Profile
Established in 1807, the University of Maryland School of Medicine is the fifth oldest-and first public-medical school in the United States. It is also the first to build its own teaching hospital and the first to institute a residency-training program. The School of Medicine is the founding school of the University of Maryland, and today it is an integral part of the 13-campus University System of Maryland. On the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine serves as the foundation for a large academic health center that combines medical education, biomedical research, patient care and community service. While its traditional excellence remains constant, the School of Medicine and its national reputation continue to grow.
The School of Medicine boasts the oldest building in the Western hemisphere in continuous use for medical education, the meticulously restored Davidge Hall, built in 1812. Two major classroom and laboratory buildings, the fourteen-floor Bressler Research Building and the nine-floor Medical School Teaching Facility, were completed in the mid-1970s. The mid-rise Biomedical Research Facility was completed in late 1992. Health Sciences Facility I (HSFI), an interdisciplinary research and teaching facility, was completed in 1995. HSFI provides clinical and basic science departments and animal care facilities with approximately 80,000 additional net square feet. HSFI also provides a much-needed connection from the Medical School Teaching Facility to Howard Hall and the Bressler Research Building. Health Sciences Facility II (HSFII), a 101,000 square foot state-of-the-art biomedical research facility, opened in 2003. This six-story research building houses laboratories, research offices and conference rooms. All but one major medical school research building is physically linked to the University of Maryland Medical Center and the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The University of Maryland campus in Baltimore continues to expand as well. The 137-bed Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center, immediately adjacent and connected by bridge to the University of Maryland Medical Center, joined the campus in 1993. Gudelsky Tower, the high-tech University Hospital patient tower, opened in 1994 and was followed in 1995 by complete restructuring and enhancement of the two-block hospital facade and main lobby. In 2002 the medical center opened the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building. The spacious 380,000 square foot building includes the new surgical facility, with 19 state-of-the-art operating rooms, called the "OR of the Future"; adult and pediatric emergency departments; an expanded diagnostic imaging department; a cafeteria and food court; a chapel; a patient resource center to access health information and community resources; and an employee learning center.
Completed in late 1995, the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute's Medical Biotechnology Center occupies a 196,000 square foot facility. The center focuses on medical biotechnology research and training and serves as a catalyst for economic development in health related aspects of molecular biology and medical biotechnology at the basic, applied and clinical levels. The Health and Human Services Library opened in 1998; it provides cutting-edge service and amenities to its users and also serves as a Regional Medical Library of the National Library of Medicine.