The University of Utah School of Medicine is located on the upper campus of the
University of Utah
The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, t ...
. It was founded in 1905 and is currently the only MD-granting medical school in the state of
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
.
History
The school began in 1905 when the
Biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...
department offered a two-year medical course.
The founding dean was Dr.
Ralph Vary Chamberlin
Ralph Vary Chamberlin (January 3, 1879October 31, 1967) was an American biologist, ethnographer, and historian from Salt Lake City, Utah. He was a faculty member of the University of Utah for over 25 years, where he helped establish the School ...
. In 1912, the medical program was established as a separate two-year medical school and became a member of both the
Association of American Medical Colleges
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that was established in 1876. It represents medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an i ...
and the
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016.
The AMA's sta ...
.
For the next 30 years, it continued as a two-year program; students were required to complete their final two years of training at other medical schools. The board of regents approved a four-year medical school in 1942.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the University of Utah School of Medicine emerged as a prominent center for bio-medical research, thanks to the work of pioneering physicians and scientists such as
Maxwell Wintrobe
Maxwell Myer Wintrobe (October 27, 1901 – December 9, 1986) was an Austrian-born American physician who was a 20th-century authority in the medical field of hematology. His 1942 textbook on hematology, ''Clinical Hematology'', was the first d ...
,
Louis Goodman,
Homer R. Warner, and
Willem Kolff
Willem Johan "Pim" Kolff (February 14, 1911 – February 11, 2009) was a pioneer of hemodialysis, artificial heart, as well as in the entire field of artificial organs. Willem was a member of the Kolff family, an old Dutch patrician fa ...
. To this day, the school maintains a reputation for strong scientific investigation, especially in fields such as genetics and bio-medical informatics.
Medical education expanded significantly in 1977, when the University of Utah formed a partnership with
Primary Children's Hospital, thus providing the medical school with a dedicated facility for teaching and research in pediatrics. The medical center has expanded even more in recent years, with the creation of the
Huntsman Cancer Institute in 1995 and the expansion of the
Moran Eye Center
The John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah is an ophthalmology clinical care and research facility in the Mountain West. Physicians provide comprehensive care in all ophthalmic subspecialties. Moran supports 15 research laboratories t ...
in 2006. Such developments have provided even greater learning opportunities for medical students, residents, and fellows at the school.
In 2007,
Mario Capecchi
Mario Ramberg Capecchi (born 6 October 1937) is an Italian-born molecular geneticist and a co-awardee of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering a method to create mice in which a specific gene is turned off, known as knock ...
, distinguished professor of human genetics and biology, was awarded the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, accordi ...
for his method of introducing
homologous recombination
Homologous recombination is a type of genetic recombination in which genetic information is exchanged between two similar or identical molecules of double-stranded or single-stranded nucleic acids (usually DNA as in cellular organisms but may ...
in mice by way of
embryonic stem cells.
Departments of the School of Medicine
The School of Medicine is divided into the following departments:
Anesthesiology
Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, ...
,
Biochemistry
Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
,
Biomedical Informatics
Health informatics is the field of science and engineering that aims at developing methods and technologies for the acquisition, processing, and study of patient data, which can come from different sources and modalities, such as electronic hea ...
,
Dermatology
Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medica ...
,
Family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
&
Preventive Medicine
Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, consists of measures taken for the purposes of disease prevention.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental hea ...
,
Human Genetics
Human genetics is the study of inheritance as it occurs in human beings. Human genetics encompasses a variety of overlapping fields including: classical genetics, cytogenetics, molecular genetics, biochemical genetics, genomics, population gene ...
,
Internal Medicine,
Neurobiology
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developme ...
and
Anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having i ...
,
Neurology
Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...
,
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and pe ...
,
Obstetrics & Gynecology,
Oncological Sciences,
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders.
An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a me ...
and Visual Sciences,
Orthopaedics
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeleta ...
,
Pathology
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
,
Pediatrics
Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...
,
Physical Medicine &
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to:
Health
* Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished
* Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...
,
Physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...
,
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry.
Initial p ...
,
Radiation Oncology,
Radiology
Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...
, and
Surgery
Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pa ...
.
Centers and Institutes
*The Brain Institute
*
Huntsman Cancer Institute
*
Moran Eye Center
The John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah is an ophthalmology clinical care and research facility in the Mountain West. Physicians provide comprehensive care in all ophthalmic subspecialties. Moran supports 15 research laboratories t ...
*
Neuropsychiatric Institute
*
Orthopaedic Center
*
Primary Children's Hospital (affiliated)
Notable alumni
*
Monica Bertagnolli - surgical oncologist and professor at
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is cons ...
*
Ted M. Dawson - neurologist and neuroscientist; Director of the Institute for Cell Engineering at
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
*
William DeVries - renowned
cardiothoracic
Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of organs inside the thoracic cavity — generally treatment of conditions of the heart (heart disease), lungs (lung disease), and other pleural or mediastinal struc ...
surgeon, performed the first successful permanent
artificial heart
An artificial heart is a device that replaces the heart. Artificial hearts are typically used to bridge the time to heart transplantation, or to permanently replace the heart in the case that a heart transplant (from a deceased human or, exper ...
implant
*
Brent C. James - internationally known expert in clinical quality improvement, featured on the cover of
New York Times Magazine
''The New York Times Magazine'' is an American Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times''. It features articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors. ...
in November 2009
*
Robert Jarvik
Robert Koffler Jarvik (born May 11, 1946) is an American scientist, researcher and entrepreneur known for his role in developing the Jarvik-7 artificial heart.
Early life
Robert Jarvik was born in Midland, Michigan, to Norman Eugene Jarvik and Ed ...
- medical scientist, inventor of the artificial heart
*
Robert Metcalf - educator and pioneer in arthroscopic surgery and sports medicine
*
Russell M. Nelson
Russell Marion Nelson Sr. (born September 9, 1924) is an American religious leader and retired surgeon who is the 17th and current president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Nelson was a member of the LDS Church ...
- renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, prominent leader in
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
(LDS Church)
*
Dale G. Renlund -
cardiologist
Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular ...
and member of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to '' Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...
of the LDS Church
*J. Charles Rich Jr. - neurosurgeon, former president of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons
*
Cecil O. Samuelson -
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
and administrator, former president of
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...
Notable faculty
*
Balamurali Ambati - ophthalmology educator and researcher, became the world's youngest doctor at age 17
*
Carrie L. Byington - pediatric infectious disease specialist and healthcare administrator
*
Mario Capecchi
Mario Ramberg Capecchi (born 6 October 1937) is an Italian-born molecular geneticist and a co-awardee of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering a method to create mice in which a specific gene is turned off, known as knock ...
- molecular geneticist, winner of 2007
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, accordi ...
*
Dana Carroll - distinguished professor of biochemistry specializing in genome engineering
*
Ralph Vary Chamberlin
Ralph Vary Chamberlin (January 3, 1879October 31, 1967) was an American biologist, ethnographer, and historian from Salt Lake City, Utah. He was a faculty member of the University of Utah for over 25 years, where he helped establish the School ...
- biologist, historian, and pioneering ethnographer; served as first dean of the medical school from 1905 to 1907
*
Louis S. Goodman - chemotherapy pioneer, co-author of ''
Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics
''Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics'', commonly referred to as the Blue Bible or Goodman & Gilman, is a textbook of pharmacology originally authored by Louis S. Goodman and Alfred Gilman. First published in 1941, the ...
''
*Edward I. Hashimoto - popular professor of human anatomy from 1935 to 1987; longest-tenured professor in the history of the University of Utah (52 years)
*
Susan Horn - statistician and researcher in biomedical informatics
*
Janet Iwasa -
data visualization
Data and information visualization (data viz or info viz) is an interdisciplinary field that deals with the graphic representation of data and information. It is a particularly efficient way of communicating when the data or information is nu ...
designer for
molecular processes
*
Willem Johan Kolff
Willem Johan "Pim" Kolff (February 14, 1911 – February 11, 2009) was a pioneer of hemodialysis, artificial heart, as well as in the entire field of artificial organs. Willem was a member of the Kolff family, an old Dutch patrician fa ...
- physician and scientist, prominent researcher in
hemodialysis and artificial organs
*
Vivian Lee - radiologist and administrator; served as Senior Vice President for health sciences, CEO of University Healthcare, and dean of the medical school at Utah
*
John M. Opitz - medical geneticist who has identified and described many different genetic syndromes
*
Anne G. Osborn - author, educator, and physician; well-known nationally as a leader in the field of
neuro-radiology
*
Chase N. Peterson - administrator, educator, and expert in endocrinology and renal disease; president of the University of Utah from 1983 to 1991
*
Mark Skolnick - founder of
Myriad Genetics
Myriad Genetics, Inc. is an American genetic testing and precision medicine company based in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Myriad employs a number of proprietary technologies that permit doctors and patients to understand the genetic ba ...
*
Geoffrey Tabin - professor of ophthalmology; also a noted adventurer and humanitarian; co-founder of the
Himalayan Cataract Project
The Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP) was created in 1994 by Dr. Geoffrey Tabin and Dr. Sanduk Ruit with a goal of establishing a sustainable eye care infrastructure in the Himalaya. HCP empowers local doctors to provide ophthalmic care through s ...
*
Homer R. Warner - pioneer in the field of
biomedical informatics
Health informatics is the field of science and engineering that aims at developing methods and technologies for the acquisition, processing, and study of patient data, which can come from different sources and modalities, such as electronic hea ...
*
Maxwell Wintrobe
Maxwell Myer Wintrobe (October 27, 1901 – December 9, 1986) was an Austrian-born American physician who was a 20th-century authority in the medical field of hematology. His 1942 textbook on hematology, ''Clinical Hematology'', was the first d ...
- physician and researcher, prominent expert in the field of
hematology
Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the produc ...
Notable achievements
*The field of biomedical informatics was developed at the University of Utah. The Department of Biomedical Informatics was created in 1964 - the first in the nation - and today remains one of the most renowned programs of its kind in the world.
*In 1970, the university's
hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emergen ...
established the first cerebrovascular disease unit in the U.S. west of the Mississippi River.
*On December 1, 1982, the first artificial heart implant was performed at the University of Utah (by Dr. DeVries, mentioned above). The patient, retired dentist Barney Clark, had suffered from congestive heart failure. He survived for 112 days after the procedure. The implanted
device was designed by Robert Jarvik (also mentioned above), who was a medical student at the U of U at the time.
*Utah is known throughout the world as a leader in the study of human genetics. The school has been involved in some of the most valuable research in field, such as the sequencing of the
tumor suppressor
A tumor suppressor gene (TSG), or anti-oncogene, is a gene that regulates a cell during cell division and replication. If the cell grows uncontrollably, it will result in cancer. When a tumor suppressor gene is mutated, it results in a loss or re ...
genes
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
responsible for breast cancer in the 1990s.
*WebPath, the world's most popular pathology education website, was created in 1994 by Edward C. Klatt, a professor in the Department of Pathology at the time.
*
Advanced Wilderness Life Support (AWLS) is a certification course created at the University of Utah in 1997. AWLS is the gold standard program - both nationally and internationally - for teaching management of medical emergencies in wilderness situations.
*The
John A. Moran Eye Center annually ranks among national leaders in research grants from the
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the lat ...
.
John A. Moran Eye Center ~ Research
Retrieved June 17, 2018.
*From 2000 to 2010, the residency training program in diagnostic radiology
Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiat ...
has been ranked #1 in the world by the American Board of Radiology.
References
External links
School of Medicine Homepage
University of Utah Healthcare Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:University Of Utah School Of Medicine
Educational institutions established in 1905
Education in Salt Lake City
Medical schools in Utah
University of Utah
1905 establishments in Utah