YSM History, Mission, Facts & Figures

Yale School of Medicine is one of the world’s leading centers for biomedical research, advanced clinical care, and medical education.

It ranks seventh among medical schools receiving funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and tenth in NIH dollars per faculty member.

More than 1,700 Yale physicians provide care to patients from across the region and around the world. The Yale System of Medical Education, with its emphasis on critical thinking and independent student research, has produced leaders in every field of academic medicine.

The sixth-oldest medical school in the United States, it was chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College, located first on Grove Street, then at 150 York Street.

Since 1924, it has occupied Sterling Hall of Medicine at 333 Cedar Street and surrounding buildings.

It has awarded 9,492 medical degrees since 1814. There are 5,671 living alumni with MD degrees, 5,603 with MPH degrees, and 1,529 alumni of the Physician Associate Program with the PA-C certificate or MMSc degree, and 139 alumni of the Physician Assistant Online Program.

Download a PDF of 2022-23 Facts & Figures for printing.

• 1701 - Yale College founded
• 1810 - Medical Institution of Yale College chartered
• 1833 - The State Hospital, precursor to New Haven Hospital, opens
• 1839 - MD student thesis requirement formalized
• 1857 - First African American student graduates
• 1915 - Department of Public Health established
• 1916 - First women students admitted
• 1923 - Yale School of Nursing established
• 1924 - Yale School of Medicine relocates to Sterling Hall of Medicine
• 1941 - The Yale Medical Library is dedicated
• 1945 - New Haven Hospital merges with Grace Hospital, becoming Grace-New Haven Community Hospital
• 1965 - Yale School of Medicine and Grace-New Haven Community Hospital revise their affiliation, creating Yale New Haven Hospital
• 1970 - Physician Associate Program founded
• 1974 - Yale Cancer Center established
• 1991 - Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine completed
• 1993 - Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital opens
• 1999 - Revised affiliation agreement with Yale New Haven Health System
  
• 2003 - The Anlyan Center for Medical Research & Education at Yale is completed
• 2007 - Amistad Street Building opens
• 2007 - Yale West Campus acquired
• 2009 - Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven opens
• 2010–11 - Yale School of Medicine celebrates its bicentennial
• 2012 - YNHH acquires the Hospital of Saint Raphael
• 2018 - Physician Assistant online program launches
• 2022 - Establishment of an aligned physician enterprise between Yale Medicine and Northeast Medical Group
  

Yale School of Medicine educates and nurtures creative leaders in medicine and science, promoting curiosity and critical inquiry in an inclusive environment enriched by diversity.

We advance discovery and innovation fostered by partnerships across the university, our local community, and the world.

We care for patients with compassion, and commit to improving the health of all people.

The School of Medicine educates future leaders in medicine, public health, and biomedical science. The MD program follows a unique educational philosophy, the Yale System of Medical Education, established in the 1920s. No course grades or class rankings are given in the first two years, examinations are limited, and students are expected to engage in independent investigation. Since 1839, medical students have written a thesis based on original research, reflecting that the scientific process of investigation, attentive observation, interpretation of data, and critical evaluation of literature are fundamental to the practice of medicine.

Many medical students take a tuition-free fifth year to pursue additional study. Some conduct in-depth research or explore clinical electives and subinternships. A significant number are awarded fifth-year research fellowships and earn the MHS degree.

Each year, approximately 20 students enroll in the school’s MD-PhD Program, one of the original Medical Scientist Training Programs established and funded by the NIH. Graduate students in the Combined Program in the Biomedical and Biological Sciences earn a PhD degree through the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The School of Medicine also offers joint degree programs with other professional schools including Public Health, Law, Management, Engineering, and Divinity.

YSM’s Physician Associate (PA) Program, one of the oldest PA programs in the country, and its Physician Assistant Online Program train students to become compassionate, high-quality, patient-centered PAs. The online program enables students to become PAs without relocating from their home communities.

Research at the medical school covers a broad spectrum, from fundamental studies in the life sciences—including cell biology, genetics, immunobiology, microbial pathogenesis, neuroscience, pharmacology, physiology, biophysics and biochemistry—to translational and clinical studies aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.

The school’s core research resources are built around the newest technologies:

• State-of-the-art tools for genomics and proteomics, including whole-genome sequencing and mass spectrometry
• High-resolution imaging and image analysis at every scale, including cryoelectron microscopy, cryoelectron tomography, and the only focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope in the region
• High-throughput screening, including RNAi and chemical screens
• Construction and analysis of animal models of disease

In 2022, the school advanced its strategic priority in data science by creating a department for Biomedical Informatics and Data Science as a hub for biomedical collaboration. Soon after, in 2023, a new biorepository service was formed to store, retrieve, and share biological samples such as blood, solid tissues, DNA, RNA, and proteins, for current and future research studies.

Clinical investigation at Yale bridges the gap between the basic and translational sciences and the practice of medicine. Research is focused on the factors that affect health and illness in populations, the evaluation of therapeutic interventions, and the assessment of health outcomes based on analysis of large data sets. The School of Medicine sponsors a wide range of clinical trials, with more than 2,063 active trials in 2022, and more than 18,000 “Help Us Discover” unique volunteers enrolled (see yalestudies.org), and 33,159 active subjects. The school offers superb training for clinical investigators in a number of settings, including the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, the National Clinician Scholars Program at Yale (the evolution of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program), the Yale School of Public Health, and the Investigative Medicine Program, along with discipline-specific training initiatives in selected departments.

More than 1,700 Yale physicians provide primary and specialty care for patients through Yale Medicine. The practice delivers advanced care in more than 100 specialties and subspecialties, and has centers of excellence in such fields as cancer, cardiac care, minimally invasive surgery, and organ transplantation.

Yale physicians have made many historical contributions, including the first use of cancer chemotherapy, the first artificial heart pump, and the first insulin infusion pump for diabetes.

In 2022, YSM played a crucial role in the trials for teplizumab, the first FDA-approved drug with the ability to change the course of type 1 diabetes, or any autoimmune disease.

Today Yale Physicians use such groundbreaking advances as DNA sequencing technology to diagnose suspected genetic diseases. Yale Medicine is a major referral center for Connecticut and New England, and treats patients from throughout the world.

Since then, the health system has grown significantly. In 2000, YNHH expanded again with the acquisition of the Psychiatric Hospital. In 2009, the 14-story Smilow Cancer Hospital opened, and in 2012 YNHH acquired the Hospital of Saint Raphael, adding 533 beds and making it one of the largest hospitals in the United States. Over the years, the medical community has expanded to include the institutions listed at left. Today an initiative is underway to further align these institutions to enable even greater discovery and clinical care, improve operational efficiency, and provide additional support and opportunities to physicians and students.

Four miles away in West Haven, the affiliated VA Connecticut Healthcare System maintains active clinical, research, and education programs in conjunction with many medical school departments.

Extensive maps and directions to medical center destinations are available online at medicine.yale.edu/maps.

• Yale School of Medicine
• Yale Medicine
• Yale School of Public Health
• Yale School of Nursing
• Yale New Haven Health, which consists of:
  • Yale New Haven Hospital, including the Saint Raphael Campus
  • Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital
  • Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital
  • Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven
  • Bridgeport Hospital
  • Greenwich Hospital
  • Lawrence + Memorial Hospital
  • Northeast Medical Group
  • Westerly Hospital
• Yale Health
• Connecticut Mental Health Center
• John B. Pierce Laboratory
  

The School of Medicine is located on the main campus of Yale University, one of the world’s great institutions of higher learning. With a residential college system modeled after those of Cambridge and Oxford, the undergraduate school is complemented by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and 12 professional schools, including Architecture, Art, Divinity, Drama, Engineering and Applied Science, Forestry and Environmental Studies, Law, Management, Music, Nursing, and Medicine, which includes the School of Public Health. In 2007, Yale acquired the 136-acre West Campus in West Haven.

Established in 1638, New Haven was the first planned municipality in America, organized geographically in nine squares, including a picturesque town green. Today, New Haven is a vibrant coastal city located on Long Island Sound between New York and Boston. Cultural opportunities abound, from dance, theater, and music to the treasures of Yale’s art and natural history museums.

The School of Medicine is an active partner in fulfilling Yale’s international goals, which include preparing students for international leadership and service, attracting the most talented students and scholars to Yale from around the world, and positioning Yale as a global university of consequence. Faculty members conduct research abroad, teach, and design courses in global health. Their work runs the gamut from molecular studies at the nanoscale to the analysis of social networks in disease transmission and prevention, to the improvement of health care systems

Yale Institute for Global Health is a university-wide effort led by the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health that serves as the focal point for research, education, and engagement with global partners to improve the health of individuals and populations worldwide.

Yale Office of International Affairs offers support to faculty in establishing and maintaining collaborations abroad, drawing on existing relationships on six continents. It maintains an online faculty research database.

Previous versions of Facts & Figures are available to download in PDF form below.