The Perelman School of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania. With nearly 250 years of history, it is the oldest medical school in the United States. Founded in 1765 by Dr. John Morgan, the school helped define the early tenets of American medical education. The school was founded within an institution of higher learning and included both lecture-based courses as well as hospital-centered training. The early students apprenticed at Pennsylvania Hospital, which—like the University—was founded by Benjamin Franklin.
The school’s early faculty included prominent physicians and scientists as well as patriots. Among many others, notable professors in the school’s first century included “founding father” Benjamin Rush in medicine, “father of American surgery” Philip Physick, and famous paleontologist Joseph Leidy in Anatomy.Today, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania remains a major hub of medical research, education, and patient care. It helps form one of the world’s leading academic medical centers and it consistently ranks among the top recipients of research awards from the National Institutes of Health. U.S. News & World Report has ranked the Perelman School of Medicine among the top five American research-oriented medical schools for over 15 years in a row. The Perelman School of Medicine is committed to advancing medical excellence, innovation, quality, and professionalism by supporting current and future leaders in medicine and biomedical research.
