The City of Phoenix is making its largest-ever direct investment in a single bioscience project, with Mayor Kate Gallego (D-AZ) and the City Council unanimously approving $50 million to bring Arizona State University’s (ASU) Health's new headquarters to the downtown core.
The funding combines $38 million from the city's Sports Facility, Biosciences, and Tourism Fund with $12 million in General Obligation Bonds approved by Phoenix voters in November 2023.
The project will anchor ASU's John Shufelt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering within the Phoenix Bioscience Core.
For Mayor Gallego, the deal is about more than bricks and mortar.
Mayor Gallego has made occupational health, particularly cancer affecting Phoenix firefighters and other city workers, a personal priority, and the agreement locks in a formal commitment from ASU Health to address it.
The partnership will focus on three areas the mayor has championed: occupational health, including cancer, women's health, and urban public health challenges such as heat exposure, homelessness, and mental health and addiction.
"The cure for cancer will run through Phoenix, and ASU Health will play a critical role in achieving that future," Gallego said.
The mayor has also framed the investment as an economic and civic statement, arguing that deepening ties with ASU positions Phoenix among the country's leading innovation cities.
"ASU Health will mean more opportunities for students, cutting-edge medical research partnerships, better care for our community, and more cures," she said.
Additional Support
ASU President Michael Crow called the vote perhaps the most meaningful milestone in a two-decade relationship between the university and the city.
The new school will blend clinical medicine, biomedical science, and engineering under one roof, building on ASU's existing research partnerships with Mayo Clinic.
Council members echoed the mayor's enthusiasm, pointing to a region where residents routinely struggle to access specialists or face long waits for care. "Every one of us knows someone who couldn't find a doctor, who drove too far to see a specialist, or who waited too long for care that came too late," said Councilwoman Ann O'Brien.
With construction set to take shape in the heart of downtown, city leaders see the investment as a defining moment, one that could reshape Phoenix's identity into a nationally recognized hub for research and innovation for generations to come.
