The Stanford School of Medicine is a premiere research medical school that combines innovation with research and science to lead the medical field in patient care. In conjunction with several other preeminent departments at Stanford University, the School of Medicine has access to cutting edge work done by researchers in other fields. The school offers M.D., Ph.D., master's, multiple-degree and primary care associate programs.
In the 2011 US News & World Reportrankings, Stanford was ranked 11th in the nation, down from sixth in 2010. Stanford's acceptance rate is the second lowest in the country at 2.6 percent (behind the Mayo Medical School, which only accepts 2.5 percent of applicants).
- 1956 - First use in Western hemisphere of linear accelerator to treat cancer
- 1960 - First kidney transplant in California
- 1968 - First adult human heart transplant in the United States
- 1974 - Isolation of genome of a virus that causes hepatitis B and a common form of liver cancer
- 1979 - Discovery of dynorphin, a brain chemical 200 times more powerful than morphine
- 1981 - First successful human combined heart/lung transplant in the world (fourth attempted worldwide)
- 1993 - First clinical trial testing methods for preventing eating disorders in adolescents
- 2005 - Discovery of obestatin, a hormone that suppresses appetite
Originally the Cooper Medical College in San Francisco, Stanford is the oldest continuously running medical school in the western United States. The medical school moved to the Stanford Campus in 1959.
Medical students receive a variety of hospital sites where they can gain diverse experiences. Stanford has formal affiliations with Kaiser Permanente, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and the Palo Alto VA. Stanford medical students also manage two free clinics: Arbor Free Clinic in Menlo Park and Pacific Free Clinic in San Jose.
Notable alumni include:
- William Brody - President of the Salk Institute and former President of The Johns Hopkins University
- Amy Chow - Olympic gold medalist
- David A. Wood - President of the American Cancer Society, first director of the UCSF Cancer Research Institute
- William Frist - Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellow; United States Senator, former presidential candidate
- Milt McColl - Former NFL linebacker
- James Mongan - CEO of Partners HealthCare (MGH and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School)
- Scott Parazynski - NASA Astronaut, veteran of 5 Space Shuttle missions
- Belding Scribner - Professor, University of Washington, inventor of the Scribner Shunt
- Irving Weissman - Leading Stem Cell Biologist. Founder of Systemix and Stem Cells Inc.
- Augustus White - Surgeon-in-Chief at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Ray Lyman Wilbur - President of American Medical Association, President of Stanford (1916-1943), personal physician of President Harding