Charles R. Drew University

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) is a private, nonprofit, community-founded, student-centered University committed to cultivating diverse health professions leaders who are dedicated to social justice and health equity for underserved populations through outstanding education, clinical service and community engagement. CDU is also a leader in health disparities research with a focus on education, training, treatment and care in cancer, diabetes, cardiometabolic and HIV/AIDS.

In the five decades since the school was incorporated in 1966, CDU has graduated more than 600 physicians, over 1,270 physician assistants and over 1,700 other health professionals, as well as training over 2,700 physician specialists through its sponsored residency programs. Its School of Nursing has graduated over 1,400 nursing professionals, including more than 1,000 family nurse practitioners.

CDU has earned designation as a minority-serving institution by the U.S. Office for Civil Rights, and is recognized by the Department of Education (DOE) under Title III B as a Historically Black Graduate Institution (HBGI). The University is a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

CDU is an exceptionally diverse institution. Over 80 percent of students and 71 percent of faculty are from communities of color. CDU is the second most diverse four-year private nonprofit college in the nation, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education (August 2017). The Chronicle for Higher Education Almanac lists CDU as the top private, four-year, nonprofit university in the country in terms of faculty diversity. The Greenlining Institute recognized CDU as the most diverse medical education program in the University of California system. A California Wellness Foundation report estimated that one‐third of all minority physicians practicing in Los Angeles County are graduates of the CDU medical school and/or residency training programs. More than 85 percent of CDU College of Medicine students report that they intend to practice and provide much-needed care in underserved communities following graduation.