Stanford University School of Medicine, located in Stanford, California, traces its origins to the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific, founded in San Francisco in 1858. It became part of Stanford University in 1908 when Stanford acquired Cooper Medical College. In 1959, the School of Medicine moved to its current location on the Stanford campus near Palo Alto. Stanford Medicine also includes Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.
Stanford is highly selective; for the entering class of 2023, the school accepted approximately 1% of applicants. In 2023, the Stanford School of Medicine withdrew from the U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools" survey and rankings. However, other organizations still rank the school. For example, in 2024, U.S. Career Institute ranked Stanford second among medical schools in the United States.
Stanford Medicine is known for biomedical innovation. Achievements include the first synthesis of biologically active DNA in a test tube and the expansion of optogenetics. Stanford is also where the first adult human heart transplant in the United States and the world's first combined heart-lung transplant took place. Faculty at the School of Medicine have received a high number of NIH Director's Pioneer Awards.
