Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine Breaks Ground
While the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine was created in 1994, it wasn’t until March 16, 2022, that Andrew Weil, MD, was able to take part in a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new purpose-built physical home for the center. The 30,000-square-foot facility will be located on the University of Arizona Health Sciences campus at 1231 N. Cherry Ave. Construction is expected to begin mid-May and be completed in fall 2023.
"Dr. Weil and the University of Arizona made medical history back in 1994 when he established the world's first program in integrative medicine," University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins, MD, told attendees at a ceremonial groundbreaking. "Now, the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine will have a home worthy of the center's reputation for excellence, while helping advance the university's Grand Challenges strategic plan pillar. I am grateful for the many donors who came together in support of this project."
The new facility, part of the College of Medicine – Tucson, is the result of a $23 million fundraising effort. It will include three buildings surrounded by desert gardens and linked by a series of pathways. It was designed to embody the center's ethos of whole-person wellness and the principles of integrative health. Each building will represent an aspect of the whole person: mind, body and spirit.
"I have long dreamed of having a physical home for our center," said Dr. Weil, founder and director of the center. "Now, we are breaking ground for it. The building design draws on the principles of integrative medicine and will represent that field to the university, the community and the world."
Preparing for the ceremonial ground breaking of the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine are (from left) Peter Dourlein, UArizona assistant vice president, Planning Design and Construction; Henry Tom, Line and Space architects; JP Roczniak, president and CEO of the UArizona Foundation; Lisa Rulney, senior vice president for Business Affairs and CFO; Michael Abecassis, MD, dean of the College of Medicine – Tucson; Andrew Weil, MD, founder of the Weil Center; Victoria Maizes, MD, executive director of the Weil Center; Robert C. Robbins, MD, UArizona President; Cecilia Mata, Arizona Board of Regents; and Taylor Fulkerson of DPR Construction.
Andrew Weil, MD, speaks to more than 150 people who gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, which he founded in 1994 as part of the College of Medicine – Tucson.
Carlos Gonzales, MD, assistant dean, curricular affairs at the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson, leads a blessing ceremony using a prayer to the Seven Sacred Directions before the groundbreaking for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine on the University of Arizona Health Sciences campus in Tucson.
Andrew Weil, MD, (center in purple) laughs along with other attendees of the groundbreaking ceremony for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine as University of Arizona President, Robert C. Robbins, MD, relays an anecdote from their first meeting many years ago.
(From left) Andrew Weil, MD, Victoria Maizes, MD, and UArizona President Robert C. Robbins, MD, celebrate after breaking ground for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine on the University of Arizona Health Sciences campus in Tucson.
Esther Sternberg, MD, director of research at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, explains how the new facility will include three buildings surrounded by desert gardens and linked by a series of pathways. It was designed to embody the center's ethos of whole-person wellness and the principles of integrative health. Construction is scheduled to begin in May and be completed by fall 2023.
Andrew Weil, MD, visits with attendees before the groundbreaking for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine on the University of Arizona Health Sciences campus in Tucson.
Several donors who contributed to the $23 million goal needed to build the new Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine attended the groundbreaking ceremony. (From left) Humberto Lopez, president of HSL Properties; Andrew Weil, MD; Ryan Fisher, president, Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation; Karen Malkin, Weil Center graduate and donor; and Helaine Levy, executive director of the Diamond Family Foundation.
(From left) Andrew Weil, MD, Karin Malkin and Victoria Maizes, MD, pose for a photo after the groundbreaking ceremony for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine on the University of Arizona Health Sciences campus in Tucson.
Mary Redhouse plays the American flute inside the Health Science Innovation Building during a reception after the groundbreaking ceremony for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine on the University of Arizona Health Sciences campus in Tucson.
Andrew Weil, MD, Dan Derksen, MD, associate vice president for Health Equity, Outreach and Interprofessional Activities at UArizona Health Sciences, and Victoria Maizes, MD, visit during a reception after the groundbreaking for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.
Attendees gather inside the University of Arizona Health Sciences Innovation Building for a reception after the groundbreaking for the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.