“The CL and Rachel Werner Center is a beacon of the growth and progress of Creighton’s health sciences enterprise, which teaches a different kind of care, one that is holistic, empathetic, and rooted in our Jesuit values,” said Creighton President the Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson, SJ, Ph.D. “This facility will grow and deepen the connections we are already making with the patients and communities our health sciences alumni serve.”
Located south of Cuming Street and east of U.S. Highway 75, the project marks the third collaboration between Creighton University and RDG, following designs for the School of Dentistry in Omaha and the Health Sciences Campus in Phoenix, Arizona. As with the Phoenix campus, design for the CL and Rachel Werner Center emphasizes interprofessional collaboration and brings physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physician assistants, and EMS technicians together to learn and work under one roof. Featuring learning spaces, including a centralized interdisciplinary simulation center and active group classrooms, the facility serves as a health sciences education destination for interprofessional education and practice. The health sciences facilities in Omaha and Phoenix employ both synchronous and asynchronous distance learning methods in flexible learning environments that are enhanced by technology.
“Creighton’s continuous investment in the expansion of its medical education facilities and programs positions the university as an unmatched leader in health sciences education. We’re humbled and grateful to be able to work alongside the institution to create interprofessional education and practice destinations that have and will continue to serve the next generation of practitioners,” said RDG Architect and Partner, Brian Halsey, AIA, LEED. “By designing spaces that support the development of practice-ready health care professionals, we’re able to support Creighton’s mission of public health and well-being, both locally and nationally.”
Creighton originally broke ground on the building in the spring of 2021. RDG’s design encompasses 145,000 square feet of student-focused classrooms and collaboration spaces and places dedicated to hands-on learning. Now the new home for Creighton’s School of Medicine, the facility is projected to serve an estimated 5,900 students, faculty, staff, and visitors every year.
