Creighton University

CL and Rachel
Werner Center
for Health
Sciences
Education

Client
Creighton University
Location
Omaha, NE
Size
148,450 SF
Completion date
December 2023

Design for the CL and Rachel Werner Center emphasizes interprofessional collaboration and brings physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physician assistants and EMS technicians together to learn and work under one roof.

At the core of Creighton University's educational programs is the concept of  'Cura Personalis,' or the care of the whole person. RDG's longstanding collaborative partnership with Creighton began with a health science master planning effort in 2015 to develop and infuse interdisciplinary and interprofessional educational experiences across disciplines and curricula. The CL and Rachel Werner Center marks the third collaboration between Creighton and RDG, following award-winning designs for the School of Dentistry in Omaha and the Health Sciences Campus in Phoenix. As with the Phoenix campus, design for the CL and Rachel Werner Center emphasizes interprofessional collaboration and brings physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physician assistants and EMS technicians together to learn and work under one roof. 

The CL and Rachel Werner Center emphasizes interprofessional collaboration and brings physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physician assistants and EMS technicians together to learn and work under one roof. Video courtesy of Creighton University.

The CL and Rachel Werner Center for Health Sciences Education serves as both the new front door to the University's Omaha campus and home of the School of Medicine and health sciences hub, with shared spaces for each of the University's health sciences schools and colleges. Featuring state-of-the-art learning spaces, including a centralized interdisciplinary simulation center and active group classrooms, the facility serves as a cutting-edge health sciences education destination for interprofessional education and practice. The health sciences facilities in Omaha and Phoenix employ both synchronous and asynchronous distance learning methods in flexible learning environments that are enhanced by technology.

Creighton originally broke ground on the building in the spring of 2021. RDG’s design encompasses 145,000 SF of student-focused classrooms and collaboration spaces and places dedicated to hands-on learning. Now the new home for Creighton’s School of Medicine, the facility is projected to serve an estimated 5,900 students, faculty, staff and visitors every year. Creighton's continuous investment in the expansion of its medical education facilities and programs positions the University as the largest Catholic health professions educator in the U.S. 

RDG Planning & Design's Brian Halsey explains what the skybridge at the new CL Werner Center for Health Education means for the Omaha community.