University of the Pacific to open Central Valley’s first medical school in 2030
Responding to physician shortages across the Central Valley, University of the Pacific plans to launch a medical school at its main Stockton campus in 2030. The Pacific School of Medicine will be California’s first M.D.-granting institution outside the state’s largest population centers in Southern California, the Bay Area and Greater Sacramento.
“It should frankly be an outrage that the Central Valley — six million people from Stockton to Bakersfield — does not already have a medical school,” Rep. Josh Harder, D-Tracy, said at Thursday morning’s announcement on the Stockton campus. “That’s an embarrassment, and this project is going to correct that.”
Local, state and congressional elected officials and community leaders gathered to mark what they called a historic and transformative moment for the campus and the region it serves.
“We are enormously proud of our tradition of providing top-quality educational opportunities for all qualified students — no matter their background or socioeconomic status — and creating hundreds of caring, practice-ready healthcare professionals each year who are desperately needed in our communities and beyond,” school President Christopher Callahan said. “We are not only ready, willing and able to tackle the dangerous and growing problem of the severe lack of physicians, but we believe it is our duty and responsibility.”
In the works since 2025, the university’s Board of Regents voted unanimously May 15 to approve the new school. This came after the university secured a partnership with Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center. Under this partnership, Dignity Health will place third- and fourth-year medical school students from University of the Pacific in clinical rotations at St. Joseph’s and other hospitals in the region.
Located less than two miles from the school, St. Joseph’s Medical Center is simultaneously expanding its patient capacity with a target completion date in 2030. Pending accreditation approval, the University of the Pacific School of Medicine plans to welcome its first students in Fall 2030 and grow to 400 students by 2037.
People to hire, funds to raise
This summer, University of the Pacific will launch a national search for the school’s founding dean. Meanwhile, it will run a public fundraising campaign.
A feasibility study conducted by a global consulting firm in 2025 concluded that the university would need $150 million to create a financially self-sustaining medical school, campus officials said. This estimate includes a 100,000-square-foot medical education complex, simulation labs and other specialized equipment and operational costs over the first decade.
So far, the university has secured $25 million from major donors, including University of the Pacific Regent Tony Chan and his wife Virginia Chan and Stockton-based Cortopassi Family Foundation.
Legislators are pursuing funding for the new medical school. Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom, D-Tracy, is pushing for a $50 million appropriation to help launch the school.
“California is facing a growing physician shortage, and families in San Joaquin County are already feeling it through longer wait times, fewer primary care options and the need to travel farther for care,” Ransom said. “[University of the] Pacific has long been a trusted institution in our region, and this new school of medicine is exactly the kind of long-term investment we need to train homegrown doctors who understand our communities and are prepared to serve them.”
State Sen. Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton, is also working on the state funding initiative. In Washington, D.C., Harder is aiming to secure federal funding to cover the costs of the specialized equipment at the medical school.
An economic boost for Stockton
For Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi, the new medical school will serve as an “economic boom” for the city. It will create jobs, educational opportunities and more investment in the city, she said. In the run-up to 2030, the city will work as a partner to ensure the required infrastructure and housing are in place for the opening of the school, Fugazi said.
“This day definitely shines a light on Stockton for something good, for something we can be proud of, for something that will put us on the map,” Fugazi said.
The new medical school will add on to University of the Pacific’s existing dentistry, pharmacy and health sciences schools. The university serves nearly 7,000 students in more than 160 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across its campuses in Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco.
This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 2:12 PM.
