New York University School of Medicine - History

History

New York University College of Medicine was established in 1841. The medical school merged with Bellevue Medical College in 1898 to form the University and Bellevue Hospital Medical College. The present name was adopted in 1960.

The NYU School of Medicine is home to many key advancements in medical education. In 1854, human dissection in New York was legalized due to efforts of the faculty. In 1884, the Carnegie Laboratory, the first facility in the U.S. devoted to teaching and research in bacteriology and pathology, was established at NYU. In 1932, the first department of forensic medicine in the U.S. was established at NYU. In 1941, NYU opened the first department of physical medicine and rehabilitation in the U.S. The Institute and Department of Environmental Medicine were established in 1964. In 1980, NYU professor Saul Krugman, M.D., developed the first vaccine against hepatitis B.

In 1866, NYU professors produced a report for the Council of Hygiene and Public Health which led to establishment of New York City's Health Department. The same year, NYU opened the first outpatient clinic in the United States. In 1872, NYU Professor Steven Smith founded the American Public Health Association. In 1899, NYU graduate Walter Reed discovered the mosquito transmission of yellow fever. The 1993 construction of the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine is the largest building project in history of NYU.

During World War II, NYU College of Medicine was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.