Xavier sets groundbreaking date for new med school

After months of planning, Xavier University has announced a groundbreaking date for its proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The University will hold a celebration on Dec. 6 to officially kick off the medical school’s construction. Messer Construction Co., a Cincinnati-based construction manager and general contractor, will begin construction later that month.

Once complete, the 130,000-square-foot facility, designed by the S/L/A/M Collaborative and MSA Design, will feature a simulation hospital with 16 exam rooms and five flexible simulation rooms, a nearly 200-seat lecture hall and a 5,600-square-foot meeting hall.

XU expects to complete construction in 2026.

“After a period of thoughtful planning and community engagement, I am excited to see this vision become a reality,” said President Colleen Hanycz. “As we break ground on what will become one of the region’s premier medical teaching facilities, we recognize the life-changing outcomes our College of Osteopathic Medicine will produce for future students and communities. 

Once established, the college will be the first Jesuit osteopathic medical school in the world and Ohio’s first new medical school in 40 years. Xavier officials view the school as key to addressing community health needs and a widespread shortage of primary care physicians. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services predicts the state will be short 1,200 physicians by 2025, while the Association of American Medical Colleges estimates the United States will face a national physician shortage of up to 86,000 by 2036.

XU is currently in the process of securing program accreditation. It plans to welcome its first class of aspiring physicians in fall 2027. The college’s inaugural class of Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine will graduate in 2031, the same year as Xavier’s bicentennial anniversary.

“This project truly embodies our Jesuit Catholic mission and identity, building on Xavier’s academic excellence and enabling us to contribute to the universal good while forming students for and with others,” Hanycz said.