Walmart heir Alice Walton said she plans to finance and build a medical school in northwest Arkansas.
The Whole Health School of Medicine in Bentonville will be a nonprofit, independent entity, and students enrolled will receive a doctor of medicine degree, according to a March 4 announcement.
The medical school plans to admit its first class of 40 to 50 students in fall 2023. Construction on the facility is scheduled to begin next year.
"The Whole Health School of Medicine will help medical students rise to the health challenges of the 21st century through a reimagination of American medical education that incorporates mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health, the elements of Whole Health, to help people live healthier and happier lives," Ms. Walton said in the news release.
The project is related to the billionaire Walmart heir's Whole Health Institute, a nonprofit center promoting holistic wellness slated to break ground next month. The institute is in Bentonville.