| Washington University School of Medicine | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1891 |
| Type | Private |
| Dean | Larry J. Shapiro, MD |
| Academic staff | 1874 |
| Students | 1349 including 605 MD (183 MD/PhD) 267 OT, 278 PT |
| Location | St. Louis, Missouri, USA |
| Campus | Urban |
| Website | medschool.wustl.edu |
Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM), located in St. Louis, Missouri, is one of the graduate schools of Washington University in St. Louis. One of the top medical schools in the United States, it is currently ranked 4th for research according to 'U.S. News and World Report' and has been listed among the top ten medical schools since rankings were first published in 1987. The School of Medicine consistently ranks first in the nation in student selectivity.[1] Located on the eastern border of Forest Park, it is affiliated with Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis Children's Hospital, the St. Louis Veteran's Administration Hospital, Shriner's Hospital for Children and several other community sites.
Founded in 1891, the School of Medicine has 1,260 students, of which 604 are pursuing a Medical Degree with or without a combined Doctor of Philosophy or other advanced degree. It also offers doctorate degrees in biomedical research through the Division of Biology and Biological Sciences. The School has developed large physical therapy (273 students) and occupational therapy (233 students) programs, as well as the Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences (75 students) which includes a Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degree and a Master of Science in Deaf Education (M.S.D.E.) degree.[2] There are 1,772 faculty, 1,022 residents, and 765 fellows.
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17 Nobel laureates have been associated with the School of Medicine. 12 faculty members are fellows of the National Academy of Sciences; 30 belong to the Institute of Medicine. 92 faculty members hold individual career development awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 59 faculty members hold career development awards from non-federal agencies. 14 faculty members have MERIT status, a special recognition given by the National Institutes of Health that provides long-term, uninterrupted financial support to investigators. 6 faculty members are Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators.
Medical classes were first held at Washington University in 1891 after the St. Louis Medical College decided to affiliate with the University, establishing a Medical Department. Robert S. Brookings, a University benefactor from its earliest days, devoted much of his work and philanthropy to Washington University, and made the improvement of the Medical Department one of his primary objectives. This especially became a cause for concern after an early 1900s Carnegie Foundation report derided the organization and quality of the Medical Department.[3]
Following a trend in medical education across the country, research and the creation of new knowledge became a stated objective in a 1906 course catalog for the medical department. For Brookings and the University, incorporating the Medical Department into a separate School of Medicine seemed to be the next logical step. This process began in 1914 when facilities were permanently moved to their current location in St. Louis's Central West End neighborhood in 1914, and was completed in 1918 with the official naming of the School of Medicine.[4]
The Medical School began its escalation from regional renown in the 1940s, a decade when two Nobel Prizes were awarded, in 1944 and 1947, to groups of faculty members. In 1950, a Cancer Research Building was completed, being the first major new building addition to the School of Medicine since its relocation in 1914. More buildings were added in that decade, and in the 1960s the School of Medicine focused on diversifying its student body by graduating its first African-American and substantially increasing the percentage of graduating students who are female to nearly 50%.[4]
Washington University Medical Center comprises 155 acres (0.5 km²) spread over approximately 15 city blocks, located along the eastern edge of Forest Park within the Central West End neighborhood of St. Louis. Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital, part of BJC HealthCare, the teaching hospitals affiliated with the School of Medicine, are also located within the medical complex. Many of the buildings are connected via a series of sky bridges and corridors. As of 2008, the School of Medicine occupies over 4,500,000 square feet (420,000 m2) in the entire medical complex.[5]
Washington University and BJC HealthCare have taken on many joint venture projects since their original collaboration in the 1910s. The Center for Advanced Medicine, completed in December 2001, is one such collaboration, which houses the Siteman Cancer Center. At 650,000 square feet (60,000 m2), it is one of the largest single buildings in the Medical Complex.[6]
In the expansive Medical Complex are several especially large buildings. The Medical Complex's Queeny Tower is the 9th tallest hospital building in the world.[7] Recently completed is the 700,000-square-foot (65,000 m2) BJC Institutes of Health, of which Washington University's Medical School will occupy several floors. It is the largest building constructed on Washington University's campus. Called the BJC Institute of Health at Washington University, it will house the University's BioMed 21 Research Initiative, five interdiscplinary research centers, laboratories, and additional space for The Genome Center.[8]
On Monday, July 19, 2010, a news release from the website of the Washington University School of Medicine announced the formation of the Washington University Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (WUIDDRC). The new research center was established by a five-year, $6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (the NIH), and will focus on research to prevent and treat developmental disabilities in children. Special emphasis will be placed on clinical and translational research as well as reaching out to families and the community with resources and services. The center will work closely with the state of Missouri. Dr. Terrie E. Inder, M.D., Ph.D., who is a neonatal specialist and a professor of pediatrics, radiology, and of neurology, will direct the center. It will be under the auspices of the pediatrics department of the medical school, headed by Dr. Alan L. Schwartz, Ph.D., M.D. The center's research focus will be on cerebral connectivity, genetics, and environmental influences. Its sections are administrative, animal models, human clinical, imaging and biostatistics and informatics. The institute will collaborate with other IDDRCs in the Midwest. The center received additional start-up funding from the McDonnell Centers for System Neuroscience and Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology and from the Washington University School of Medicine.
Prominent buildings, centers, and spaces at the medical campus includes Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the Central Institute for the Deaf, St. Louis Children's Hospital, Rehabilitation Institute of Saint Louis, Siteman Cancer Center, Center for Advanced Medicine, Charles F. Knight Emergency and Trauma Center, and the Eric P. Newman Education Center.
The Medical Complex is accessible via the Central West End MetroLink station, which provides transportation to the rest of Washington University's campuses.
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