YSM History, Mission, Facts & Figures
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Overview and History
Yale School of Medicine is one of the world’s leading centers for biomedical research, advanced clinical care, and medical education.
It ranks seventh among medical schools receiving funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and tenth in NIH dollars per faculty member.
More than 1,700 Yale physicians provide care to patients from across the region and around the world. The Yale System of Medical Education, with its emphasis on critical thinking and independent student research, has produced leaders in every field of academic medicine.
The sixth-oldest medical school in the United States, it was chartered by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College, located first on Grove Street, then at 150 York Street.
Since 1924, it has occupied Sterling Hall of Medicine at 333 Cedar Street and surrounding buildings.
It has awarded 9,492 medical degrees since 1814. There are 5,671 living alumni with MD degrees, 5,603 with MPH degrees, and 1,529 alumni of the Physician Associate Program with the PA-C certificate or MMSc degree, and 139 alumni of the Physician Assistant Online Program.
Download a PDF of 2022-23 Facts & Figures for printing.
Brief Chronology
- 1701 - Yale College founded
- 1810 - Medical Institution of Yale College chartered
- 1833 - The State Hospital, precursor to New Haven Hospital, opens
- 1839 - MD student thesis requirement formalized
- 1857 - First African American student graduates
- 1915 - Department of Public Health established
- 1916 - First women students admitted
- 1923 - Yale School of Nursing established
- 1924 - Yale School of Medicine relocates to Sterling Hall of Medicine
- 1941 - The Yale Medical Library is dedicated
- 1945 - New Haven Hospital merges with Grace Hospital, becoming Grace-New Haven Community Hospital
- 1965 - Yale School of Medicine and Grace-New Haven Community Hospital revise their affiliation, creating Yale New Haven Hospital
- 1970 - Physician Associate Program founded
- 1974 - Yale Cancer Center established
- 1991 - Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine completed
- 1993 - Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital opens
- 1999 - Revised affiliation agreement with Yale New Haven Health System
- 2003 - The Anlyan Center for Medical Research & Education at Yale is completed
- 2007 - Amistad Street Building opens
- 2007 - Yale West Campus acquired
- 2009 - Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven opens
- 2010–11 - Yale School of Medicine celebrates its bicentennial
- 2012 - YNHH acquires the Hospital of Saint Raphael
- 2018 - Physician Assistant online program launches
- 2022 - Establishment of an aligned physician enterprise between Yale Medicine and Northeast Medical Group
YSM Mission
Yale School of Medicine educates and nurtures creative leaders in medicine and science, promoting curiosity and critical inquiry in an inclusive environment enriched by diversity.
We advance discovery and innovation fostered by partnerships across the university, our local community, and the world.
We care for patients with compassion, and commit to improving the health of all people.
Education
The School of Medicine educates future leaders in medicine, public health, and biomedical science. The MD program follows a unique educational philosophy, the Yale System of Medical Education, established in the 1920s. No course grades or class rankings are given in the first two years, examinations are limited, and students are expected to engage in independent investigation. Since 1839, medical students have written a thesis based on original research, reflecting that the scientific process of investigation, attentive observation, interpretation of data, and critical evaluation of literature are fundamental to the practice of medicine.
Many medical students take a tuition-free fifth year to pursue additional study. Some conduct in-depth research or explore clinical electives and subinternships. A significant number are awarded fifth-year research fellowships and earn the MHS degree.
Each year, approximately 20 students enroll in the school’s MD-PhD Program, one of the original Medical Scientist Training Programs established and funded by the NIH. Graduate students in the Combined Program in the Biomedical and Biological Sciences earn a PhD degree through the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The School of Medicine also offers joint degree programs with other professional schools including Public Health, Law, Management, Engineering, and Divinity.
YSM’s Physician Associate (PA) Program, one of the oldest PA programs in the country, and its Physician Assistant Online Program train students to become compassionate, high-quality, patient-centered PAs. The online program enables students to become PAs without relocating from their home communities.
Students by Degree Program
MD Program1 360 MD Students 158 MD/PhD Students 18 MD/MHS Students 14 MD/MBA Students 2 MD/MPH Students 0 MD/JD Students
M/MSc (PA-C) Program 115 Physician Associate Program Students 164 Physician Assistant Online Students
MPH Program 695 MPH Students
PhD Program 431 PhD Students
Total 1,957 Total ALL Students MD Program Details
Class of 2027 Profile 5,495 Applicants 105 Class size 50 Female students 54 Male Students 1 Another Gender Identity N/A Declined to specify2 5.5% Acceptance rate 35% URiM3 3.92 Median cumulative GPA 522 MCAT median 130 MCAT median of sections 4.2 to 1 Faculty-to-student ratio Finances & Library
Finances $67,484 2022-2023 tuition $79,750 2022 median debt for those with debt
Medical Library 368,000+ Volumes 23,000+ Journals 50,000+ Online books, biomedical
Basic and Translational Research
Research at the medical school covers a broad spectrum, from fundamental studies in the life sciences—including cell biology, genetics, immunobiology, microbial pathogenesis, neuroscience, pharmacology, physiology, biophysics and biochemistry—to translational and clinical studies aimed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.
The school’s core research resources are built around the newest technologies:
- State-of-the-art tools for genomics and proteomics, including whole-genome sequencing and mass spectrometry
- High-resolution imaging and image analysis at every scale, including cryoelectron microscopy, cryoelectron tomography, and the only focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope in the region
- High-throughput screening, including RNAi and chemical screens
- Construction and analysis of animal models of disease
In 2022, the school advanced its strategic priority in data science by creating a department for Biomedical Informatics and Data Science as a hub for biomedical collaboration. Soon after, in 2023, a new biorepository service was formed to store, retrieve, and share biological samples such as blood, solid tissues, DNA, RNA, and proteins, for current and future research studies.
Departments, Patents, Research Activity
Departments 10 Basic science 18 Clinical 6 Public Health 34 Total
Other 6 Programs and Centers
Active Patents 371 U.S. 811 World (54 countries) 1,182 Total
Biotech 132 Yale-founded Biotech Companies
Research Activity 3,022 Number of awards $836.2million Dollar total
NIH $549.9 million Awards 7th Rank, total grant dollars among medical schools5 10th Rank, grants per faculty member 6 25 Centers and program grants
Laboratory Space 716,890 YSM Net Assignable Square Feet About YSM Faculty
Faculty 2,260 Faculty, Teaching (ladder) 756 Research 371 Lecturer/Instructor 68 Visiting 186 Emeritus/Retired 1,717 Voluntary/Adjunct 5,358 Total Faculty
Trainees 1,704 Postgraduate Fellows & Associates
Memberships & Awards4 41 Association of American Physicians 3 Breakthrough Prize 1 Fields Medal 7 HHMI investigators 2 Kavli Prize 4 Lasker Awards 6 MacArthur Genius Grant 8 National Academy of Engineering 57 National Academy of Medicine 65 National Academy of Sciences 3 Nobel Prize 2 Wolf Prize 145 Faculty with Endowed Professorships
Clinical Investigation
Clinical investigation at Yale bridges the gap between the basic and translational sciences and the practice of medicine. Research is focused on the factors that affect health and illness in populations, the evaluation of therapeutic interventions, and the assessment of health outcomes based on analysis of large data sets. The School of Medicine sponsors a wide range of clinical trials, with more than 2,063 active trials in 2022, and more than 18,000 “Help Us Discover” unique volunteers enrolled (see yalestudies.org), and 33,159 active subjects. The school offers superb training for clinical investigators in a number of settings, including the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, the National Clinician Scholars Program at Yale (the evolution of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program), the Yale School of Public Health, and the Investigative Medicine Program, along with discipline-specific training initiatives in selected departments.
YCCI facilitates the training of clinical and translational scientists and provides infrastructure for innovative and collaborative research directed at improving patient care. It funds up to 20 YCCI Scholars yearly and supports investigators in the areas of biostatistics, bioinformatics, study design, core technologies, regulatory review, patient recruitment, and community-based research.Programs at Yale include:
The National Clinician Scholars Program at Yale was established in 2016 to prepare future clinician leaders to improve health and health care. Graduates of the two-year interprofessional fellowship earn a master of health sciences (MHS) degree.
Yale School of Public Health offers training and conducts research in biostatistics, chronic disease epidemiology, environmental health sciences, epidemiology of microbial diseases, and health policy and administration.
The Investigative Medicine Program awards a PhD degree to holders of MD degrees who pursue training in either laboratory-based or clinically based human investigation.
By the Numbers 2022-23
187 - RWJ Scholars since 1974
50 - NCSP Scholars since 2016
59 - PhDs awarded by Investigative Medicine Program since 2003 1
81 - YCCI Scholars trained since 2006
Patient Care
More than 1,700 Yale physicians provide primary and specialty care for patients through Yale Medicine. The practice delivers advanced care in more than 100 specialties and subspecialties, and has centers of excellence in such fields as cancer, cardiac care, minimally invasive surgery, and organ transplantation.
Yale physicians have made many historical contributions, including the first use of cancer chemotherapy, the first artificial heart pump, and the first insulin infusion pump for diabetes.
In 2022, YSM played a crucial role in the trials for teplizumab, the first FDA-approved drug with the ability to change the course of type 1 diabetes, or any autoimmune disease.
Today Yale Physicians use such groundbreaking advances as DNA sequencing technology to diagnose suspected genetic diseases. Yale Medicine is a major referral center for Connecticut and New England, and treats patients from throughout the world.
Patient Care Overview
Yale Medicine 2.8 Million Patient Encounters
Physicians 1,580 Full-time 182 Part-time 840 Allied Providers 437 Clinical fellows 919 Medical residents Yale New Haven Hospital
YNHH7 81,750 Patient discharges 142,659 Emergency visits 8 1.99 million Outpatient encounters (including ED) 1,541 Total licensed beds
Clinical Affiliations
Since then, the health system has grown significantly. In 2000, YNHH expanded again with the acquisition of the Psychiatric Hospital. In 2009, the 14-story Smilow Cancer Hospital opened, and in 2012 YNHH acquired the Hospital of Saint Raphael, adding 533 beds and making it one of the largest hospitals in the United States. Over the years, the medical community has expanded to include the institutions listed at left. Today an initiative is underway to further align these institutions to enable even greater discovery and clinical care, improve operational efficiency, and provide additional support and opportunities to physicians and students.
Four miles away in West Haven, the affiliated VA Connecticut Healthcare System maintains active clinical, research, and education programs in conjunction with many medical school departments.
Extensive maps and directions to medical center destinations are available online at medicine.yale.edu/maps.
Medical Center Institutions
- Yale School of Medicine
- Yale Medicine
- Yale School of Public Health
- Yale School of Nursing
- Yale New Haven Health, which consists of:
- Yale New Haven Hospital, including the Saint Raphael Campus
- Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital
- Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital
- Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven
- Bridgeport Hospital
- Greenwich Hospital
- Lawrence + Memorial Hospital
- Northeast Medical Group
- Westerly Hospital
- Yale Health
- Connecticut Mental Health Center
- John B. Pierce Laboratory
Yale University & New Haven
The School of Medicine is located on the main campus of Yale University, one of the world’s great institutions of higher learning. With a residential college system modeled after those of Cambridge and Oxford, the undergraduate school is complemented by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and 12 professional schools, including Architecture, Art, Divinity, Drama, Engineering and Applied Science, Forestry and Environmental Studies, Law, Management, Music, Nursing, and Medicine, which includes the School of Public Health. In 2007, Yale acquired the 136-acre West Campus in West Haven.
Established in 1638, New Haven was the first planned municipality in America, organized geographically in nine squares, including a picturesque town green. Today, New Haven is a vibrant coastal city located on Long Island Sound between New York and Boston. Cultural opportunities abound, from dance, theater, and music to the treasures of Yale’s art and natural history museums.
Community Service
Most students volunteer, and the COVID-19 pandemic did not diminish that undertaking. Students continued creatively providing support remotely or in a socially distanced manner when necessary.
The many community service projects and organizations for which students customarily volunteer include:
- Columbus House
- Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen
- HAVEN (student-run free clinic)
- Health Professionals Recruitment and Exposure Program
- Hill Regional Career High School Anatomy Teaching Program
- Hunger and Homelessness Auction
- Neighborhood Health Project
- Refugee Patient Navigator Program
- Youth Science Enrichment Program
- Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS)
Yale University Profile
Faculty Staff Students Yale (includes YSM) 5,251 10,891 14,776 YSM9 3,455 4,005 1,957
New Haven Profile 134,023 2020 Population 80 miles from NYC 137 miles from Boston
International Activities
The School of Medicine is an active partner in fulfilling Yale’s international goals, which include preparing students for international leadership and service, attracting the most talented students and scholars to Yale from around the world, and positioning Yale as a global university of consequence. Faculty members conduct research abroad, teach, and design courses in global health. Their work runs the gamut from molecular studies at the nanoscale to the analysis of social networks in disease transmission and prevention, to the improvement of health care systems
Yale Institute for Global Health is a university-wide effort led by the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health that serves as the focal point for research, education, and engagement with global partners to improve the health of individuals and populations worldwide.
Yale Office of International Affairs offers support to faculty in establishing and maintaining collaborations abroad, drawing on existing relationships on six continents. It maintains an online faculty research database.
Programs at Yale include:
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Office of Global Health
Facilitates the placement of Yale medical students in global clinical electives at sites in Argentina, Chile, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ghana, India, Jamaica, South Africa, Uganda, and the U.S. (rural sites in Appalachia and on the Navajo Nation in Arizona as well as in free clinics in New Haven and San Francisco). The office also administers the Visiting International Student Electives Program. -
Downs International Health Student Travel Fellowship
Supports students who undertake health-related research, primarily in low- and middle-income countries. -
Yale/Stanford—Johnson & Johnson Global Health Scholars
Sponsors rotations abroad for Yale house staff and physicians from other institutions, who travel to six sites in Africa and Asia.
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Office of Global Health
By the Numbers 2022-23
International students at Yale 7.5% MD 30% MPH 32% PhD (Sciences)
Yale Students/ trainees abroad 9 MD (international sites) 1 MD (domestic sites) N/A MPH10 10 Downs Fellows Visiting Students 59 Visiting Students at Yale from other nations
Finance
Endowment
$41.1 billion - Yale$3.77 billion - YSM
$4.8 billion - Yale$2.4 billion- YSM2022 Capital Projects
New construction/ acquisitions
$29.6 million - Yale$0 - YSM
Renovations/alterations$348 million - Yale$72.8 million - YSM
Income Year Ending June 30, 2022
Percent Actual Type 54.5% $1,296M Clinical Income 33.1% $787M Sponsored Agreements 8.2% $195M Endowment & Gifts 2.5% $60M Other 1.6% 39M Tuition .1% $.72M Royalties 100% $2,379M Total Expenditures Year Ending June 30, 2022
Percent Type 64.7% Salaries & Benefits 21.1% Non-salary expenses, net of internal revenue 1.7% Fellowships 3.0% Interest & Amortization 9.5% Other 100% Total
Footnotes & Contacts
Footnotes
1 Of 552 enrolled students, 60 students are currently on extended study pursuing a joint degree, completing a fully funded year of research, or a combination of research and clinical rotations.
2 All members of the Class of 2026 self-identified as female or male.
3 Students who identify as underrepresented in medicine.
4 Includes faculty across Yale University.
5 NIH ranking is for the federal fiscal year ending 9/30/22.
6 Per faculty rank averaged over 2021 and 2022.
7 Yale New Haven Hospital data as of 9/30/22; includes the Children’s Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital, Smilow Cancer Hospital, and the former Hospital of Saint Raphael, which was acquired by YNHH on 9/12/12. Licensed beds include bassinets.
8 Number of patients treated and released from the ED. This does not include those ED visitors who were admitted.
9 Further breakdown can be found in the Education section.
10 Due to COVID travel restrictions, some students worked remotely with agencies abroad, some did U.S.-based internships, while others worked abroad in their home countries (unable to return due to COVID travel restrictions).
11 Research income does not equal award amounts because research dollars are not always spent in the same period in which they are awarded.
Contacts
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Find a Yale doctor
yalemedicine.org (877) YALEMDS (877) 925-3637 -
YSM admissions
medicine.yale.edu/admissions (203) 785-2696 -
YSM News
medicine.yale.edu -
Media inquiries
communications.yale.edu/about-opac (203) 432-1345 -
Yale directory
directory.yale.edu (203) 432-4771 -
YNHH directory
(203) 688-4242 -
Make a gift
yale.edu/givemedicine Roopashree Narasimhaiah at ysmgifts@yale.edu.
For copies of Facts & Figures:
(203) 785-5824
facts.med@yale.eduYSM Office of Communications
50 Division Street, 2 Science Park, Floor 2,
New Haven, CT 06511
All data in Facts & Figures as of 6/30/22 unless otherwise noted.-
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