University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine

Infobox_University
name = David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
motto = "Fiat lux"
Let there be light


established =1951
type =Public
endowment =
staff =
faculty =
dean =Gerald S. Levey
undergrad =
postgrad =
doctoral =
city =Los Angeles
state =California
country =
campus =Urban
mascot =Bruins
nickname =
affiliations =
website = [http://dgsom.healthsciences.ucla.edu/ dgsom.healthsciences.ucla.edu]

UCLA School of Medicine or David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is an accredited medical school (MD) located in Los Angeles, California, United States. The school was named in honor of media mogul David Geffen who donated $200 million in unrestricted funds to the school in 2001. The School of Medicine is widely regarded as one of the best medical schools and biomedical research institutes in the world.

History

Initial Founding

UC Board of Regents voted to establish a medical school affiliated with UCLA in 1945. In 1947, Stafford L. Warren was appointed as the first dean. Dr. Warren had served on the Manhattan Project while on leave from his post at University of Rochester School of Medicine. As the founding dean of medical school, he proved to be a capable administrator and fundraiser. His choice of core faculty consisted of his former associates at Rochester in Andrew Dowdy as the first professor of radiology, John Lawrence as the first professor of medicine, and Charles Carpenter as the first professor of infectious diseases. Along with William Longmire Jr., a promising 34-year-old surgeon from Johns Hopkins, the group was called the Founding Five.

Building of the medical center and the School of Medicine began in 1949.The 1951 charter class consisted of 26 men and 2 women. Initially there were 15 faculty members, although that number had increased to 43 by 1955 when the charter class graduated. The first classes were conducted in the reception lounge of the old Religious Conference Building on Le Conte Avenue.

In July 1955, the UCLA Medical Center was opened.

Mellinkoff Administration

Sherman Mellinkoff succeeded Stafford Warren as dean in 1962 and served for the next 24 years. Under Dr. Mellinkoff, the school experienced unprecedented growth. The Neuropsychiatric Institute, the Brain Research Institute, and the Marion Davies Children's Center were founded. The Jules Stein Eye Institute and the Reed Neurological Research Center were established as well. By decade's end UCLA had doubled the size of the medical school and the hospital. School of Dentistry and School of Public Health as well as School of Nursing were formed as well. The medical school grew to nearly 400 medical students, more than 700 interns and residents, and almost 200 Masters and doctorate candidates.

A partnership was formed with the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in 1966 to train medical students with the goal of meeting the needs of the underserved in South Los Angeles.

The school continued its growth in 1970s, becoming affiliated with VA facilities as well as Olive-View Medical Center. In 1974, school co-founded Biomedical Sciences Program with UC Riverside that offers 24 students each year the opportunity to earn both the B.S. and M.D. degrees in seven years instead of the traditional eight.

1981 saw the dedication of the Doris and Louis Factor Health Sciences Building which houses the School of Nursing and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. In 1987, construction began on UCLA Medical Plaza, an outpatient facility located across the street from the main hospital.

Post-Mellinkoff Era

Kenneth I. Shine succeeded Sherman Mellinkoff as dean in 1986. In 1992 Dr. Shine left UCLA to become President of the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C. Gerald S. Levey was then appointed provost of medical sciences and dean of the medical school in 1994. Dr. Levey oversaw expansion of interdisciplinary research and the establishment of a Department of Human Genetics. Under his leadership the Gonda (Goldschmied) Neuroscience and Genetics Research Center was constructed. In October 2008, Dr. Levey announced that he would be stepping down from the position of Dean in 2009.

Replacement Hospital

UCLA is currently building a new [http://www.ucmt.org/westwood/html/about/index.shtml UCLA Westwood Replacement Hospital] across the street from the current one to comply with the California earthquake law.

The new 1,050,000 square foot hospital is named after the late President of the United States and Governor of California, Ronald Reagan. It was designed by renowned Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei. Patients will be transferred there from the existing hospital in June 2008.

US News and World Report

"U.S. News and World Report" ranks David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA at No. 9 in the U.S. in research and ranks the UCLA Medical Center at no. 3. [ . [http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/med/brief/mdrrank_brief.php USNews.com: America's Best Graduate Schools 2008: Top Medical Schools - Research ] ] The Geffen School of Medicine has an acceptance rate of only 4.5%.

Notable Alumni

Diane J. Nugent (1977) is the medical director of Hematology and Blood & Donor Services and Chief of the PSF Division of Hematology at Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC).

Quynh Pham (1992) is the program director of physical medicine and rehabilitation program and pain medicine program at UCLA/VA Greater Los Angeles Multicampus PM&R Residency Program.

Lauren Pinter-Brown (1980) is the Director of the Lymphoma Program in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine.

Notable faculty

* Michael Gottlieb was one of the first physicians to report a case of AIDS.
* F. Michael Ferrante is a pain medicine specialist.
* Gerald Finerman is the chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
* David Fish is a physiatrist and an editor of a popular PM&R handbook, "PM&R Pocketpedia."
* Louis Ignarro is a Nobel Laureate.
* Lauren Pinter-Brown is the Director of the Lymphoma Program in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine.
* William G. Plested is a cardiothoracic surgeon and past president of the American Medical Association.
* Carl Stevens is the head of Emergency Department at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
* Joshua Prager is the president of North American Neuromodulation Society.
* Arnold B. Scheibel is a professor of Neurobiology and Psychiatry and former Director of the Brain Research Institute (BRI) at UCLA.
* Jeffrey Wang is a world-renowned orthopaedic spine surgeon.
* Patrick Dowling MD, MPH is the Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the UCLA IMG Program (for International medical graduate) and received the [http://nhsc.bhpr.hrsa.gov/ambassadors/profile_dowling.asp title of NHSC Ambassador] by the National Health Service Corps.
* Michelle Bholat MD, MPH Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Co-Founder and Director of the UCLA IMG Program (for International medical graduate) and received the Rising Star Award 2008 by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Chair of the Public Health Commission from Los Angeles County Department of Public Health from 2007 to present.

Links

* [http://dgsom.healthsciences.ucla.edu/ David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA website]

References