Perelman School of Medicine

Perelman School of Medicine
Name	Perelman School of Medicine
Established	1765
Type	Private
Parent	University of Pennsylvania
Dean	J. Larry Jameson
City	Philadelphia
State	Pennsylvania
Country	United States
Campus	Urban
Affiliations	Penn Medicine

Perelman School of Medicine. It is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university. Founded in 1765, it holds the distinction of being the nation's first medical school and a founding institution of the American Medical Association. The school is a core component of Penn Medicine, the university's health system, which includes the renowned Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

History

The school was established in 1765 through the efforts of John Morgan and William Shippen Jr., who modeled its curriculum after the University of Edinburgh Medical School. It awarded the first American M.D. degree in 1771 to a graduate of the College of Philadelphia. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, it was a leader in medical education, establishing one of the nation's first university-owned teaching hospitals and pioneering the integration of clinical and research training. A landmark $225 million gift from Raymond and Ruth Perelman in 2011 led to the school's renaming in their honor.

Academics

The school offers the M.D. degree, as well as numerous dual-degree programs such as the M.D.-Ph.D. through the Medical Scientist Training Program and combined degrees with the Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Its curriculum emphasizes early clinical exposure, interdisciplinary education, and scholarly research. The school also administers graduate programs in fields like Biomedical Sciences and Public Health and oversees residency and fellowship training across the Penn Medicine network, including at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Research

As a top-tier research institution, it consistently ranks among the highest in National Institutes of Health funding. Its research enterprise is organized into numerous interdisciplinary institutes and centers, such as the Abramson Cancer Center, the Penn Cardiovascular Institute, and the Institute for Immunology. Pioneering work from its faculty includes the development of CAR T-cell therapy by Carl June and foundational research in mRNA vaccine technology, which proved critical for combating COVID-19. The school maintains strong ties with adjacent institutions like the Wistar Institute.

Campus

The medical school is located in the University City section of West Philadelphia, on the main campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Its facilities are integrated with the broader Penn Medicine campus, which includes the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, and the Smilow Center for Translational Research. The campus is also adjacent to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, creating a dense biomedical research corridor.

Notable alumni and faculty

Distinguished alumni include Nobel laureates such as Michael Stuart Brown, Stanley B. Prusiner, and H. Robert Horvitz. Other notable graduates are former U.S. Surgeon General Antonia Novello and pioneering cardiac surgeon John H. Gibbon Jr.. Renowned faculty have included physiologist Eugene M. Landis, psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck (founder of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), and geneticist Beverly S. Emanuel. Current leaders include J. Larry Jameson and vaccine researcher Drew Weissman.

Rankings and accreditation

The school is fully accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. It is consistently ranked among the top medical schools for research by U.S. News & World Report and is highly regarded in specialty rankings for fields like Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Psychiatry. Its affiliated hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, is nationally ranked in numerous adult specialties by the same publication. The school and its programs also hold accreditation from other bodies like the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

Category:University of Pennsylvania Category:Medical schools in Pennsylvania Category:Educational institutions established in 1765