A kickoff event in April will begin a 15-month celebration of the Medical School’s evolution and its plans for the future.
On March 10, 1972, the Corporation of Brown University approved the creation of a four-year medical education program, paving the way for Rhode Island’s first and only medical school. Fifty years later, the University is launching a celebration of decades of impact in medical education and research, the contributions of the 3,893 physicians who have earned MDs, and the innovative path ahead for The Warren Alpert Medical School.
“Whether caring for patients in Rhode Island’s hospitals and clinics, battling health crises around the world, or turning scientific discoveries into medical breakthroughs, Brown medical school students, faculty, alumni, and staff have built a half-century track record of positive impact,” says President Christina H. Paxson. “Brown’s contributions to health and medicine far exceed what even the most optimistic program founders might have envisioned in 1972. The Warren Alpert Medical School is an inspiring national and global leader, and this 50-year celebration marks a milestone for the entire University community to reflect on both its history and its future.”
The “50 Years of Medicine at Brown” celebration will kick off with a community event on the evening of Friday, April 29, and continue through June 2023, concluding the end of the next academic year. A series of celebratory, reflective, and scholarly activities will honor distinctive and innovative elements of Brown’s approach to medical training and biomedical innovation, characterized by a unique focus on promoting the health of individuals and communities through service to society. This is reflected in the medical program’s close relationship with Tougaloo College, a historically black college in Mississippi; its focus on transformative and socially responsible education, health care delivery, and biomedical research; and the local and global contributions of its physician-scientists working toward improved clinical practice, treatments, and cures.
