University of Virginia School of Medicine

Public medical school in Charlottesville, Virginia, US

The University of Virginia School of Medicine (UVA SoM) is the graduate medical school of the University of Virginia. The school's facilities are on the University of Virginia grounds adjacent to Academical Village in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, UVA SoM is the tenth oldest medical school in the United States. The School of Medicine confers Doctor of Medicine (M. D.) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees, and is closely associated with both the University of Virginia Health System and Inova Health System.

The UVA Health System's history can be traced to the original conception of the University of Virginia on August 1, 1818, whereupon Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and twenty one other men first compiled a report for the Virginia State Legislature to determine a site, building plans, and courses for study for the University of Virginia. Acknowledging that clinical lectures and medical training were not available in Charlottesville at that time, Jefferson and his colleagues determined that the university should offer education in "the elements of medical science with a history and explanation of all its successive theories from Hippocrates to the present day," as a way to train both prospective physicians, as well as those students with a more dilettante interest in medicine. At the first meeting of the university's Board of Visitors in 1819, a School of Medicine was authorized. The School of Medicine – the 10th medical school in the U. S. – officially opened in March 1825 with a single professor, Dr. Robley Dunglison. Dunglison had been actively recruited by Thomas Jefferson, and had traveled from London to take up his new position. Just weeks before Dunglison and his wife arrived in the United States, Jefferson had written to Joseph C. Cabell that an anatomical theater would be "indispensable to the school of anatomy," and that "there cannot be a single dissection until a proper theater is prepared giving an advantageous view of the operation to those within, and effectually excluding observation from without."

The School of Medicine is affiliated with the University of Virginia Health System. The UVA Hospital is a large tertiary care hospital with more than 500 beds, not including a 45 bed neonatal intensive care unit and 20 bed nursery. The Children's Hospital is served by the Newborn Emergency Transport System (NETS), which transports critically ill newborns and pediatrics from all over the surrounding area and states back to UVA. The hospital is a Level I trauma center and is accessible by ambulance as well as Pegasus, UVA Health System's air and ground transport service for critically ill and injured patients. As an academic medical center, patients at UVA are treated by physicians who are also faculty members at the UVA School of Medicine. The Claude Moore Health Sciences Library serves the School of Medicine and the Health System and is located within the Medical Center. From years 2016–2019, UVA Hospital was named the number 1 hospital in Virginia.

UVA utilizes a unique "Next Generation" integrated curriculum that allows medical students to spend more time in the clinic by condensing the first 2 years of classes into 1.5 years. Students then take Step 1 before entering the clinic in the spring of their second year. UVA features accredited programs (via the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) of resident and fellowship education in general, specialty, and subspecialty fields.

UVA has many highly regarded departments with over 300 labs; laboratories are mainly housed in Medical Center in Pinn Hall, MR 4, MR 5, MR 6, and the West Complex (Hospital West). In 1889, philanthropist Oliver Hazard Payne bequeathed a $100,000 grant to the medical school, to help establish laboratories of experimental medicine. Founded in 1967, the Department of Perceptual Studies is unusual in that it is one of the few academic research groups in the field of "supernatural phenomena" with board certified physicians and scientists at a respected university.

1928 – 1952 – Sidney William Britton, Ph. D., professor of physiology and Herbert Silvette, Ph. D., professor of pharmacology, demonstrated that the adrenal cortex contained a hormone, not epinephrine, which influenced carbohydrate storage and metabolism. 1935 – 1967 – Alfred Chanutin, Ph. D., professor and chair of biochemistry, discovered the role of red blood cell 2,3 diphosphoglycerate (2,3 DPG) in oxygen transfer from hemoglobin. This finding had enormous impact on the preservation of blood for transfusion therapy. 1939 – Dupont Guerry III, M. D. intern, and William Wirt Waddell Jr., a pediatrician, discovered the role of vitamin K in the etiology, treatment, and prevention of hypoprothrombinemia and hemorrhagic disease of the newborn. 1966 – 1988 – Robert M. Berne, M. D., professor and chair of physiology, pioneered adenosine in cardiovascular function and introduced adenosine as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of supraventricular tachycardia. 1971 – 1981 – Alfred G. Gilman, M. D., Ph. D., professor of pharmacology discovered G proteins, cellular mediators of hormone action, for which he received the 1989 Albert Lasker Award and the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. 1970 – 1983 – Ferid Murad, M. D., PhD, professor of medicine, discovered that endothelium derived relaxing factor is nitric oxide, which acts as a vasodilator by stimulating guanylyl cyclase. Murad received the Albert Lasker Award in 1996 and the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology in 1998 for this discovery. 1976 – Michael O. Thorner, M. B. B. S., D. Sc., professor of medicine, discovered a new hypothalamic hormone, growth hormone releasing hormone. Thorner received the 1995 NIH General Clinical Research Centers Award for his work in clinical neuroendocrinology. 1995 – Barry Marshall, M. B. B. S., Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, received the Albert Lasker Award Medicine for his discovery that the bacterium Helicobacter pylori is the cause of peptic ulcer disease and also is associated with gastric carcinoma.

The faculty of the School of Medicine are recognized nationally and internationally. The faculty includes 15 elected members of the Institute of Medicine and National Academy of Sciences; three members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; 12 members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; five recipients of the Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award; four recipients of the Virginia Outstanding Scientist Award; and two recipients of the Virginia Life Achievement Award in Science. Name Notable for Charles David Allis, PhD Winner of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for his work in epigenetics and chromatin biology. Paul Brandon Barringer, M. D. Sixth president of Virginia Tech. Returned to UVA as a Professor of Therapeutics and Pharmacology, and Chair of Physiology. Barringer was president of the University from 1895 to 1903. A residence hall at Virginia Tech and a wing of the University of Virginia West Hospital are named after him. His Barringer Mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places. Robert M. Berne, M. D. Professor and chair of physiology, pioneered adenosine in cardiovascular function and introduced adenosine as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of supraventricular tachycardia. Berne was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1988, and was president of the American Physiological Society. James Lawrence Cabell Professor of anatomy and surgery. Published "The Testimony of Modern Science to the Unity of Mankind" in 1859, advancing the idea of evolution one year before publication of Darwin's "Origin of Species." Cabell founded the National Board of Health which in 1880 became the U. S. Public Health Service. Cabell was a full professor at the School of Medicine for 52 years (1842–1889) and was an early pioneer of the sanitary preparation of the surgical patient following Lister's principles. Steven T. DeKosky, M. D. Known for his research in neurology and Alzheimer's Disease. In the 2015 movie Concussion he is played by Eddie Marsan. Fritz E. Dreifuss Professor of Neurology. Was instrumental in the classification of epileptic seizures and epilepsy syndromes. Was one of the leaders in promotion of Child Neurology as a specific subspecialty. Was president of the American Epilepsy Society. Robley Dunglison, M. D. Personal physician to Thomas Jefferson and considered the "Father of American Physiology." Richard F. Edlich, M. D., PhD Recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award for Contributions to Emergency Medicine by the US Public Health Service, and inventor of several minor surgical tools. Alfred G. Gilman, M. D., PhD Professor of pharmacology. He discovered G proteins, cellular mediators of hormone action, for which he received the 1989 Albert Lasker Award and the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Theodore Hough, PhD Physician who first described delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in 1902. Thomas H. Hunter, M. D. Hunter established international outreach programs in medical education. He also demonstrated synergism between penicillin and streptomycin in the treatment of subacute bacterial endocarditis and, together with Joseph Fletcher, developed the discipline of clinical ethics. Janine Jagger, PhD Epidemiologist and director of the International Health Care Worker Safety Center, awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2002 for her groundbreaking research on how to protect health care workers from the transmission of blood borne diseases John A. Jane, M. D Neurosurgeon and Cushing Medalist, operated on actor Christopher Reeve after a horse riding accident resulted in cervical vertebral fracture and spinal cord injury. Harvey E. Jordan, PhD, D. Sc. A distinguished histologist and embryologist, Jordan was the first to suggest that intercalated discs are contraction bands of cardiac muscle and that vascular smooth muscle does not differentiate into striated muscle. A research building on campus bears his name. Eugene M. Landis, M. D Performed the first direct measurements of capillary pressure and permeability, was professor and head of the Department of Internal Medicine. Editor in Chief of Circulation Research. The Microcirculatory Society awards the Eugene M. Landis Award for. Edward W. Hook Jr., M. D. Professor and chair of the Department of Medicine, received the Thomas Jefferson Award of the university in 1996. Hook performed pioneering research in infectious disease and initiated the Humanities in Medicine Program. He was president of the American College of Physicians and the American Clinical and Climatological Association. Jonathan Kipnis, PhD Chair of the department of neuroscience, and discoverer of meningeal lymphatic vessels. Thomas P. Loughran Jr., M. D. Discoverer and international expert in large granular lymphocytic leukemia. Barry Marshall, M. B. B. S. Recipient of the 1995 Lasker Award and the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his "discovery of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease." James Q. Miller, M. D. Neurologist and eponymous Miller–Dieker syndrome. UVA named the James Q. Miller Multiple Sclerosis Clinic for him. William H. Muller Jr., M. D. Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery. He pioneered the surgical treatment of pulmonary hypertension and invented one of the first artificial aortic valves. Muller was president of the American College of Surgeons and received the Thomas Jefferson Award of the university in 1982. Ferid Murad, M. D., PhD Professor of medicine, discovered that endothelium derived relaxing factor is nitric oxide, which acts as a vasodilator by stimulating guanylyl cyclase. Murad received the Albert Lasker Award in 1996 and the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this discovery. William A. Petri, M. D., PhD Infectious disease physician scientist notable for developing the first FDA approved human assay and vaccine for Entamoeba histolytica. He leads the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's PROVIDE study in Bangladesh and India exploring new solutions for the problem of oral poliovirus and rotavirus vaccine failures in the developing world. Thomas Platts Mills, M. D., PhD Allergist and Fellow of the Royal Society. John Lawrence Smith, PhD Professor of chemistry and material medica, invented the inverted microscope in 1850. He was president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1872) and of the American Chemical Society (1877). The J. Lawrence Smith Medal is named for him. Homer William Smith, M. D. Commonly acknowledged as the founder of modern renal physiology, joined the faculty of physiology in 1925. Smith developed the concepts of clearance methodology for measurement of renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate. Ian Stevenson, M. D. Controversial expert on the academic study of reincarnation and the remembrance of past lives. Michael O. Thorner, M. B. B. S., D. Sc. Professor of medicine, discovered a new hypothalamic hormone, growth hormone releasing hormone in 1976. Thorner received the 1995 NIH General Clinical Research Centers Award for his work in clinical neuroendocrinology. Jim B. Tucker, M. D. Noted researcher in paranormal activities Robert R. Wagner, M. D. Early virologist, studied interferons.

Name Graduated Notable for John F. Anderson 1895 Third Director of the National Institutes of Health. Gerald D. Aurbach 1954 Aurbach isolated and purified parathyroid hormone, determined that parathyroid hormone acts through cyclic AMP, and demonstrated that pseudohypoparathyroidism is a disorder of the parathyroid hormone receptor complex. Aurbach was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the chief of the Metabolic Diseases Branch of the National Institutes of Health until his death in 1991. Paul Brandon Barringer 1877 Sixth president of Virginia Tech. Returned to UVA as a Professor of Therapeutics and Pharmacology, and Chair of Physiology. Barringer was president of the University from 1895 to 1903. A residence hall at Virginia Tech and a wing of the University of Virginia West Hospital are named after him. His Barringer Mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places. John Britton 1949 Physician murdered by anti abortion extremists, after the murder of his predecessor by anti abortion extremists. Toby Cosgrove 1966 Bronze star Veteran of the Vietnam War, Cardiovascular surgeon, and former CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic Hugh S. Cumming 1893 5th Surgeon General of the United States in 1922–1936, and vice president of the Health Section of the League of Nations. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and an honorary fellow of the American College of Surgeons. David M. Eddy 1968 Mathematician and healthcare analyst who has done seminal work in mathematical modeling of diseases, clinical practice guidelines, and evidence based medicine. Mike Fisher 2003 Two time Hermann Trophy winner and former UVA Soccer midfielder. Fisher was chosen second overall in the 1997 MLS College Draft, but instead decided to enroll in the School of Medicine. Wade Hampton Frost 1903 Frost established epidemiology as a science. He introduced the cohort theory of tuberculosis and was the founding dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Pam Galloway 1980 Former member of the Wisconsin Senate. Robert C. Green 1982 Neurologist and geneticist. Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. board member of the Council for Responsible Genetics, co chair of the Steering Committee of the NIH Consortium on Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research and the Steering Committee of the NIH Consortium in Newborn Sequencing in Genomic Medicine and Public Health, member of the Consortium on Electronic Medical Records and Genomics. Kevin Guskiewicz 1995 MacArthur Fellow; awarded a Genius Grant for the study of sports medicine. Sherita Hill Golden 1994 Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Johns Hopkins Medicine; Endocrinologist specializing in Diabetes J. Hartwell Harrison 1932 Harrison carried out the first human organ transplant from a living donor in 1954. He won several awards for his role in kidney transplantation surgery. Kenneth Heilman 1963 A leader in the field of Behavioral neurology who founded a dedicated fellowship at the University of Florida responsible for training physicians, psychologists, and others. Gavin P. Jones 2018 scion of The Perry Family; great grandson of philanthropist and former Gulf Oil executive Willard F. Jones Charles Taylor Pepper 1855 The original inspiration for the Dr Pepper brand, according to the Dr Pepper/Seven Up company. Vivian Pinn 1967 Past president of the National Medical Association, the nation's oldest and organization representing African American physicians and health professionals in the United States. Michael Potter 1949 Awarded the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research in 1984 for "his fundamental research in the genetics of immunoglobulin molecules and for paving the way for the development of hybridomas and monoclonal antibodies". Horace Smithy 1938 American cardiac surgeon who performed the first successful mitral valve repair in 1948 Travis Lane Stork 2003 American emergency physician and television personality, best known for appearing on The Bachelor, and as the host of the syndicated daytime talk show, The Doctors. Robert L. Sufit 1976 A neurologist who specializes in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Walter Reed 1869 The youngest student to graduate (age 18) at UVA, he was credited with the discovery of the mosquito as a vector in transmission of Yellow fever. W. Rice Warren 1916 The head football coach first at the University of South Carolina and then at the University of Virginia in intermittent years during the 1920s. James W. Watts 1928 Neurosurgeon and prominent proponent of the Frontal lobotomy, he operated on Rosemary Kennedy. Hugh H. Young 1894 Young graduated with a BS, MA, and MD in just 4 years. Five years later after graduating, Young was made head of the Department of Urological Surgery at Johns Hopkins. His operation for excision of the prostate stands as one of the milestones of modern surgery and urology

Name Tenure Melina Kibbe MD 2021–presentDavid S. Wilkes MD 2015–2021 Randolph J. Canterbury, MD* 2014–2015 Nancy E. Dunlap, MD, PhD, M. B. A. 2013–2014 Steven T. DeKosky, MD 2008–2013 Sharon L. Hostler, MD* 2007–2008 Arthur Garson Jr., MD 2002–2007Robert Munson Carey, MD 1986–2002Norman John Knorr, MD 1977–1986 William Richard Drucker, MD 1972–1977 Kenneth Raymond Crispell, MD 1964–1971 Thomas Harrison Hunter, MD 1953–1964 Vernon William Lippard, MD 1949–1952 Harvey Ernest Jordan, PhD 1939–1949 James Carroll Flippin, MD 1924–1938 Theodore Hough, PhD 1916–1924 Richard Henry Whitehead, MD 1905–1916
indicates interim Dean.

The University of Virginia School of Medicine is one of only 43 NIH funded MD/PhD programs in the country. The program director is Dr. Dean H. Kedes.

According to the handbook provided to all entering students: text=The University of Virginia undertook significant expansion of research and training programs in the basic biomedical sciences during the late 1960s and early 1970s. All chairmen of the basic science departments of the School of Medicine were newly appointed during this time, a major new research building was constructed, and individual departments grew several fold in size and quality. Similar but less dramatic growth followed in the clinical departments. Interest in the training of medical scientists flourished rapidly in this environment, in part because many of the new faculty either had experience with MSTPs or were recent graduates of such programs. Accordingly, an MSTP committee was appointed in 1971 under the leadership of Dr. Robert C. Haynes Jr., and funds were provided by the University to initiate such training. An application for training funds was submitted to the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) in 1972, just prior to the time when the appropriation for such training programs was withdrawn. The application was resubmitted in 1975, and NIH support was first received in 1977 under the future Nobel Laureate, Dr. Alfred G. Gilman. |title=History |source=MSTP Handbook, University of Virginia As such the program claims two founding dates: 1971 when the MSTP committee was first formed and 1977 when the first students matriculated.

Name Tenure Robert C. Haynes Jr. 1971–1978 Alfred G. Gilman, MD, PhD 1978–1981 Thomas E. Thompson, PhD 1981–1984 Rodney L. Biltonen, PhD 1984–1993 Steven Gonias, MD, PhD 1993–1998 Gary K. Owens, PhD 1998–2014 Dean H. Kedes, MD, PhD 2014–present