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UC San Diego Health Sciences Installs Wudu Station

New Wudu Station Located in the Medical Teaching Facility

Medical Teaching Facility annex
The new wudu station is located in the first-floor bathroom in the Medical Teaching Facility annex and is available to all campus community members. Photos by Kyle Dykes/UC San Diego Health Sciences

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The Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at UC San Diego recently spearheaded the installation of a new wudu station, providing a space for those who practice Islam to perform wudu prior to prayer.

Wudu, also known as ablution, is a spiritual and physical practice completed before performing prayer. With the installation of the wudu station, which contains an appliance specifically designed for the ritual, campus community members now have a convenient place to perform wudu closer to where many Health Sciences classrooms and offices are located. Previously, individuals had to visit the Price Center for the nearest wudu station.

Wudu station in bathroom
The wudu station contains an appliance designed for performing wudu, a traditional cleansing ritual conducted before performing prayer.

“The wudu station is a wonderful addition to our Health Sciences campus, and I look forward to sharing it with my fellow Muslim colleagues,” said Rabia Atayee, Pharm.D., a professor and associate dean for Admissions and Outreach at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy who is among the campus community members who have used the newly installed space. “It provides a convenient option for Health Sciences students, staff and faculty to perform wudu, eliminating the need to travel to the Price Center. I hope this is one of many steps towards greater inclusivity. Establishing a dedicated prayer/meditation room could be an excellent next step.”

The request to install a wudu station came from a pharmacy school student, who approached Dominic Cooper, the program manager for Diversity and Community Initiatives at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy, about the need for a nearby wudu station. This interest was shared by other Health Sciences students, prompting the school to coordinate the installation, with Cooper leading the effort and receiving support from UC San Diego Health Sciences leadership.

map of the medical teaching facility
A map showing the location of the new wudu station.

“When students expressed a need for a space like this, our team immediately knew we had to make it a reality,” said Cooper. “As a campus it is important that we uphold our commitment to being culturally responsive to students' needs and create truly inclusive spaces.”

The new wudu station, installed in the first-floor bathroom in the Medical Teaching Facility annex, is available to all campus community members who need a space to perform wudu. This initiative reflects the university's ongoing commitment to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students.

“It’s very important that we make sure we are holistically supporting the needs of our Health Sciences professionals, including students, faculty and staff,” said Brookie Best, Pharm.D., dean of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy. “Being able to perform wudu in a location that is close to where our Health Sciences community trains, studies and works is a positive advance toward greater inclusivity, and we look forward to continuing to explore other ways we can foster the overall well-being of our community.”

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