivating a diverse healthcare workforce and positively impacting the health and economy of the South Los Angeles community. The HPEB is an integral part of CDU's transformative journey to transition its College of Medicine into an independent, four-year medical education program that is dedicated to preparing the next generation of compassionate, diverse and culturally responsive healthcare leaders.
This interprofessional training facility redefines how future medical professionals learn and grow. Students are immersed in active learning environments designed to deliver real-world, hands-on experience in the responsibilities of healthcare professionals. The program features a simulation center, clinical skills suite, plastinated and virtual anatomy labs, a virtual skills and haptics lab, and robotic surgery.
The HPEB is more than just a place to train — it is a student-centered environment focused on both academic excellence and personal well-being. Amenities include a welcoming student lounge, group and private study rooms, wellness and nourishment rooms, showers and a rooftop terrace, creating space for connection, focus and rejuvenation.
The HPEB's architecture acts as a connector between the campus, the neighboring Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital, and the surrounding Watts-Willowbrook community. To build upon the identity of the existing campus, HPEB utilizes a material palette drawn from the context and history of the campus with a primarily brick facade. The building creates an L-shape that forms a protected plaza facing the campus core, featuring an inviting shade garden to draw in CDU students. The HPEB's modern design prioritizes simplicity and adaptability, accommodating the growing medical school while ensuring cost-effectiveness and integrating seamlessly with the existing campus surroundings.
Project Name
Health Professions Education Building
Size
60,000 GSF
Client
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
Completion Date
May 2026
Services
Programming
Simulation Planning
Full Architecture
Interior Design
Location
Los Angeles, CA
“Our new medical school is an exciting place where students and residents learn both medicine and social justice strategies that are required for physician leadership dedicated to health equity. Our esteemed faculty, staff and students are committed to the CDU vision and mission, and are dedicated to serving under-resourced communities of South Los Angeles.”
Dean Prothrow-Stith, Charles R. Drew University
