Written by: Shelby Job, Arizona Medical Association Communications and Advocacy Coordinator

A $25 million donation made to Creighton University is paving the way for a program that will transform the lives of global citizens and Creighton medical students alike. The gift, given to the Jesuit university by an anonymous foundation, will be utilized to found the Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program starting in Fall 2022.

Named for the founder of the Jesuit Refugee Service, Rev. Pedro Arrupe, the aim of the program is to provide healthcare for, and support the well-being of, individuals in need around the globe. Moreover, the program will support the education of medical students by bolstering their expertise in the medical field and exposing them to international healthcare concerns.

The program will bring together a total of 120 students over its projected lifespan of 10 years; 10 cohorts of 12 students will be selected from both Creighton’s Phoenix and Omaha medical campuses. Students will be considered for the program based on their academic success, prior service history, international experience, and ambition for providing service globally as part of their future careers. These students, known as Arrupe Global Scholars, will be partnered with from around the world to take on long-term assignments addressing the challenges that plague healthcare internationally. The initial cohort of students will come together for orientation in the Dominican Republic at the Institute for Latin American Concern, of which Creighton University is a long-standing partner.

The anonymous gift comes at a significant time in Creighton University’s history; the addition of the Health Sciences – Phoenix Campus, set to be completed in Fall 2021, will make the University the biggest Catholic healthcare educational institution in the nation. Plans for the seven-story, 200,000 square-foot facility, which is to be housed on the premises of Park Central Mall in Creighton’s newest campus will be home to a four-year medical school in addition to nursing, occupational and physical therapy, pharmacy, and physician assistant programs.

Creighton University has a long history of involvement in the Phoenix metro; in 2005, the institution started assigning medical students to four-month rotations at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix’s first hospital. has only grown since 2005, with over 600 faculty members and students currently housed at its Phoenix campus. In part, Creighton’s success in Arizona can be attributed to Dr. Jacque Chadwick, inaugural vice provost for the University’s Phoenix campus and previous president of the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA). Dr. Chadwick assists with the development of curriculum and academic programs, an important job considering Creighton anticipates over 900 students to enroll at the new campus in the coming years. Of these students, a handful will be lucky enough to join the Arrupe Global Scholars and Partnerships Program which will surely set the tone for their future careers in healthcare.

Shelby Job joined the Arizona Medical Association in December 2020. She graduated cum laude from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana in May 2020. Shelby holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth, Society, and Environmental Sustainability.