History Geisel School of Medicine

1 history

1.1 foundation , years
1.2 expansion , difficulties
1.3 refounding present

history

nathan smith, founder of dartmouth medical school.


foundation , years

dartmouth s medical school founded in 1797 fourth medical school in united states, following university of pennsylvania school of medicine (founded 1765), medical school of king s college (now columbia university) (1767), , harvard medical school (1782). founder nathan smith, harvard university , university of edinburgh medical school educated physician cornish, new hampshire. noting dearth of medical professionals in rural connecticut river upper valley area, smith petitioned board of trustees of dartmouth college in august 1796 fund establishment of medical school train more physicians region. though dartmouth college whole financially strapped, board approved request, , smith began lecturing on november 22, 1797.

for of life, school consisted of nathan smith , small class of students, operating in borrowed space @ dartmouth college. students of smith educated apprentices, , received bachelor of medicine degree upon graduation. dartmouth college whole, medical school had continual funding shortages. time passed, however, popularity of both medical instruction , basic sciences taught @ school drew undergraduates , training physicians alike. soliciting funds state of new hampshire, smith able obtain medical equipment and, 1811, dedicated physical plant school.

smith acted sole administrator , instructor of medical school until 1810, when second faculty member hired. smith revamped curriculum, allowing school begin offering doctor of medicine (m.d.) degree in 1812. smith left dartmouth in 1816, founding 3 additional schools of medicine @ yale university, bowdoin college, , university of vermont.

expansion , difficulties

smith s departure provided period of expansion, both among faculty , student body. former students of nathan smith s replaced him on faculty, drawing medical professionals in northeast such oliver wendell holmes, sr. join them. first hospital @ school founded dms alumnus dixi crosby in 1838, used integrate academic instruction hands-on patient care. in 1870, carlton pennington frost, dms 57, replaced crosby dean of school. under frost, curriculum sustained revamping, time four-year program included clinical , academic training. frost presided on establishment of mary hitchcock memorial hospital in 1893, built replace crosby s defunct hospital.

the dartmouth medical school campus, 1915 or earlier.

in 1908, carnegie foundation advancement of teaching conducted survey of medical education institutions in united states. @ time, discipline emphasized bedside teaching , providing students experience broad variety of illnesses , patients. school s rural location deemed remote proper clinical training, , school advised stop offering doctor of medicine degree , provide pre-clinical instruction. class of 1914 last (until 1974) receive doctor of medicine degree; subsequent classes of students attended dms 2 years before transferring other medical schools. drop of clinical instruction worsened school s problems driving away talented faculty members.

after world war ii, tide of medical discipline had shifted towards research. although school regarded preparing students clinical education @ other institutions, faculty criticized apparent disinterest in research. school criticized using dartmouth college s undergraduate program feeder school. based on these criticisms, dms placed on confidential probation in 1956 association of american medical colleges , council on medical education.

from refounding present

mary hitchcock memorial hospital (right), circa 1915.

at time of probation, dartmouth college had anticipated medical school s plight, amassing capital fund revitalization of school. in 1956, trustees of college formally agreed refounding of school s academic offerings, physical facilities, , faculty. s. marsh tenney, dms class of 1944, appointed carry out task. tenney more doubled size of faculty , student body, added several new departments, , oversaw construction of 5 new campus buildings 1964.

in 1960s, due national shortage of physicians , government incentives schools increased class sizes, dartmouth medical school graduates began experience difficulty in trying transfer other medical school complete final 2 years of medical school other medical schools had increased class size , not accommodate transfer students. in meantime, mary hitchcock memorial hospital had grown 400-bed medical center, , dartmouth medical school had established partnership 224-bed veterans administration hospital in white river junction, vermont. doctor of medicine program, possible expanded local medical centers, reinstated vote of trustees in 1968. admission of m.d. candidates resumed in 1970. initially, medical school curriculum 3 years in length, unlike medical schools, later increased usual 4 years in 1979.

a cooperative program brown medical school began in 1981 students received training @ both medical schools. fifteen twenty students selected program, combined first 2 years of basic science coursework @ dartmouth final 2 years of clinical coursework @ brown. program balanced dartmouth s greater basic science facilities brown, fewer clinical facilities available @ urban setting of brown, located in providence, rhode island. graduates of program received m.d. degrees brown. program discontinued in 2010.

in 1991, dartmouth-hitchcock medical center established on 225-acre (0.91 km) campus in lebanon, new hampshire. three-year project, completed @ cost of $228 million, served replacement mary hitchcock memorial hospital, partially demolished in 1990s. new curriculum introduced in 1996 entitled new directions. curriculum, still in place today, seeks promote small classes, reduce amount of lectures, , offer students extensive interactive experience patients. 2009 saw successful completion of $250 million capital campaign.

on april 4, 2012, dartmouth medical school renamed audrey , theodor geisel school of medicine in honor of many years of generosity college.