One hundred and fifty years ago this month, something extraordinary happened at the University of Michigan. Its effects have reverberated down through history not only on the campus, but across the state and nation.

In December 1869, the first patients checked in to the universitys first hospital.

It wasnt a fancy facility just 20 beds in a converted former professors house on North University Avenue, where the Chemistry Building now stands.

Its patients had to travel across the Diag, to the Medical School building built 20 years before, to have an operation or examination by a professor with hundreds of medical students looking on.

The professor's house that was converted to become the first U-M hospital.

But its opening marked the first time an American university had run a hospital, adding patient care to its missions of medical education and research. The birth of the academic medical center now known as Michigan Medicine began a movement that spread to universities across the country, and accelerated medical innovation.

A celebration of that 150th birthday begins today, and will continue through most of 2020, marking many of the medical and life sciences milestones and achievements that have happened at U-M and helped transform care everywhere.

A new timeline of historical events has just launched on the Michigan Medicine website, along with links to resources to explore U-Ms medical history further and a new overview video.

Theres also a video of a recent lecture by Joel Howell, M.D., Ph.D., co-author of the 2017 book Medicine at Michigan: A History of the University of Michigan Medical School at the Bicentennial and the Elizabeth Farrand Collegiate Professor in Medical History, as well as a professor of internal medicine, history, and health management and policy.

Throughout the coming months, new stories and social media posts will bring Michigan Medicines history to life, linked by the hashtag #michmed150 on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. Anyone at the university interested in receiving updates when new stories or updates are available may join an email list.

Michigan Medicine faculty, staff, retirees, alumni and patients will be invited to share their memories, and interact with historical content, too. Units within Michigan Medicine can tap into the celebration by noting events in their own past all have firsts or major national contributions of their own.

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Michigan Medicine kicks off celebration of 150th anniversary - University of Michigan Health System News