Medical school dean
David H. Perlmutter, MD
Executive Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs
Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor
George and Carol Bauer Dean, School of Medicine
School of Medicine Facts
Washington University School of Medicine has a rich history of success in research, education and patient care.
Our faculty pioneered bedside teaching and led the transformation of empirical knowledge into clinical practice. Our alumni achieve highly sought-after residencies and fellowships, challenging research endeavors, and successful, rewarding careers in medicine, allied health and public health.
Matt MillerAt WashU Medicine, the clinical perspectives of physician-scientists shape research priorities. Teams with deep expertise and resources across disciplines create a rich environment for learning and discovery, translating scientific findings into novel clinical solutions that benefit patients in our community and around the world.
School of Medicine at a glance (FY 2023)
- Founded1891
- LocationSt. Louis, MO
- Economic impact$8.7B
- Departments21
- Alumni26,979
- NIH funding$583.6M
- Patent filings (FY2022)491
- Nobel winners19
- Clinical sites130
- Specialties78
- Outpatient visits1.6M
Total Students1,411
- MD, MD/PhD595
- Applied Health Behavior12
- Audiology & Communication Sciences67
- Biomedical Informatics19
- Clinical Investigation76
- Genetic Counseling
8 - Genetic Epidemiology & Biostatistics40
- Medical Physics18
- Nursing Science10
- Occupational Therapy281
- Physical Therapy272
- Population Health Sciences13
Total Employees14,372
- Faculty2,935
- Staff11,437
- Residents and clinical fellows1,330
More about Washington University School of Medicine
Leadership
Washington University School of Medicine has 21 academic departments that support the school’s three-part mission of conducting outstanding patient care, education and research.
The School of Medicine offers master’s and doctoral degree programs in medicine, biomedical research, allied health professions and clinical and population research.
In 1891, responding to a national concern for improving doctors’ training, the Washington University administration established a medical department. In 1909, Robert Brookings, a successful businessman turned philanthropist, set about transforming the department into a modern medical school with full-time faculty, adequate endowment, modern laboratories and associated teaching hospitals.
The School of Medicine has more than 2,900 full-time faculty members.
Community engagement
Faculty, students and staff collaborate on major efforts to:
- Provide public education opportunities and services to promote health literacy and disease prevention
- Uncover and address health disparities through large-scale research projects
- Study and influence public health policy
- Identify and address local health priorites through community engagement with the Regional Health Commission and local health departments
- Support neighborhood revitalization
Students apply their talents in the community to:
- Participate in clinics for the medically underserved
- Gain experience in public health, community medicine and nonprofit work
- Engage in advocacy work for underrepresented populations
- Introduce disadvantaged high school students to careers in science and medicine
- Teach HIV and AIDS prevention in area public schools
Washington University School of Medicine offers six combined MD programs in addition to the regular four-year program leading to an MD. The MD/PhD degree program, known as the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), is among the largest in the country.
Applications and enrollment
The MD program attracts a diverse cohort of the world’s best and brightest. Applications for the 2023-24 academic year include:
- 5,702 applications
- 124 first-year students enrolled
Tuition for the most recent academic year »
Residency match data
Program graduates are highly successful in obtaining competitive residency training positions through national matching programs, and residency program directors rate our graduates very highly as compared to other trainees in their cohort.
Washington University School of Medicine, with Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, sponsors a consortium for graduate medical education.
The group operates 100 training programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and approximately 80 other specialties that continue the institutions’ long histories of successfully training outstanding residents and clinical fellows in medical education, research and patient care.
Both the GME Consortium and all of its sponsored training programs are in good standing with the ACGME and are fully committed to providing a quality educational experience to the residents and clinical fellows training in these programs.
Grants and contracts totaling more than $824.6 million supported faculty research efforts at the School of Medicine during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023. Substantial additional support was provided directly to faculty investigators by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Gifts and grants from thousands of private sources, including alumni, individuals, foundations, corporations and other organizations, totaled $129.5 million.
The School of Medicine received $583.6 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the 2023 federal fiscal year, the second highest amount of funding from the NIH of all medical schools nationwide.
Revenue and economic impact
Fiscal year 2023 revenue: $3.5 billion
Includes research support and patient services
Regional economic impact: $8.7 billion
Washington University Medical Campus
Our longstanding commitment to clinical care combined with research has contributed significantly to scientific and therapeutic advancements. Research advances at WashU Medicine include major contributions to the genome sequence data for the Human Genome Project, creating the first positron emission tomography (PET) scanner, pioneering the use of insulin to treat diabetes, developing the first surgical prevention of cancer based on genetic testing, and more.
As of 2023, the 26,979 School of Medicine alumni include:
- Medical: 10,428
- Former House Staff: 7,769
- Health Administration Program (1946-2008): 1,173
- Program in Occupational Therapy: 2,897
- Program in Physical Therapy: 3,181
- Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences: 1,093
- Nursing Program (1905–69): 438
Each year, MD, OT, PT and PACS alumni engage in providing philanthropic and volunteer support for their primary degree-granting programs.
Scholarships and professorships
Friends and alumni of the School of Medicine provide gifts through the William Greenleaf Eliot Society to support the academic and research priorities of the school.
Washington University Medical Center Alumni Association (WUMCAA)
WUMCAA sponsors various programs for MD alumni, former house staff and current medical students.
Distinguished Alumni Scholarship Program
This program provides full scholarships to four incoming medical students each year.
Organized in 1973, the Roy and Diana Vagelos Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences (DBBS) is a graduate educational consortium of faculty affiliated with 39 basic science and clinical departments in the School of Medicine, the School of Engineering and the College of Arts & Sciences. DBBS programs are designed to provide a broad, collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to graduate education, emphasizing investigation into many of today’s most important biological questions.
Graduate study in the DBBS is highly individualized and focuses on the needs and interests of students, each of whom is free to choose a mentor for laboratory and dissertation research from among faculty members in the division.
By the numbers:
- Total DBBS students: 848
- Faculty members: 680
- Departments: 39
MD/PhD Program
The MD/PhD program, known as the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), is one of the largest in the country. Its mission is to train the next generation of clinician-scientists interested in academic careers at major medical schools and research institutions.
- Number of students: 209
With more than 28,000 employees, the Washington University Medical Campus comprises an interdisciplinary community of institutions and individuals dedicated to preparing the next generation of health-care leaders and providing solutions that advance human health locally, nationally and globally.
Corporate partners:
- Barnes-Jewish Hospital
- BJC HealthCare
- St. Louis Children’s Hospital
- Washington University School of Medicine
In addition to its corporate partners, the Medical Campus is home to the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy, Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish College and Shriners Hospital for Children.
The Washington University Medical Campus covers 18 city blocks and includes 3.2 million square feet of research and instructional space.
Washington University Physicians, the school’s full-time clinical faculty, is among the largest academic clinical practices in the nation.
By the numbers:
- Clinical faculty: 1,959
- Specialties and subspecialties: 78
- Clinical sites: 130
- Outpatient visits (2023): 1,639,751
- WashU faculty hospital discharges (BJH/SLCH, 2023): 78,771
- Patient services revenue (WUSM, 2023 fiscal year): $1.8 billion
Affiliated hospitals and centers
Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital are our primary teaching hospitals, and Washington University Physicians see patients at additional sites throughout the St. Louis region. Our corporate partners include BJC HealthCare, a consortium of healthcare providers that includes several of our teaching hospitals.