A New Era in Medical Education
On May 15, 2026, Sutter Health and Santa Clara University announced the launch of the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine. Once accredited, it will be the first new M.D.-granting medical school in California’s San Francisco Bay Area in more than a century. The collaboration brings together two mission-driven organizations to redefine how physicians are trained and how care is delivered in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape.
Mission
To prepare clinically excellent physicians to lead healthcare transformations—grounded in humanity, shaped by innovation, and deeply committed to serving individuals, families, and communities.
Vision
To shape a future where the practice of medicine promotes health and healing and deepens trust.
Values
Human Flourishing
Health is holistic and continuous.
Compassion & Courage
Empathy paired with boldness to lead change.
Discernment & Ethical Judgement
Navigate uncertainty and face ambiguity earnestly.
Perpetual Learning & Innovation
Continuous learning and adaptability increases patient trust.
Collaboration & Stewardship
Healthcare transformation happens through teams and shared leadership.
Service to the Common Good
Physicians bear responsibility to improve healthcare for everyone, especially communities most affected by inequity.
An Innovative, Integrated Healthcare Ecosystem
“Our new school will be grounded in Santa Clara’s Jesuit tradition of keeping the needs of the whole person at the forefront of empathetic and trustworthy care, while also embedding innovative technologies that assist physicians in keeping individuals, families, and communities well.”
Julie Sullivan
President, Santa Clara University
“This medical school will train physicians for generations to come and adapt as medicine and patient needs evolve. This is part of Sutter’s larger vision to bring together undergraduate and graduate medical education and training alongside research and clinical care.”
Warner Thomas
President and CEO, Sutter Health
“This partnership between Sutter Health and my alma mater, Santa Clara University, represents a new model for medical education, built to support a more innovative, connected healthcare ecosystem.”
Gavin Newsom ’89
Governor of California
A Bold Leader
Founding Dean, Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine
Santa Clara University and Sutter Health are seeking a visionary leader to serve as the founding dean of the Stevens School of Medicine. This is a unique opportunity to help establish a new medical school grounded in humanistic values, innovation, and a commitment to transforming healthcare.
Pathway to Launch
All dates subject to accreditation review and regulatory approvals
-
2026 (completed)
- Announcement
- Building renovation begins
- Hire first employee
- Submit initial program application to accreditor
-
2027
- Hire founding dean and continue academic and administrative team expansion
- Submit full self-study application for accreditation
-
2028
- Potential preliminary accreditation
-
2030
- Targeted school opening
- Pending accreditation and regulatory approvals, charter class begins
The Stevens Namesake
The new medical school received a generous $175 million naming gift from Santa Clara 1984 alumna Mary Stevens and her husband, venture capitalist Mark Stevens.
Mark and Mary Stevens have been long-standing champions of both Santa Clara University and Sutter Health. Through their philanthropy and personal engagement, they have helped build and strengthen connections between the organizations, honoring shared leaders and advancing joint efforts in care, education, and innovation.
Sutter Health
A leading healthcare delivery system and growing center for research and clinical innovation.
About Sutter Health
Founded in 1921, Sutter Health offers a nationally recognized, integrated health system with a long tradition of providing clinically excellent, award-winning care to communities across California, regularly earning national recognition for its training programs, services, care centers, research, and advancements.
Healthgrades recognized five Sutter hospitals among America’s Best Hospitals for 2026, including three ranked among America’s 50 Best Hospitals, one among America’s 100 Best Hospitals and one among America’s 250 Best Hospitals for overall clinical quality.
In the 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings, seven Sutter hospitals were named among California’s Best Hospitals, while 19 hospitals earned High Performing ratings in one or more specialties, procedures, or conditions.
Sutter is building on its 32-year track record in graduate medical education, training hundreds of physician residents and fellows across nationally accredited programs in family medicine and specialty areas of medicine and serving as a growing clinical-based learning health system for physicians.
Santa Clara University
A Jesuit university in the heart of Silicon Valley bringing 175 years of academic excellence, humanistic values, and expertise in technology and innovation.
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University was founded in 1851 to meet the needs of a new, rapidly expanding state. Now, 175 years later, it is responding to a new societal need: the critical shortage of physicians and the complex care required for an increasingly aging and multiethnic patient base.
In its Impact 2030 strategic plan, Santa Clara committed to increase its expertise and reputation in high-impact areas where the university has strong foundations and where the societal need is great. Healthcare is an area of deep need where we can have tremendous impact.
A premier Jesuit institution built on values of service to others, care for the whole person, and being men and women for others, Santa Clara is California’s oldest operating university, consistently ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities and top 20 U.S. universities for undergraduate teaching by U.S. News & World Report. Santa Clara offers nationally recognized teaching excellence, strong graduate programs in applied fields such as engineering, business, and counseling psychology, that are highly relevant to healthcare, and a history of high-quality science education that has prepared generations of students for careers in the health professions.
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A path to progress
A conversation between Lindsay Mazotti, M.D., Sutter Health Chief Academic Officer, Medical Education and Planning Dean, Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine, and Santa Clara University Provost and EVP James Glaser. The two leaders discussed the school’s progress and developing vision for medical education at Santa Clara University’s 2026 Convocation.
A new model for training doctors in California
“Physicians still don’t receive enough training in behavioral science or health literacy. That’s a significant gap in our healthcare system, with broad public health implications.”
—Sutter Health Network EVP and President Conrad Vial
Sutter Health and Santa Clara University to launch the Mark & Mary Stevens School of Medicine
Both organizations share a commitment to human-centered values and have served California communities for more than a century.
Bay Area to get its first major new medical school in more than a century
“The idea of doing this from scratch, with a fresh view of where we are today, is going to be exciting and a huge opportunity for all of Northern California.”
—Santa Clara President Julie Sullivan
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Sutter Health and Santa Clara opening a medical school?
Healthcare has become more complex, technology-driven, and critical for aging populations with multiple chronic health conditions. Sutter Health and Santa Clara University are partnering to launch the Stevens School of Medicine, designed for where healthcare is going—not where it has been.
Unlike many emerging medical schools that must build clinical training relationships across multiple organizations, this new school will be embedded within Sutter’s healthcare system, creating continuity across medical education, graduate medical education, research, and clinical practice.
Students will be enrolled at Santa Clara University, a premier Jesuit institution with nationally recognized excellence in teaching and strong graduate programs in applied fields highly relevant to healthcare. They will learn alongside residents, fellows, and multidisciplinary care teams already embedded throughout Sutter’s clinical system in settings that span rural, suburban, and urban environments.
The Stevens School of Medicine will also be situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, where innovation will lead to the discovery of new models of care that may well be adopted beyond the Bay Area and California.
The Stevens School of Medicine is part of a long-term strategy to strengthen California’s physician workforce, expand opportunities for community-based clinical education and build an academic ecosystem connecting undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, research, and clinical care.
How is this different from other medical schools?
The school is being designed around several areas of exploration that may distinguish the educational experience, subject to curriculum development and accreditation requirements.
These include:
- Building in the best of Silicon Valley technology from the start
- Training physicians to coordinate care across real-world care teams
- Working across a range of care settings at Sutter Health, including clinics, hospitals and regional care sites in rural, suburban, and urban areas—serving a broad range of demographics
- Focusing on physical health as well as mental, emotional, social, and environmental factors
- Exploring earlier and longitudinal exposure to patient care, competency-based approaches, and other innovative educational models where appropriate and accreditor-approved
- Using active and personalized learning approaches alongside other evidence-based educational methods
- Evaluating how AI, simulation, virtual or augmented reality, and other digital tools could enhance medical education
- Developing community-based learning opportunities across Sutter Health’s diverse care settings
- Exploring future specialized educational pathways responsive to workforce needs as the curriculum develops
What does accreditation entail?
Accreditation requires a rigorous, multiyear review process, with strict adherence to national and regional accreditation standards. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) accredits medical schools based upon 12 key standards, covering mission, faculty, curriculum, and student services. Schools must ensure graduates possess essential skills and knowledge for residency, necessitating high-quality clinical sites, qualified faculty, and robust student support services.
The school is currently progressing through the early stages of the accreditation process, with future milestones expected to include Candidate Status and, subsequently, Preliminary Accreditation. Each stage represents progress but should not be interpreted as full accreditation or authorization to enroll students. Timing and outcomes remain dependent on LCME review and approval.
The current planning pathway anticipates Candidate Status work in 2027 and potential Preliminary Accreditation in 2028–2029, with an intended 2030 opening and matriculation of the first class, subject to accreditation.
Where will the school be, and what will the facilities be like?
The future school, which is now being renovated, will be located within Sutter Health’s new East Santa Clara Campus at 2431 Mission College Blvd. in the City of Santa Clara.
When completed, the 67,000-square-foot facility will include classrooms, simulation rooms, an anatomy lab, and collaboration spaces, among other features.