Kyrsten Sinema (left) with Sharon Harper (right), CEO and co-founder of Plaza Companies, at a Creighton University/Phoenix Medical Quarter event. Harper’s firm specializes in developing and managing properties for medical and bioscience facilities, among others. Both Sinema and Harper are champions of healthcare and bioscience growth in Arizona.
Arizona has launched the Phoenix Medical Quarter, a 100-acre hub of medical research in midtown Phoenix. Education and patient care are primary objectives for the new hub, which aims to compete with top medical centers worldwide while cementing Arizona’s leadership in biosciences.
Independent Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who has championed the state’s healthcare and biosciences sectors, also announced more than $2 million in Senate appropriations for the Creighton and Barrow Neurological Institute, which are integral parts of the Phoenix Medical Quarter.
“I am very excited to continue to promote Arizona’s innovation in biotech and life sciences,” Sinema said in a statement. “Creighton University and Barrow Neurological Institute have been incredible leaders in the biosciences.”
Some $1.4 million of the funding will support Creighton’s new medical virtual reality training room. Another $1 million allocated to the Barrow Neurological Institute will support the organization’s mission of studying and researching treatments for neurological diseases, and potentially leading to new therapies.
Parallel developments include a new Creighton University health sciences campus at Park Central, expansion of Barrow Neurological Institute and St. Joseph’s Hospital and a number of bioscience, healthcare and education companies located at Park Central. Tenants include research institutes, pharma firms and healthcare startups.
The revitalization of 3rd Avenue will link Park Central, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Barrow Neurological Institute. The goal is to drive collaboration and accessibility among the medical and bioscience organizations in the neighborhood.
In addition, Barrow Neurological Institute President and CEO Michael T. Lawton, MD, announced a multi-million dollar research initiative with a focus on neuroscience robotics, and brain-computer interfaces. The goal of the initiative is to pioneer new treatments for neurological disorders.
According to AZBio, Arizona’s bioscience industry is quickly growing. The sector employed more than 36,000 workers in 2021.
Sinema’s support for the Phoenix Medical Quarter follows a significant shift in her political career. In December 2022, she left the Democratic Party and became independent. In 2021, she drew attention for opposing Democrats’ drug spending bill after courting funding from Big Pharma.
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