Medical center facts
Overview
History of the medical center
1858 Medical school started in San Francisco as the medical department
of the University of the Pacific
1882 Cooper Medical College established by the faculty of Medical
College of the Pacific
1885 Stanford University founded
1891 Stanford University opened
1908 Cooper Medical College adopted as Stanford University’s
School of Medicine by board of trustees
1919 Stanford Home for Convalescent Children founded
1959 Medical school moved from San Francisco to new quarters, including
classrooms, laboratories, hospital and clinics, on Stanford University
campus; the hospital was co-owned by the City of Palo Alto and known as
the Palo Alto-Stanford Hospital Center
1968 Palo Alto-Stanford Hospital Center purchased by Stanford University
and incorporated as Stanford University Hospital
1970 Children’s facility renamed Children’s Hospital
at Stanford in recognition of its expanded roles in teaching and research
1980 Children’s Hospital at Stanford opened a new wing, consolidating
all pediatric outpatient services of Stanford University Medical Center
1982 Stanford University Hospital embarked on a major modernization
program to upgrade and expand facilities; agreement signed with Children’s
Hospital at Stanford for consolidation of all pediatric services in the
new Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
1983 Outpatient clinics renamed Stanford University Clinic
1985 Stanford University Clinic remodeled and modernized
1987 Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine named in honor of
philanthropists Arnold and Mabel Beckman
1988 Ground broken for the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital
at Stanford
1989 Stanford University Hospital opened new wing, the first major
modernization project since 1959
1989 Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine opened
1991 Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford opened
1992 Richard M. Lucas Center for Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
and Imaging opened
1992 New 780-space parking garage opened at Stanford University
Medical Center
1993 Stanford University Clinic opened new outpatient building
on Blake Wilbur Drive
1993 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences opened new
building on Quarry Road
1994 Creation of Stanford Health Services through the merger of
Stanford University Hospital and Stanford University Clinic
1997 Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford board
of directors transferred control of the facility to Stanford Health Services;
Packard Children’s Hospital remained a separately licensed nonprofit
corporation
1997 Ground broken for the new Center for Clinical Sciences Research
1997 Merger of the University of California-San Francisco Medical
Center and UCSF/Mount Zion Medical Center with Stanford Hospital &
Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital to create UCSF Stanford
Health Care, a private nonprofit organization
1999 Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s
Hospital returned to independent status with the end of the two-year merger
with UCSF
Medical Center
2000 Center for Clinical Sciences Research building opened
2001 Ground broken and construction begun for new Clark Center
(Bio-X) building
2001 Ground broken for new cancer center
2002 Creation of the Stanford Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell Biology
and Medicine, a multidisciplinary effort to develop novel treatments for
cancer and other diseases
2003 The Clark Center (Bio-X) building and the underground parking
garage on Pasteur Drive opened
2004 Opening of the Stanford Cancer Center
2007 Fairchild Auditorium demolished to make room for new learning and knowledge center
2008 Ground broken for Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge
2008 Ground broken for the Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building
2010 Opening of the Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge
2010 Opening of the Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building
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Breakthroughs
Scores of groundbreaking technologies and treatments have their roots
at the medical center. Here are a select group of our accomplishments:
1956 First use in Western hemisphere of linear accelerator to treat
cancer
1960 First kidney transplant in California
1962 First neonatal intensive care unit to allow parent visitation
1964 Demonstration of electrical stimulation of auditory nerve
in deaf patients, paving the way for cochlear implants
1964 First successful clinical application of laser photocoagulation
to treat detached retina
1964 Development of the first sleep apnea monitor for newborn infants
1965 Development of technique for extracting anti-hemophilic globulin,
the blood fraction needed to prevent bleeding in hemophiliacs
1967 First synthesis of biologically active DNA in test tube
1968 First adult human heart transplant in the United States
1968 Discovery that insulin resistance is the principal physiologic
characteristic of mild type-II diabetes and obesity
1971 Discovery of RNA priming of DNA synthesis
1971 First multicenter trial to demonstrate that lowering cholesterol
levels prevents heart disease
1972 First construction of a recombinant DNA molecule containing
DNA from two different species
1972 Discovery of a new class of immune response genes, suggesting
for the first time that people may have predictable susceptibility to
certain diseases
1972 First U.S. trial of community-wide health education for preventing
heart disease
1973 First expression of a foreign gene implanted in bacteria by
recombinant DNA methods
1974 Isolation of genome – genetic blueprint – of a virus
that causes hepatitis B and a common form of liver cancer
1975 Discovery of link between exercise and increased “good”
(HDL) cholesterol levels
1979 Discovery of dynorphin, a brain chemical 200 times more powerful
than morphine
1980 First creation of human hybridoma cell line
1981 First successful human combined heart/lung transplant in the
world (fourth attempted worldwide)
1981 First report of successful use of monoclonal antibodies to
treat cancer
1983 Development with UC-San Diego of the first human monoclonal
antibody for treating septic shock
1984 Isolation of a gene coding for part of the T-cell receptor,
a key to the immune system’s function
1988 Isolation of pure hematopoietic stem cells from mice
1988 Development of an animal model for studying the human immune
system
1989 Discovery of the “homing receptor,” which guides
white blood cells into the peripheral lymph nodes
1990 Discovery of “off-switch” for genetic reproduction
in bacteria
1992 Development of a genetically engineered vaccine to enhance
patients’ immunological response against B-cell lymphoma
1992 Discovered the gene underlying a group of diseases called
the demyelinating peripheral neuropathies in which the protective covering
on nerves breaks down and the nerves are unable to function properly
1993 Discovery of a protein that appears to be a root cause of
type-I diabetes; prevention of the disease in mouse experiments
1993 First clinical trial testing methods for preventing eating
disorders in adolescents
1993 First demonstration that lifestyle changes and drug therapy
decrease heart attack rates and slows progression of atherosclerosis in
coronary arteries
1993 First functional image using time-resolved optics
1994 Development of a technique that enables researchers to toggle
genes on and off in experimental animals
1994 Development of the new diagnostic instrument for rapid bedside
screening of hemolysis in jaundiced newborns
1995 Development of the microarray technology that allows researchers
to see at once which genes of the thousands present in a cell are switched
“on”
1995 First optical imaging of infection in vivo
1996 Discovery that the p53 protein, known to be involved in controlling
cancerous tumors, works as an “emergency brake” on cancer development
1996 Discovery of a mutated gene that causes a childhood form of
inherited epilepsy, followed by the development of a genetic model of
the disease in mice two years later
1996 Discovery that mutations in a single gene are responsible
for the most common form of skin cancer in humans
1997 Completion of a multicenter trial showing that standard chemotherapy
for most children with early-stage non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can be
safely reduced
1997 First optical imaging of gene expression in vivo
1999 Discovery of a genetic mutation that causes narcolepsy, a
disabling sleep disorder affecting humans and animals
1999 First experimental demonstration that limiting children’s
television use prevents excess weight gain
1999 First clinical trial of bupropion, the antidepressant known
as Wellbutrin, and nicotine replacement for smoking cessation in adolescents
2000 Solution of the structure of the RNA polymerase protein, a
pivotal molecule that copies genes from DNA to RNA
2000 Discovery of hereditary arthritis gene
2000 First use of gene expression profiling to distinguish
cancer sub-types
2001 Participation in the successful international effort to complete
the human genome sequencing project
2001 Discovery of molecular mechanisms that account for failure
of regeneration in the central nervous system
2001 Identification of a novel gene family involved in
asthma
2002 First use of RNAi to switch off genes in mice
2002 First use of gene expression profiling to predict
cancer outcomes
2002 Discovery that training exercises can physically
change the way the brain is wired
2003 Discovery that Wnt genes, first discovered as critical
genes in cancer, are also critical regulators of stem cell development
2005 Discovery of obestatin, a hormone that suppresses appetite
2006 Discovery of a protein that may explain why tumors in a low-oxygen environment are so deadly
2007 Application and expansion of optogenetics, a technique to control brain cell activity with light
2007 Identification of a pattern of gene expression shared by transplant patients who are able to stay healthy without anti-rejection drugs
2007 Discovery that stem cells transplanted into the brains of rats and mice navigate toward areas damaged by stroke
2008 Development of a new type of imaging system that can illuminate tumors in living subjects, getting pictures with a precision of nearly one-trillionth of a meter
2008 Discovery of a molecule that kills kidney cancer cells
2008 Development of a test that reduces the risks in testing for chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome
2009 A researcher sequences his own genome for less than $50,000 and with a team of just two others
2009 Discovery of the first human bladder cancer stem cell
2009 Discovery of a "don't-eat-me" signal that allows blood cancer stem cells to migrate safely through the body
2010 Scientists transform mouse skin cells directly into functional nerve cells with the application of just three genes
2010 For the first time, researchers use a healthy person's complete genome sequence to predict his risk for dozens of diseases
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School of Medicine
Faculty/staff statistics
(2010-11)
Full-time facultyBasic sciences 112
Clinical program 713
Total 825
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Research funding
(FY 2011)
Total NIH funding $334,468,844
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Student statistics
Enrollment (2010-11)
MD candidates (all classes) 456
MD/PhD, PhD, MS candidates 569
Postdoctoral scholars 1,450
MD candidates (first year)
Men 3,355 applied; 42 enrolled
Women 2,523 applied; 44 enrolled
Underrepresented minorities 741 applied; 16 enrolled
Total 5,878 applied; 86 enrolled
Tuition per quarter—selected years
1920 $50
1960 $335
1980 $2,446
2000 $9,902
2005 $12,765
2011 $14,732| back to top |
Stanford Hospital & Clinics facts
For information about Stanford Hospital & Clinics, click here.
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Lucile Packard Children's Hospital facts
For information about Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, click here.
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