Naturopathic Medical School Begins Expansion

The Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM) broke ground in January on a $9.5 million, 47,000-square-foot, mixed-use building at 2140 East Broadway Road, in Tempe. The construction supports the college’s record enrollment numbers and growing patient volume in the medical center, as well as future plans to add new degree programs and community classes to match the growing interest in naturopathic medicine.

The new building will include a much larger library, more group and individual study spaces, a café, exercise space and updated classrooms to support lecture and team-based learning. SCNM also plans to explore new frontiers in naturopathic medicine with an integrative regenerative healing center for the treatment of pain and a demonstration kitchen for patient and community education.

SCNM enrollment has increased 60 percent since 2008 and the number of students graduating from accredited U.S. naturopathic colleges nationwide has grown from 5,244 in 2007 to more than 7,300 in 2012. Since opening in 1993 in Scottsdale, more than 1,000 naturopathic physicians have graduated from SCNM, which moved to Tempe in 1996 and built a new medical center in 2010. In the last year, students and faculty have served more than 50,000 people in the Phoenix area.

For more information, visit scnm.edu.