Charles R. Drew University is a private, nonprofit institution founded in 1966 in the Watts-Willowbrook neighborhood of South Los Angeles. It is a community-founded university with a core mission of educating health professionals dedicated to social justice and health equity. The university is a designated Minority-Serving Institution, a recognized Historically Black Graduate Institution, and one of only four historically Black medical colleges in the United States.
The university's academic offerings include undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, as well as certificate programs across a range of health and medical disciplines. It also operates accredited residency programs through its Graduate Medical Education and maintains a community-focused research enterprise aimed at improving health outcomes in underserved populations.
The institution's work is oriented toward closing the health disparity gap. More than 80% of its graduates go on to provide care in underserved communities, reflecting its sustained focus on service and equity within the healthcare sector.
