By Robert Haugh
Santa Clara University and Sutter Health are launching a new medical school in Santa Clara.
It will be called the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine.
The school is being funded in part by a $175 million gift from Mary Stevens, a 1984 Santa Clara University graduate, and her husband, venture capitalist Mark Stevens.
Officials said it is the largest cash gift ever to Catholic higher education. It is also the largest gift ever received by either Santa Clara University or Sutter Health.
The new school is being billed as the first new medical school in the San Francisco Bay Area in more than a century.
The future campus will be in an 82,000-square-foot facility now under construction on Mission College Boulevard.
Sutter is also planning a major new 272-bed, eight-story medical center on its West Santa Clara Campus by 2031.
The new medical school still must complete a multi-year accreditation process before welcoming its first class.
Sutter and SCU said the goal is to train doctors in a new model that combines medical education, clinical care, research, technology, and real-world patient experience.
California continues to face a serious physician shortage. At the same time, the population is aging and healthcare needs are becoming more complex.
The school will be embedded in Sutter’s not-for-profit healthcare system. That means students are expected to train alongside residents, fellows, and care teams across Sutter facilities.
Sutter already has more than 30 physician residency and fellowship programs. It expects to train about 575 residents and fellows in 39 accredited graduate-level programs by the end of 2027.
Irvine starting to make us look like LA😢
These are very exciting economic development times for the City of Santa Clara and the Northside. An Irvine project in the Freedom Circle Specific Plan was approved by City Council in March 2025 that will provide about 1700 units of housing that will no doubt be a helpful addition for future medical school students and hospital employees. Just need to get some additional amenities like retail to meet the needs of the growing Northside population.